According to our survey of 1204 Albertans (online, Sept 21 to Oct 6), 43% intend to vote "yes" in the equalization referendum. 26% plan to vote "no" and 28% are unsure.
Older Albertans are more likely to vote "yes," as are people in rural areas.
There are clear partisan and ideological divides on the referendum question. People on the right and those that support conservative parties are far more likely to vote "yes" than those on the left.
Predictably, people who feel a closer attachment to Alberta and a looser attachment to Canada are more likely to vote "yes".
We also asked 600 of our respondents to answer an 8-question quiz about equalization. Fewer than half (44.5%) passed the test, revealing a very low level of basic knowledge about the subject of this month's referendum.
Respondents were most likely to know the purpose of equalization, and the fact that the Alberta government does *not* send funds directly to poorer provinces.
No group of Albertans scored high on the quiz. "No" voters did perform better than "yes" voters, however.
How do Albertans feel about the prime minister, premier, and other party leaders? @DrJaredWesley has our latest Viewpoint Research Brief. #ableg 🧵⤵️ 🔗drive.google.com/file/d/11ZX8sp… (n=802, online, Mar 1-8, 2021)
We asked Albertans to use 1 word to describe each major party leader. They used negative words to describe Kenney & Trudeau, positive words to describe Notley, and words to indicate unfamiliarity to describe O’Toole.
Albertans have negative impressions of Trudeau and Kenney. Conversely, Albertans view Singh and Notley more positively than negatively. 1 in 5 Albertans indicated they do not know O'Toole, and his negatives outweigh his positives.
4 in 10 Albertans and 1 in 3 Saskatchewanians reported worsening employment situations since last year. Likewise, Albertans and Saskatchewanians reported income declines in March 2021.
In SK & AB, racial minorities were more likely than white people to report worsening employment situations. Generation Z reported the highest employment effects––nearly half of SK Generation Z respondents and 6 in 10 AB Generation Z respondents reported worsening employment.
Our measures of party support align well with those from Canada’s leading polling firms, both of whom were in the field at the same time as us (first week of March 2021).
UCP support continues its steady but slowing decline. A key change since August 2020: NDP support has climbed nearly 12 points.
Many Albertans have lived experience of substance use problems. A significant proportion of respondents (41%) reported that they or someone close to them had struggled with drugs or alcohol.
78% of Albertans felt that the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout would lead to more mental health and addiction problems and fatal overdoses here.
How have Albertans' economic perspectives shifted during the ongoing pandemic? Our latest Viewpoint Alberta research sheds important light. #ableg#COVID19AB
Viewpoint AB data show that #COVID19 affected the income and employment situations of many Albertans, creating additional financial hardships. Between March-Aug 2020, 27% of Albertans reported employment changes and 53% reported declining incomes due to #COVID19.
All Albertans did not face the same hardships. Women, racial minorities, younger gens, and urban residents more often experienced income declines. #AbLeg