When it comes to what makes the provincial economy tick, many British Columbians are in the dark.
That's the result of a survey commissioned by Simon Fraser University that quizzed B.C. residents on which sectors contribute the most to the economy and are the biggest employer.
"I was quite surprised … by the degree to which people missed completely which sectors are dominant in the economy," Daniel Savas, visiting professor with SFU's school of public policy, told Business in Vancouver.
Savas designed the survey, which was conducted by Angus Reid Public Opinion.
On which sector contributes the most to B.C.'s GDP, most people chose forestry, followed by oil and gas. Only 2% picked the actual answer, financial services. Wholesale and retail trade is the next largest contributor.
When asked which sector employs the most people, 35% identified tourism. A quarter guessed right with health services.
The survey also found that 54% of British Columbians do not feel very positive about their current financial situation compared with their parents' generation, while 58% felt that the next generation will be worse off financially than they are now.
"Half the population feels they're just making ends meet and about a quarter of them feel that they're falling behind," Savas noted.
When it came to gauging the B.C. economy, 54% said they think the B.C. economy is in average shape, and 26% said it was in poor shape. Only 20% thought it was in good shape.
However, 44% of respondents they were optimistic about the future of B.C.'s economy in the next five to 10 years.
"One thing that is surprising is despite all this unease, they're certainly more optimistic than pessimistic when they think about the next 10 years," Savas said.
The survey is a precursor to a forum SFU will hold this Friday, with the goal of engaging ordinary British Columbians in an informed conversation about the future of B.C.'s economy.
