Albertans Place A High Priority On Public Services

Edmonton, AB - A recent survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid on behalf of Public Interest Alberta, shows that the majority of Albertans believe healthcare (87%) and public education (kindergarten to grade 12) (85%) are "very important" issues facing the province these days. That being said, half (53%) say public services provided by the Albertan Government have worsened over the past ten years. Over the next few years, the bulk of Albertans (93%) believe the Alberta Government should focus its attention on providing more funding to public services, such as healthcare and education.

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid poll conducted on behalf of Public Interest Alberta between August 19th and August 24th, 2004. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 800 adult Albertans. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Alberta population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Alberta population according to the 2001 Census.

Most Albertans Say Healthcare (87%) And Public Education (kindergarten to grade 12) (85%) Are "Very Important" Issues Facing Alberta Today

Albertans were asked to rate the importance of a number of issues facing Alberta these days. Of the issues asked, healthcare and the environment topped the list (98% of Albertans rate each of these issues as important). Specifically, 87% feel healthcare is a "very important" issue, while 11% feel it is "somewhat important". When looking at the importance of the environment, almost three-quarters (74%) of Albertans feel this issue is "very important" and nearly one-quarter (24%) of Albertans feel it is "somewhat important".

• Women (99%) are more likely than men (97%) to say healthcare is important;
• In addition, rural Albertans (99%) are more likely to say healthcare is important than are Calgarians (97%);
• Women (100%) are also more likely to state the environment is important than are men (96%); and,
• Rating the environment as important tends to decline with education (99% among those with a university or post-grad degree, 98% among those with a post-secondary/college diploma and 96% among those with a high school education (or less).

Next on the list, 97% of Albertans rated public education (kindergarten to grade 12) as an important issue (85% "very important", 12% "somewhat important"). Finally, nine-in-ten (91%) Albertans feel infrastructure is an important issue. Specifically, just under one-half (47%) believe it is a "very important" issue and 43% feel it is "somewhat important".

• More affluent Albertans (those earning $70K or more) are more likely (96%) to say infrastructure is important than are their less affluent counterparts (86%); and,
• Rating infrastructure as important also tends to decline with education (94% among those with a university or post-grad degree, 93% among those with a post-secondary/college diploma and 84% among those with a high school education (or less).

Half (53%) Say Public Services Provided By The Alberta Government Have "Worsened" Over The Past Ten Years, While 19% Say They Have "Improved"

The majority (53%) of Albertans believe public services provided by the Alberta Government have "worsened" over the past ten years. Another 27% currently believe public services provided by the provincial government have stayed the same and only 19% believe they have improved.

Among those more likely to believe public services provided by the Alberta Government have worsened over the past ten years include:

• Women;
• Albertans aged 35 years and older;
• Respondents with an annual household income between $50,000 and $70,000; and,
• Edmontonians and residents of Northern Alberta.

Those more likely to believe public services provided by the provincial government have stayed the same include:

• Men;
• Younger Albertans (aged 18 to 34 years old); and,
• More affluent Albertans.

Those more likely to believe public services provided by the Alberta Government have improved include:

• Younger Albertans (aged 18 to 34 years old);
• Albertans with a post-secondary/college diploma; and,
• Calgarians.

Just Over Nine-In-Ten (93%) Albertans Feel Providing More Funding To Public Services (such as education and healthcare) Should Be A Priority For The Provincial Government

Turning to the future, Albertans were asked to consider a list of things ranging from increased social spending to corporate tax cuts, the Alberta Government could focus its attention on over the next few years. Providing more funding to public services such as education and healthcare garnered the highest support, as more Albertans (93%) feel the government should focus its attention here than anywhere else. Specifically, seven-in-ten (70%) respondents believe that providing more funding to public services should be a "top priority" for the provincial government. An additional 23% state it is a "medium priority". On the other hand, a mere 6% believe it is a "low priority" and only 1% believe it is "not a priority at all".

• Women, Albertans aged 18 to 34 years old and northern Alberta residents are all more likely to state providing more funding to public services is a top/medium priority.

The next item to gain the most support is for the Alberta Government to focus its attention on enhancing programs to protect the environment (87%). 42% of Albertans feel it is a "top priority", with an additional 45% stating it is a "medium priority". Again, a very small percentage feels this is a "low priority" (11%) or "not a priority at all" (2%).

• Once again, Women are more likely to give higher priority to enhancing programs to protect the environment.

The next item ranking close to environmental program enhancement is for the Government of Alberta to provide more support to cities and towns to improve municipal services. 85% of Albertans rate this as a high priority (32% "top priority", 52% "medium priority"). Conversely, 13% feel it is a "low priority" and only 2% feel it is "not a priority at all".

• Older cohorts (aged 55 years and older) and Edmontonians are more likely to feel providing more support to cities and towns to improve municipal services is a top or medium priority.

Finally, the item most Albertans feel is not a high priority is for the provincial government to provide tax cuts and additional financial support to corporations. Fewer than one-third (32%) of Albertans feel this is a top or medium priority (10% "top priority" and 22% "medium priority"). On the other hand, the majority of Albertans (68%) place low priority on tax cuts to corporations. Specifically, four-in-ten (40%) feel it is a "low priority" and an additional 28% feel it is "not a priority at all".

• Less affluent Albertans and those with a lower level of education are more likely to state higher priority should be given to providing tax cuts and additional financial support to corporations.

For more information on this press release, please contact:

Peter Weylie
Associate Vice-President
Ipsos-Reid
403.390.7052 About Ipsos-Reid

Ipsos-Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country's leading provider of public opinion research. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos-Reid employs more than 300 researcher professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and on-line panels. Ipsos-Reid's Canadian marketing research and public affairs practices are staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, offering the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada--including the Ipsos Trend Report, the leading source of public opinion in the country--all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Ipsos-Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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