Insights West
VANCOUVER — The proposed expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Pipeline remains a divisive issue in British Columbia, a new Insights West poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, four-in-five residents (81 per cent) are aware of the proposed expansion—a 21-point increase since last year.
When asked directly about the project, almost half of British Columbians (48 per cent) say they support the proposed expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline, while a slightly smaller proportion (43 per cent) oppose it. The number of residents who are undecided on this matter has increased markedly, from three per cent in January 2012 to 11 per cent this month.
“As was the case last year, the Trans Mountain expansion remains a contentious issue across British Columbia,” says Mario Canseco, vice president, public affairs, at Insights West. “The pro-expansion side is still ahead of the anti-expansion side by just five points at the provincial level, but the proportion of residents who have not made up their minds has almost quadrupled.
Views on the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion are decidedly different among specific demographics. Support for the project reaches 58 per cent among male residents, but only 37 per cent for female residents. British Columbians aged 18-to-34 (39 per cent) are less likely to support the expansion than those aged 35-to-54 (43 per cent) and those aged 55 and over (55 per cent).