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Four out of five Alberta residents expect the provincial economy to deteriorate over the next year, according to a new poll.

The public opinion survey, conducted by the non-profit Angus Reid Institute, said Canadians as a whole appear to be worried about the economy, with 43 per cent expecting a worsening of economic conditions in their province versus 21 per cent expecting an improvement.

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However, the survey also highlighted stark regional differences. In Quebec, for example, residents are more likely than not to say that conditions in the province will improve, while in Alberta 79 per cent expect conditions to worsen.

Sixty-four per cent of Albertans — the highest rate of any province — are also concerned about potential household job losses. The number of Albertans who identified potential job loss as a “serious worry” is more than double the national average (34 per cent versus 14 per cent).