Forum Research pollsters have come up with a new kind of survey of federal politics which goes beyond the mere voting intention.
The survey calculates the level of "approval" or "disapproval" for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and for Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair.
The survey revealed that only 37% of respondents approve of the way Harper is doing things, and 57% disapprove. Not encouraging for poor Harper.
It's the other way around for Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair of the NDP.
In the case of Mulcair, 41% approve of him, and only 31% disapprove of his way of doing things. Encouraging for the freshman Opposition leader.
Compare those very different findings to recent party voting intention polls which which have had the Conservatives and the NDP neck and neck for more than a year at about 34% for each party.
It shows quite a contrast between the popularity of leaders and the ranking of their respective parties.
Who says the electorate always votes for the leader rather than the party?
