Nearly half of Sask. residents say their finances are worse than last year and declining: Angus Reid

Sask. residents favour Premier Moe’s leadership, but almost half report worsening personal economic situations in the last 12 months. Wayne Mantyka reports.

A new Angus Reid poll paints a troubling picture of Saskatchewan residents, many of whom say their financial situation has worsened and they have little optimism for the future.

In a cross-Canada outlook released Wednesday, the Angus Reid Institute said 44 per cent of Saskatchewan residents reported they are worse off financially than they were a year ago, “a proportion notably higher than the national average.”

A plurality of respondents told the pollster they expected their financial situation would remain unchanged in the future, and more than a third anticipated further decline.

“These sentiments come as cost of living and health care dominate the public agenda, each selected by more than three-in-five as top concerns, far outpacing all other issues.”

No link seen between gov’t, affordability

Despite the grim outlook at home, 45 per cent of respondents said the Saskatchewan government was on the right track — one of the highest in Canada — and Premier Scott Moe placed in third among provincial leaders for favourability rating in a separate Angus Reid survey last month.

With the approval of 51 per cent of Saskatchewan residents who responded to the poll, Moe sits behind Manitoba’s Wab Kinew and New Brunswick’s Susan Holt in the premier rankings.

In its outlook, Angus Reid polled Saskatchewan residents on 16 different issues to rank government performance.

Overall, Saskatchewan led the country with a meagre 36 per cent approval across the weighted, 16-issue index. Angus Reid says the province’s own financial challenges have kept perceptions of its performance down.

“The ongoing economic challenges, which many have attributed to repeated international shocks under U.S. President Donald Trump, have made it difficult for many governments to increase their own positive perceptions,” the pollster said.

Health care and cost of living

In Saskatchewan, the high cost of living and healthcare dominated residents’ priorities by a wide margin, according to Angus Reid.

“Both of those issues are chosen by more than three-in-five Saskatchewan residents, nearly triple the third-place issue, the economy, which is chosen by 24 per cent.”