ThinkHQ Web Image
CALGARY — A large majority of Albertans would vote to end public funding for independent schools if the issue were put to a referendum, according to a new poll released by ThinkHQ Public Affairs.
The survey found 59 per cent of respondents would vote in favour of eliminating provincial funding for accredited independent schools, while 26 per cent said they would vote against such a measure and 15 per cent were undecided. When undecided voters were removed, support rose to 69 per cent, with 31 per cent opposed
The findings come as a citizen-led petition campaign seeks to force a provincewide vote on the issue. A group calling itself Alberta Funds Public Schools received approval on Oct. 3 to begin collecting signatures for a referendum question asking whether the Alberta government should end its current practice of allocating funds to independent schools. Organizers have until Feb. 11, 2026, to gather 177,732 signatures to trigger a vote
Public awareness of the petition remains mixed. The poll found 28 per cent of respondents said they were definitely aware of the initiative, while another 21 per cent recalled hearing something about it. Just over half said they had not heard of it at all
Support for ending public funding was strongest among respondents with school-aged children at home, higher-income households and women. Regional results showed slightly higher support in Edmonton and southern Alberta than in other parts of the province. Political affiliation revealed the sharpest divide, with 89 per cent of NDP supporters backing the measure, while United Conservative Party voters were split, with 45 per cent opposed and 37 per cent in favour
ThinkHQ president Marc Henry said recent changes by the Smith government to Alberta’s citizen-initiated referendum rules have opened the door to politically sensitive questions reaching the ballot.
“If they can get the signatures, this is going to be a sticky situation for the Minister of Education,” Henry said in a commentary accompanying the release. He suggested public funding for private schools could be at risk if the question ultimately goes before voters
The online survey was conducted between Oct. 31 and Nov. 5 among 1,150 adult Albertans and was weighted to reflect provincial demographics. The margin of error for a comparable random sample is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20
Comments