2026 Public Opinion Survey

The survey will also measure public perceptions and their level of trust in the professions and the organization.

Key Milestones

April 2026: The survey launched on May 19th and closed on June 2, 2026

July 2026: Results are analyzed throughout the summer months

September 2026: Reporting results and next steps

How We Engaged

Through an external partner, the survey was sent to 1,018 BC residents online. To be eligible, respondents had to be 18+ and neither themselves, nor anyone in their household, could be working as a professional engineer, a professional geoscientist, an engineer trainee, or a geoscientist trainee. 

What We Heard

• Most BC residents polled (79%) trust that Engineers and Geoscientists BC protects the public. 
• Awareness in Engineers and Geoscientists BC is stable amongst respondents at 24%.
• Trust in the professions remains steady in the eyes of the public.
  • 67% of respondents were very or somewhat familiar with engineers’ roles.
  • 85% of respondents have a great deal or fair amount of trust in engineers.
  • 31% of respondents were very or somewhat familiar with geoscientists’ roles.
  • 55% of respondents have a great deal or fair amount of trust in geoscientists.
• BC residents continue to regard professional engineers, professional geoscientists, and our organization positively.
• 79% of respondents agree there needs to be an organization that regulates the engineering and geoscience professions.
• The top reason for respondents to distrust or be uncertain about Engineers and Geoscientists BC (41%) is because they don’t know enough about the organization. 
• Respondents want to hear from us about our role, standards, policies, and public safety concerns. 
• The preferred method of communication is social media (38%), BC newspapers online (38%) and cable television (37%). These preferences are somewhat demographically linked. While our recent awareness campaign was well received by those who remember seeing it, there is still room to build awareness of our organization.

What's Next

1. We will share these results with the Board.
2. These key takeaways will help shape our communication methods and subject matter when interacting with the public. 
3. We will continue to monitor public sentiment and trust in our organization and professions through this annual survey. The content of this survey may vary, depending on projects and initiatives undertaken and if measurement of these initiatives remains valuable. 
4. As awareness of Engineers and Geoscientists BC is relatively low, it’s recommended to continue raising awareness through consistent advertising campaigns. Survey data indicates that greater familiarity leads to higher trust levels.