Innovation Fall 2026

PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY

Public view of organization remains steady

BC residents continue to hold a positive viewpoint of engineers, geoscientists, and Engineers and Geoscientists BC as a regulating body, according to the organization’s annual Public Opinion Survey, held May 19 to June 3, 2026. A total of 1,018 BC residents responded to the survey and weighed in on their awareness of the engineering and geoscience professions as well as Engineers and Geoscientists BC. The annual survey also measured public perceptions and their level of trust in the Public confidence in Engineers and Geoscientists BC remains strong, with 79 percent expressing a fair or great amount of trust in the organization’s ability to protect them. Trust was even higher among residents who were already familiar with the organization (88 percent). Respondents cited professional regulation (21 percent) and strong ethical standards and accountability (16 percent) as the primary reasons for their trust, while most continued to agree that engineers and geoscientists should be governed by a regulatory body. Public awareness of Engineers and Geoscientists BC remained steady in 2026, with 24 percent of those polled reporting they are aware of the organization – a figure that has remained largely unchanged since 2021. Understanding the organization’s role improved slightly among those familiar with the organization. Just over half (51 percent) of respondents who were aware of Engineers and Geoscientists BC were able to correctly identify at least one of its responsibilities, up from 46 percent in 2025. The roles most frequently associated with Engineers and Geoscientists BC were ensuring professional standards, accountability, and ethics (20 percent, up from 14 percent the previous year), professions and the organization. Understanding Engineers and Geoscientists BC

followed by regulation and oversight (15 percent). The survey also found that most are interested in hearing from Engineers and Geoscientists BC about investigations and disciplinary actions, professional standards and policies, and matters related to public safety. Understanding the professions Overall, the 2026 survey results closely resembled last year’s numbers for understanding registrant roles. Two-thirds (67 percent) of BC residents (down from 69 percent in 2025) reported being familiar with the roles of engineers. The 67 to 69 percent range of familiarity has been consistent since 2021. Like last year, engineers maintained strong credibility with the public, with 85 percent of respondents saying they trust engineers. There was not a significant shift in the perception of what engineers do as part of their job (calculating safety norms; ensuring project safety; codes adherence; and the design of structures) from last year. 24% Aware of Engneers and Geoscientists BC 68% Not aware 51% Aware of the organization and correctly identified at least one role 42% Aware of the organization and gave an incorrect role PUBLIC AWARENESS

Public survey in depth

Registrants can find more detail on the survey and read the What We Heard Report in the organization's engagement pages online.

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Fall 2026

Innovation