The latest polling numbers in Nova Scotia show Premier Stephen McNeil with the highest approval rating yet.
Margaret Brigley, CEO of Narrative Research, says this is a new record, at 77% approval this quarter.
“This has been something we’ve tracked for just over twenty years and we have never seen that level of satisfaction in Nova Scotia, even back in 2005, John Hamm and the Conservatives, they had 69% satisfaction.”
She says the Liberal Party has also seen a jump in voter intentions, giving the Premier the highest number in his current term at 57% of decided voters.
“And that comes from a number of areas. We’ve got a notable decline with the NDP, from twenty-one percent down to fifteen, and the PCs have gone from twenty-seven to twenty-two, and even the Green Party’s gone from ten percent to six.”
Brigley says the premier’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has definitely had an impact on that rise.
“When you look at what’s going on, this is clearly an unprecedented time in our history in the province and it’s a time when the government in power has daily access. You know, they’ve got briefings, they’ve got regular, ongoing conversations with the public.”
She says that’s a real point of leverage for the Premier and that it is province-wide, not just in pockets.
Decided voter support for the Liberals rose 14 points to 57%, while the PC’s dropped to 22%, the New Democratic Party is down to 15%, and the Green Party fell to six percent.
