Alberta's provincial budget didn't grab public's attention, survey indicates
Albertans have largely had a lukewarm response to the recent provincial budget, though most of its key investments are widely supported, according to a new poll.
A Leger online poll of 1,001 respondents released this week suggests that more than half of Albertans (53 per cent) are unfamiliar with the specifics of the new fiscal plan Finance Minister Nate Horner unveiled at the end of February, and less than half (43 per cent) believe it outlines “a balanced, responsible plan for growing Alberta.”
“I think it was probably not a high-level event in the sense of grabbing public attention,” said Andrew Enns with Leger.
However, key aspects of the budget were overwhelmingly supported by poll respondents. The survey suggests that more than seven in 10 Albertans are in favour of the province's new funding commitments for wildfire response (74 per cent), expanding health-care facilities (74 per cent) and health services (73 per cent). Sixty-eight per cent supported the province's planned funding of 100 street-level police officers in high-crime locations in Edmonton and Calgary.
“There seems to be good support on a number of the key elements, and I suspect (the government would) be happy with that,” said Enns.
Among the more divisive topics in Budget 2024 are the proposed $200-per-year levy on electric vehicles to aid in road management costs usually paid through fuel taxes, and the promise to build the Heritage Fund to $400 billion by 2050, with support of 57 and 54 per cent, respectively.
Along partisan lines, 37 and 38 per cent of NDP supporters supported each of those plans, respectively — far less than the 78 and 74 per cent support from UCP supporters. The divide was much less apparent on the more popular budget items related to wildfire and health care.
Less than a quarter (24 per cent) of Albertans support the idea of a provincial pension plan, largely unchanged from Leger's last poll on the topic in January.
“I haven't seen a whole lot of discussion or conversation around the provincial pension plan . ... I didn't expect there would be a lot of significant movement on that question,” Enns said.
Support among UCP voters stands at 41 per cent, while 29 per cent disagree with the government's proposal and another 30 per cent are undecided. NDP supporters remain overwhelmingly opposed to a provincial pension plan, with 85 per cent against the proposal.
Leger's poll was based on an online survey involving 1,001 adult Albertans conducted from March 8 to 11. The pollster said a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.