Different times trigger different concerns for Alberta voters

EDITOR'S NOTE: CBC News commissioned this public opinion research in April, leading into the first anniversary of the United Conservative Party's general election win last May. The poll offers insight into how Albertans feel about Danielle Smith's UCP government and the Opposition NDP. 

As with all polls, this one provides a snapshot in time. 

This analysis is one in a series of articles from this research. More stories will follow.

Jason Kenney swept to victory in 2019 with a tightly focused message on what polls suggested Albertans cared most about.

"This election," he declared, squaring off against NDP Premier Rachel Notley during the televised leaders' debate, "is about jobs, the economy, pipelines."

But, with the persistent pinch of inflation, a hot housing market, and wages seemingly not going as far as they used to, many Albertans appear more concerned about their personal microeconomics than the province's macroeconomics.  

That's a change from last year, when health care topped the list of concerns, and five years ago, when Kenney relentlessly focused his political messaging on creating jobs, kick-starting Alberta's sluggish economy, and building pipelines to get the province's oil to tidewater.  

"The public is reflecting on what's happening in their lives, what they're hearing on the news, what is happening around them. That's just the nature of public discourse. It's always changing," said Janet Brown, who conducted the survey for CBC News.

"Instead of talking about the economy and the strength of the economy, people are talking about inflation and cost of living. Their concerns about the economy have become way more personal," she stressed. 

After concerns about the cost of living, three in 10 (32 per cent) picked health care as their top concern.  Eighteen per cent mentioned housing as their most important issue. Albertans also give the governing United Conservative Party (UCP) poor grades for handling these three big problems.

Think back to the lead-up to the 2019 election.

The hangover of the 2015 recession lingered. The employment rate had not rebounded to pre-recession levels. 

The province's oil sold at record-level discounts — and concerns about pipeline capacity made headlines. 

The price of Alberta oil was so low that the NDP government cut oil production by nearly nine per cent in January 2019 in hopes of boosting the price.