Legault's Approval Dropped Below 50% For The First Time & There's More Bad News For Him
According to the latest Angus Reid Institute survey.
Quebec Premier François Legault at a press conference.
After almost four years of riding high on a lofty approval rating, Quebec Premier François Legault's popularity has dipped below the 50% mark. According to the latest Angus Reid Institute (ARI) survey, the premier's approval now sits at a more humble 44%, down eight percentage points from March 2022.
But there's a linguistic divide to his support. While the institute says Legault's popularity has declined among both anglophones and francophones, a majority (53%) of francophones still approve of his leadership.
A whopping 83% of anglophones disapprove, up from 68% in March. The survey didn't include data on allophones' opinions.
The Angus Reid Institute points the finger at resurgent language politics as the reason for the premier's popularity decline. The passage of Bill 96, a set of reforms to the Charter of the French Language, has been controversial.
Some anglo groups have argued the law infringes on their rights. And some francophones, including the Parti Québécois, have said the legislation doesn't go far enough to protect French.
One other piece of bad news for Legault: 73% of Angus Reid Institute survey respondents said his CAQ government "is doing a 'poor job' on health care." The ARI says that figure could be further depressing his overall approval rating.
Legault's approval rating peaked in the June 2020 ARI survey when, after the first three months of the pandemic, 77% of respondents gave him a thumbs-up.
It has declined steadily in successive surveys, save for a four-point bump between March and June 2021.
The Angus Reid Institute reached 814 Quebecers for the June 2022 survey.