Alberta Prosperity Fund Releases Results of Alberta Wide Poll - A Unified WR/PC Party Would Dominate an Election

CALGARY, Feb. 16, 2016 /CNW/ - Meetings of common-sense voters have been happening all over the province.  Those meetings are bringing PC and Wildrose supporters together and generating a clear message - supporters understand the necessity of unifying the two parties, and want the process to start now.

Today, a poll of 1500 Albertans conducted by Mission Research and commissioned by the Alberta Prosperity Fund confirms that Alberta voters are split when it comes to which party to support if an election was held today.  No party would emerge as a clear winner.  However, if there was a united common-sense party that brought together PCs and Wildrose, then the contest is over.  That unified party would overwhelmingly win an election if held today. 

 "We were pleased to be the first organization to go into the field to test the hypothesis that unity supporters thought was true – namely that the NDP will be held to one term if there is unity between the PCs and Wildrose," said Barry McNamar, President of the Fund, "we will continue to gauge the attitudes of Albertans as a reality check to party supporters or officials who think either Wildrose or the PCs can get the job of beating the NDP done by themselves."

Alberta Prosperity Fund spokesperson Dave Rutherford commented further on the survey results, "This poll, conducted recently, across Alberta and with a low margin of error, also shows that Albertans think that a merger of the PCs and Wildrose is the best solution.  We are not offering a definitive prescription for unity, but if Albertans think an outright merger makes more sense than either a new party or simple cooperation, that should give both leaders good ground on which to start a conversation.  This is the first time we've gone into the field to do polling, but it won't be the last. The Alberta Advantage is at stake," concluded Rutherford.

The Alberta Prosperity Fund is a public benefit, privately held political action organization focused on the needs of Alberta's working families and the industries that employ them.  The Alberta Prosperity Fund intends to raise voluntary contributions in support of voter education, persuasion and mobilization to ensure that Alberta remains the best place in Canada to live, work and do business. It has a short- term partisan objective to help unify the common-sense vote prior to the next election.

About the Survey
This data is from an online survey undertaken by Mission Research on behalf of the Alberta Prosperity Fund. Data was collected from February 5th to February 7th 2016. The survey was completed online using a randomly-selected, representative sample of 1,500 eligible Alberta voters. As a guideline, the margin of error for a corresponding probability sample of this size would be +/-2.5 percent, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most recent Statistics Canada Census data for age, gender and region to ensure the results are representative of the entire population of Alberta voters. Any discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

About Mission Research
Founded in 2000, Mission Research is a full-service public opinion and marketing research firm based in Toronto. A boutique firm staffed by senior research professionals, Mission Research caters to a more discerning research buyer through its combination of industry-leading methodological models and strategic ad hoc research. Mission Research is on the cutting edge of research related to brand image, reputation management and media coverage, providing clear and actionable results to clients in a broad array of sectors across Canada. For more information, please visit missionresearch.ca.

1:  If a provincial election were held today, which party would you most likely vote for?

The Wildrose Party	31%
The NDP	25%
The Progressive Conservatives	18%
The Liberals	5%
The Alberta Party	2%
Other	1%
Don't know/undecided	18%
Would not vote	1%

2:  Which party did you vote for in the most recent Alberta provincial election that took place on May 5th, 2015?

The NDP	39%
The Wildrose Party	23%
The Progressive Conservatives	27%
The Liberals	4%
The Alberta Party	2%
Other	1%
Did not vote	5%

3:  If a provincial election were held today and the PC Party and the Wildrose Party formed a single party, which party would you most likely vote for?

Newly formed PC/Wildrose	52%
The NDP	28%
The Liberals	7%
The Alberta Party	4%
Other	3%
None	6%

4. What do you think is the best way to unify the PC and Wildrose Party?

Fold into one combined party	46%
Brand new party/invite both to join	26%
Keep two parties/work cooperatively	10%
No Opinion	9%
Don't know	9%

Z1:  Are you...

5. Gender

Male	50%
Female	50%
N Size	1500

6:  What is the highest level of education that you have completed or the highest degree that you have received?

Less than high school (Grades 1-8)	1%
High school diploma or equivalent	20%
College/CEGEP/other non-university diploma	34%
Undergraduate university degree	31%
Master's degree	9%
Degree medicine/dentistry/veterinary/optometry	1%
Doctorate	1%
None of the above	1%
Prefer not to answer	2%
N Size	1500

7:  Within which of the following categories does your yearly total household income fall?

Under $20,000	3%
$ 20,000 to under $39,999	13%
$ 40,000 to under $59,999	13%
$ 60,000 to under $79,999	14%
$ 80,000 to under $99,999	12%
$100,000 to under $124,999	12%
$125,000 to under $149,999	6%
$150,000 or more	11%
Prefer not to answer	17%
N Size	1500

SOURCE Alberta Prosperity Fund

Questions about the survey? Contact: Heather Scott-Marshall, PhD, President, Mission Research, E: [email protected], T: 416.737.1474; Media inquiries contact: Dave Rutherford via Samantha Leclerc, Direct: 403.400.6862, Email: [email protected]