A new Mainstreet/Postmedia poll has been released showing a softening of support for the Saskatchewan Party government.
According to the poll results released Monday, among decided and leaning voters the Sask. Party has 53 per cent support, with the New Democratic Party at 37 per cent. The Green Party and the Liberals each have five per cent support.
If all those who are undecided are factored in, the Sask. Party has 46 per cent support, the NDP 30, Green four per cent, Liberals three per cent, and undecided 17 percent.
The Sask. Party has a dominant lead outside the major cities by a 60 to 31 per cent margin, according to the survey. But in Saskatoon their lead over the NDP is just 47 to 41 per cent. And in Regina the NDP has the lead 53 to 37 per cent.
The poll was conducted Aug. 22 and 23 from a random sample of 1,690 Saskatchewan residents, and has a margin of error of +/- 2.38 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
In a news release Monday, David Valentin, executive-VP of Mainstreet Research, attributes the numbers to a “rough political summer for the Saskatchewan Party.”
Valentin said the bad Regina poll numbers for the Sask. Party can be linked to talk of “transformational change.” He said the “mantra of transformational government may be causing uncertainty in Regina where issues affecting public servants hit closer to home."
"Right now no one is quite sure what transformational government means, which leaves everyone free to assume the worst,” Valentin stated in that news release.
“Interestingly the approval rating for Premier Wall is largely unchanged. Saskatchewanians may not be expecting the premier to seek re-election and may have begun pricing that in. Certainly, there does not appear to be any clear successor to the leadership if the premier were to depart. All that being said, the NDP has no permanent leader and the Sask. Party would still win a majority government with these numbers."
According to Mainstreet’s poll numbers 37 per cent strongly approve of Wall’s performance while 26 per cent somewhat approve, which compares to June 13 numbers of 40 per cent and 25 per cent respectively.
The poll also measured Saskatchewan attitudes towards drinking and driving, and those turned up some surprising numbers.
When asked “do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Driving under the influence is OK if you are travelling a short distance on quiet roads,” 19 per cent said yes, 77 per cent said no and four percent were not sure.
When asked former deputy premier Don McMorris, who stepped down from cabinet after being charged with drunk driving, should run for re-election, 68 per cent of respondents said no. 10 per cent said yes and 22 per cent were not sure.
