Nearly half of young BC residents see themselves leaving the province: poll

Photo: Scazon / Flickr

A new poll suggests nearly half of young British Columbians don’t see themselves growing old in the province.

The poll from Research Co. shows 72% of B.C. residents believe they will stay for the rest of their lives, but that figure is significantly lower in younger demographics.

“Only 56% of British Columbians aged 18-to-34 expect to stay in the province for the rest of their lives,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co.

“The proportions are significantly higher among their counterparts aged 35-to-54 (70%) and aged 55 and over (84%).”

82% of British Columbians say they are very proud of their province while 59% consider their views different from the rest of the country.

More than three-in-five British Columbians (62%) believe they have more in common with the people of Seattle and Portland than with those in Toronto or Montreal.

Just under one-in-five British Columbians (19%) think British Columbia would be better off as its own country—a proportion that rises to 23% among those aged 18-to-34.

More than three-in-five respondents (63%) claim to consider themselves “Canadians first, and British Columbians second,” while 22% acknowledge being “British Columbians first, and Canadians second.”

The same poll found that (30%) of B.C. residents think that John Horgan has been the province’s best premier since 1986, followed by Christy Clark (7%), Gordon Campbell (7%) and Mike Harcourt (6%).

Just under one-in-five British Columbians (19%) believe Clark is the worst recent head of government, followed by Campbell (10%) and Horgan (also 10%).