The past six months have been challenging ones for Calgary’s mayor – a failed Olympic plebiscite, Council in-fighting and a very difficult 4-year budget cycle have likely all contributed to a notable drop in approval for Naheed Nenshi among municipal voters according to a recent ThinkHQ poll.
Approval for the mayor currently sits at 43% (with only 12% offering strong support) compared to 53% disapproval for Mayor Nenshi (over one-third strongly disapprove). This represents a steep drop in support for Nenshi since June of this year – 18 percentage points – accompanied by a corresponding increase in disapproval.
Sentiment toward Mayor Nenshi is particularly negative among voters age 55+, while he remains modestly popular among those under 55. Men are slightly more negative about Nenshi’s performance than women.
Commenting on the survey, ThinkHQ Public Affairs, Inc. President Marc Henry noted:
“The past few months have taken a significant toll on the stature of Calgary’s mayor. Whether it’s driven by recent budget troubles, Council tension or the Olympic bid running off the rails – or some combination of all of these issues – this is the most notable drop in popularity we’ve seen since Nenshi was elected in 2010. Normally, looking at results drawn from a provincial sample like this one, with roughly 350 interviews from Calgary, we would offer a caveat about a smaller sample size, but this drop in approval is precipitous and well outside the margin of error.”
Click the link to view detailed findings and methodology: Nenshi Approval November 2018
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Marc Henry, President ThinkHQ Public Affairs, Inc.
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