Almost five months have passed since British Columbians participated in the provincial election. When Research Co. asked the province’s residents about their political views earlier this month, the needle did not move much. The governing BC New Democratic Party remains in first place with the support of 44 per cent of decided voters, closely followed by the Conservative Party of B.C. at 42 per cent. The BC Green Party is third with 11 per cent, and three per cent of decided voters would back other parties or independent candidates.
The gender and age gaps observed in last October’s campaign persist. Roughly half of women (49 per cent) and most British Columbians aged 35-54 (54 per cent) would vote for the BC NDP. The BC Conservatives can count on the support of 49 per cent of men and 49 per cent of British Columbians aged 35-54.
A majority of British Columbians (53 per cent) say they would consider voting for the BC NDP if they ran a candidate in their constituency in the next provincial election. The proportion is lower for the BC Conservatives (45 per cent) and the BC Greens (39 per cent).
More than half of British Columbians (55 per cent, up two points since our last poll of the campaign ) approve of the performance of Premier and BC NDP Leader David Eby, while fewer feel the same way about Official Opposition and BC Conservative Leader John Rustad (40 per cent, down two points) and interim BC Green Leader Jeremy Valeriote (34 per cent).
Eby’s current situation is similar to what was observed with Ontario Premier Doug Ford in : satisfaction with his performance is higher than voter support for the party he leads. Provincial heads of government have been assisted by the whims of Donald Trump’s presidency.
We continue to see more than a third of British Columbians (36 per cent, down four points) place housing, poverty and homelessness as the most important issue facing the province. Health care is second with 21 per cent (down two points), followed by the economy and jobs at 20 per cent (up five points), crime and public safety (six per cent, unchanged), the environment (three per cent, down one point) and accountability (also three per cent, unchanged).
In past years, concerns about the economy and jobs came primarily from middle-aged and older residents. This time, we see one in four British Columbians aged 18-34 (26 per cent) saying this is the most pressing matter. Residents of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley are also more likely to be worried about finances (22 per cent and 21 per cent, respectively) than their counterparts in Vancouver Island (17 per cent), Southern B.C. (14 per cent) and Northern B.C. (11 per cent).
In our Ontario , 44 per cent of voters expressed support for a merger of the centre-left parties that have failed to defeat the Progressive Conservatives in three consecutive elections. The reaction of British Columbians to mergers is also mixed. Almost half (46 per cent) would welcome the BC Greens and the BC NDP coming together, while just 34 per cent think it is a good idea for BC United to merge with the BC Conservatives.
A BC NDP-BC Green union is backed by 72 per cent of those who voted for the New Democrats in October and by 55 per cent of those who backed the BC Greens. Absorbing what is left of BC United is an appealing proposition to 59 per cent of those who cast ballots for the BC Conservative voters in 2024.
This survey was completed after the provincial budget was released, but before the expulsion of one BC Conservative lawmaker from caucus and the defection of two others. At the time, voters were not particularly wowed by the actions of the government or the Official Opposition.
The next few weeks will present new challenges for both Eby and Rustad. The premier will need to connect on issues that are not directly related to the dispute over tariffs, and the leader of the opposition will need to maintain control of a party where the harshest criticism—particularly on social media—is coming from candidates who were rejected by voters in October.
Mario Canseco in president of Research Co.
Results are based on an online survey conducted from March 3-5, 2025, among 802 adults in British Columbia. The data has been statistically weighted according to census figures for age, gender and region in British Columbia. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
