Leger pollsters woke up one day this summer and chose chaos. In an August 19 to 21 online survey, produced in collaboration with Postmedia, the analytics company asked 1,516 Canadians about their favourite and least favourite provinces and territories (besides their own).

The results might be surprising to some.

In the contest for the most beloved province, B.C. was the winner. 30% of respondents said the pacific province was their favourite. 65% of people who chose it cited its geography and landscapes, while 60% invoked its nature and wildlife.

Alberta was a distant second in the popularity contest with support from 12% of respondents. Nova Scotia and Ontario followed with 10% each.

Leading reasons for poll takers' selection of flat, industrial Ontario unsurprisingly did not include its natural scenery. 33% of people who said it was their favourite province (again, besides their own) said it was home to many family and friends, Leger said. 30% perceived Ontario as a place of opportunity and things to do.

Just 6% of respondents said Quebec was their favourite, many of them mentioning its culture and arts (45%) or history (39%), with the province leading the poll in both categories by a wide margin.

La belle province had an even less belle standing in the question about Canadians' least favourite province or territory, as 21% of respondents expressed displeasure with Quebec — the most of any jurisdiction and more than double the number of poll takers who said Alberta was their least favourite (10%).

49% of people who chose Quebec for the dishonour said its people were the reason.

Interestingly, Leger identified a generational difference in perceptions of Quebec. While 26% of respondents over the age of 54 said Quebec was their least favourite province, only 18% of respondents under 55 made the same choice.

After Quebec and Alberta in the list of least-liked provinces or territories came Nunavut (the choice of 9% of respondents), Saskatchewan (8%), Ontario (7%) and Manitoba (6%).