Here's what voters in B.C. are saying about the next provincial election

A ballot is cast in the B.C. election. (Elections BC)

BC United and the BC Conservatives are in a tie for second place among voters ahead of October's provincial election, according to a new poll.

The Angus Reid Institute released the results Monday, showing vote intention for the incumbent BC NDP sits at 43 per cent while it is at 22 per cent for the other two parties – representing a "fractured opposition" that could help the governing New Democrats secure another majority when people head to the polls in seven months.

The overall outlook for Premier David Eby and his party is described as "comfortable yet potentially concerning."

In 2018, the BC Conservatives didn't win a single seat, making the race for second place an interesting one to watch, according to the institute.

"BC United will be hoping to overcome a precipitous fall in the polls, and the previously single-digit polling provincial Conservative Party will hope to prove that they are indeed more than a spillover choice from the surging federal brand," a summary of the poll results says.

"With election talk likely to continue to ramp up, both leaders will have an opportunity to meet and convince voters to make their party the real threat to the incumbent BC NDP."

When it comes to who voters want to see as the next premier, Eby has a favourability rating of 47 per cent, while Kevin Falcon and John Rustad both have less than a quarter – with 21 and 22 per cent, respectively. However, the results also showed approval for Rustad was relatively high in the Interior and Northern regions, at 33 per cent.

The issues British Columbians said were the most important were the cost of living, health care, housing affordability and public safety. Those surveyed said that Eby and the BC NDP are the leader and party they think are "best suited" to tackle the issues but a majority also said "the government is doing a poor job" on these issues and half said that it is "time for a change" in government.

While satisfaction with the BC NDP on these issues is not high, the poll also revealed that "many are disenchanted with all options," with roughly one on four saying "none of them will do a good job."

In terms of why people support the party they do, 45 per cent of voters answered that they "dislike the other options more."

The results were based on an online survey of a randomized sample of 809 B.C. adults. A sample of this size will have a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The full results are available online.