Worried about the economy? You're far from alone, according to a new poll
More than half of residents think the province's economic situation has worsened over past 3 months
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are increasingly down on the province's economic prospects, according to new polling from MQO Research.
More than half of Newfoundland and Labrador residents reported that their outlook on the province's economy had become more dire over the past three months.
Some 52 per cent of residents said their outlook had worsened, versus 45 per cent in October, MQO reported.
The percentage of those who felt things had improved stayed at 10 percent in both surveys while 36 per cent felt their outlook hadn't changed either way, versus 43 per cent in October.
Despite the pessimism, more than half of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians surveyed — 57 per cent — expressed a high level of job security in January, up from 46 per cent a year earlier.
Only a quarter of residents reported feeling higher levels of general stress in January.
But 58 per cent, down two percentage points, reported that they were highly concerned about their cost of living.
Political support shifts
Residents also shifted some of their support for the provincial Liberal and PC parties over the past three months, the poll found.
Support for the governing Liberal Party decreased nine percentage points between October and January, to 43 per cent, though the rating of 4.8 out of 10 for Premier Dwight Ball's performance shifted only slightly during that time.
The PC Party picked up some of the support, with their approval rating increasing by seven percentage points during those three months, to 38 per cent.
NDP support, at 16 per cent, held steady, as did the undecided/no vote at 36 per cent.
The Atlantic Matters poll surveyed 600 eligible N.L. voters by telephone from January 12 to 25, 2018. Results are considered accurate within four percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
