A poll released the day before the provincial writ is issued suggests support for B.C.'s current premier is dipping.

An Insights West poll conducted for CTV News showed Christy Clark's approval rating was down to 30 per cent among those surveyed -- a drop of six points since February. The results of the survey, conducted last week, were compared to those of a similar Insights West survey conducted two months ago to measure how the ratings have changed. 

The most recent results suggested NDP leader John Horgan has the highest approval rate, at 37 per cent, while support for the Greens' Andrew Weaver has grown over the last two months to 35 per cent.

The poll did not look at approval ratings for leaders of parties other than the three currently represented in the Legislature, nor did it include ratings for B.C.'s sole independent MLA Vicki Huntington.

Of those surveyed, 12 per cent said their opinion of the BC Greens leader has improved over the past three months, while eight per cent said it had worsened. Opinions of Horgan were even with earlier results, Insights West said, but 44 per cent said their opinion of the premier had worsened recently.

Two-in-five respondents said they were unsure which of the three would make the best head of government, but of those who made a decision, Clark had the highest number of votes. One-quarter chose the Liberal leader, while 22 per cent chose Horgan and 12 per cent chose Weaver.

When broken down by key election issues, Horgan was thought to be the best leader to tackle housing, poverty and homelessness, healthcare, education and accountability. He is also seen as the leader who "shares the views of most British Columbians" on childcare, seniors care, fundraising for political parties and helping residents become homeowners.

Respondents said they thought Clark would be best at handling the economy and jobs, and energy and pipelines, and that she's the preferred choice for managing the province's finances and transportation projects. Clark and Horgan were virtually tied on crime and public safety, according to the results.

Those polled felt Weaver would be best at environmental issues of the three options.

"While most British Columbians cannot currently select their ideal premier, they definitely have opinions about the abilities of leaders to deal with specific issues," Insights West pollster Mario Canseco said.

When asked what issue was most important to them, those polled responded: housing, poverty and homelessness. Particularly concerned were those between the ages of 18 and 34.

Healthcare and the economy and jobs were other top issues to respondents.

When asked what the driving factor was in their choice of party, most said it was ideas and policies, regardless of which party they plan to vote for.

The second-highest motivator varied by party. Those who plan to vote Liberal said they were looking for stability, those siding with the NDP said a desire for change, and the most popular motivator for those voting Green was disgust with the other candidates.

Of those polled by Insights West, nearly 80 per cent said they were decided voters. Among those who've made a decision, 40 per cent said they plan to vote for the NDP candidate in their riding, 38 per cent said Liberal and 17 per cent said Green Party. Three per cent of those polled said they plan to cast their ballot for the BC Conservative Party.

Broken down into demographics, the NDP were most popular with female respondents (41 per cent), and all voters aged 18 to 34 (43 per cent) and 35 to 54 (also 43 per cent). Male respondents (43 per cent) and voters over the age of 55 (46 per cent) said they preferred the Liberals.

Among those polled who said they voted for the federal Liberal party in 2015, half said they support the provincial Liberals, and one-third said they're backing the NDP.

When asked how they felt about an election victory for each party, 37 per cent said they'd be "very upset" if the NDP wins on May 9, and 53 per cent said the same about the Liberals.

Still, almost two-thirds of respondents said they believe it's time for a change of government, including 33 per cent who voted for the Liberals in the last provincial election.

The poll was conducted online between April 5 and 8, and included responses from 801 B.C. residents.

The data has been weighted according to Canadian census figures for age and gender, and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 per cent for the overall sample. The poll results for decided voters only is considered accurate within +/- 3.9 per cent, 19 times out of 20.