Two years after being elected, a new poll has found Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson to be one of the most popular politicians in Canada – but that doesn't make him a shoe-in for reelection.
While 43 per cent of respondents in an Angus Reid poll released Monday said they approve of the job Robertson's doing, only 31 per cent said he deserves to be reelected in 2011.
"A lot of people in the city are taking a wait-and-see approach," Angus Reid vice president Mario Canseco said. "Until they know who his rival is going to be, they're not giving him their vote."
Canseco said the gap could be partly due to the perception that Robertson has not delivered on his platform of tackling the city's homelessness problem.
"This was one of the major pillars of his campaign," Canseco said. "What we find is that the public is not very impressed with the results."
Almost 60 per cent of respondents said homelessness and poverty has stayed the same since he came to power, while 17 per cent feel it has increased. Only 11 per cent said it has decreased.
The Hornby Street bike lane was another contentious issue in the poll. Fifty-three per cent of respondents opposed the decision to add a bike lane on the street, while 42 per cent were in favour. Canseco says the core opposition comes from motorists, while a majority of those who bike, walk or rely on public transit support the move.
While 43 per cent might not sound like much, Canseco said it's rare for a Canadian politician to break 40 per cent.
Robertson showed strong support among the youth, but Canseco noted that young people aren't as reliable as older demographics when it comes to actually showing up to vote.
"The crowd that is over the age of 55, they drive cars, they don't get on a bike, and they vote" he said. "If a candidate can assemble their support based on the ideas people aren't happy with, this could be a race."
The poll also showed a clear gap in support between income levels. Forty-nine per cent of households earning less than $50,000 per year supported the mayor, while only 35 per cent earning more than $100,000 did.
There was a divide between genders as well, with almost half of women approving of Robertson's performance and 55 per cent of men disapproving.
The online poll surveyed 403 Vancouver adults from Nov. 2 to 4. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 per cent.
