Housing, poverty, and homelessness most important issues for B.C. voters

The leading issues for B.C. voters in the upcoming provincial election are housing, poverty, and homelessness, followed by health care, the economy, and jobs, according to a firm that conducts public opinion polls and analysis.

While housing used to be the top issue for younger voters in Metro Vancouver, that has since changed with 40 per cent of all voters, regardless of age, citing it as their top concern.

Mario Canseco is the president of Research Co. He said, “Over the past year, we see people from all age groups and all regions essentially saying we’re in a housing crisis.”

“But now we have, essentially, a wide agreement that housing is the one big thing that needs to be solved, even if healthcare is a very close second place when it comes to those 55 and over.”

The other top election issues for British Columbians are health care at 19 per cent, followed by the economy and jobs at 18 per cent. Canseco says those trailing issues reveal a major shift in voting behaviour, with older and younger voters bucking their long-established political affiliations.

“It’s a fundamentally different shift from what we’ve seen in other elections, where the younger cohort is more likely to be progressive-minded and stay with the NDP and worry about education, for instance,” he explained.

“And now you have the over 55s, who usually were more likely to support the BC Liberals saying things are going well with the NDP.”

Canseco says part of what’s driving older voters to stick with the status quo is because BC Conservative leader John Rustad has hinted at introducing private elements into the health-care system, which would particularly impact older voters.

Conversely, younger voters are now leaning towards the BC Conservatives over concerns for their financial future, with those aged 18 to 34 ranking economic management as their second top issue behind housing.

“What we’re seeing there with the younger generation is if you haven’t made it into the housing market and you’re worried about it that will be your number one issue,” said Canseco.

“But it’s also the problems related to wages. Maybe I can get into the housing market if I had more money in my pocket, if I had a situation that allowed me to make more money.”

He says the same is true for the middle 35- to 54-year-old cohort.

“It’s ultimately how much stuff is costing and whether there’s a plan out there that is going to allow you to keep more of what you’re earning.”

Ram, who only identified himself by his first name, echoed what Canseco found in the polls.

Speaking to 1130 NewsRadio, Ram explains he is in the younger 18 to 34-year-old cohort and is currently an assistant manager at Fresh Slice.

“The only thing is with inflation, the prices are too high, and even the job market is so bad right now. So I used to work in a tech company before, so I got laid off and I’m working here now,” Ram shared.

Though it has received a lot of attention and political scrutiny, crime and public safety are far down the list — ranking at 8 per cent, and the environment, once a leading issue in B.C., is now ranked at only 4 per cent.