For the first time ever, B.C. residents are more concerned about fuel costs than the environment and other key issues like health care and the economy, according to a recent poll.
When Mustel Group, a Vancouver-based market research firm, posed the question, "What is the most important issue facing British Columbia today?" the cost of fuel topped the list.
The poll, conducted between June 9 to June 19, took into account the views of 750 B.C. residents.
It showed that residents living in rural areas are just as concerned as Metro Vancouver residents -- and the results are consistent across all income and age groups.
According to the poll, the B.C. Liberals have maintained a 10-point lead over the NDP.
If an election were held tomorrow, the B.C. Liberals would have the support of 47 per cent of decided voters, while the NDP would have the support of 37 per cent, a substantial jump from 31 per cent in March.
Support for B.C.'s Green Party has fallen back to 14 per cent after reaching 17 per cent in the last poll.
In Vancouver suburbs and in the interior, the B.C. Liberals continue to be the most popular provincial party, whereas the NDP tends to be strongest in the City of Vancouver.
The Green Party is the strongest in Victoria, which has created a three-way race between the main parties in a city that favoured the NDP in the last election.
