Vancouver residents think the city’s current municipal government has done a good job on tourism and the environment, but city hall got low marks when it came to homelessness and being transparent about decisions.
According to an Insights West survey released Thursday (August 21), 79% of respondents gave the city high marks on promoting tourism. City hall also rated well on keeping Vancouver clean, protecting the environment, encouraging arts and culture, and dealing with crime.
However, when it comes to engaging with the public, only 33% of respondents said they were satisfied with the city’s performance. Less than half (47%) said they were satisfied with the way the city has dealt with development and growth, while 39% said they approved of the way the city has handled it finances.
On homelessness, 31% of respondents said they were satisfied. Just 25% said the city was doing a good job of making city hall transparent and unbiased.
Meanwhile, Mayor Gregor Robertson’s approval ratings are highest among women (52%) and people aged 18-34 (55%).
Non-Partisan Association (NPA) mayoral challenger Kirk LaPointe isn’t having nearly as much success with younger potential voters, as only 8% of respondents aged 18-34 said they would vote for the former journalist.
Furthermore, 41% of Vancouverites said they do not know who LaPointe is, while just 20% said they’re likely to vote for him.
Robertson, however, is either “very likely” or “moderately likely” to get a vote from 34% of residents, while 46% of respondents said they have a positive opinion of the mayor.
Vision Vancouver also leads the way in the poll, as 34% of respondents said they’d give at least one vote to the sitting mayor’s party.
The NPA came second with 30%, while the Green Party received 29% and former mayor Larry Campbell’s Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) followed with 18%.
