Islanders' satisfaction with Dennis King government falling further, poll suggests
The percentage of Prince Edward Islanders who said they were mostly or completely satisfied with the Progressive Conservative government of Premier Dennis King fell below 50 per cent last month, according to the latest poll from Narrative Research.
The polling firm reached 300 Islanders by telephone from May 8 to 29.
In 2021, the percentage of those polled by Narrative who said they were mostly or completely satisfied with the PCs reached as high as 80 per cent.
That number began a slow decline in the spring of 2022 that lasted through most of 2023, and then fell into a steep dive beginning last fall. In the most recent poll, expressions of satisfaction fell to 48 per cent.
This pattern is reflected in what people said in recent polling when asked who they'd vote for if an election were to be held imminently.
While satisfaction was on a slow slide in 2022-23, opposition parties made no headway against the governing Tories in last year's general election. In fact, the Progressive Conservatives picked up seven seats on April 3, 2023.
But in the last two polls, the Green Party has not only seen a resurgence in its support at the expense of the Progressive Conservatives, it has also created some separation from the Liberals, who form the Official Opposition.
In November, the two parties were in a virtual tie. In May, with 33 per cent of decided voters in the poll leaning Green, they held an 18 per cent lead over the Liberals.
The Progressive Conservatives remained on top of the voter intention poll, with 42 per cent support, but that was down 14 points from the November Narrative Research poll.
The number of those polled who are not sure which way to turn is also on the rise.
In the King government's most popular days, about one in three of those polled would not express a preference on voting. In May, almost half of those reached declined to express a choice among the parties.
A relative bright spot for the PCs is expressions of leader support.
While support for King declined in the last two polls, falling in May to 36 per cent, he maintains a strong lead over both interim Green leader Karla Bernard, at 19 per cent, and interim Liberal leader Hal Perry, at 13 per cent.
The New Democratic Party continues to hold fourth place in terms of both voter intention and leadership support.
The overall margin of error for the poll is 5.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. For voting preference, when those not providing their pick are excluded, the margin of error is 7.7 percentage points.
