BC Public Continues To Side With Teachers

Vancouver, BC -- A new BC Ipsos Reid poll taken over the past weekend shows that teachers and the BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF) are ahead in the battle for public support in their ongoing contract dispute with their employer and the provincial government. Nearly six-in-ten (57%) residents say they tend to side more with teachers and the BCTF in this dispute. About one-third (34%) of residents tend to side more with the public school boards and the provincial government. These results are virtually unchanged from an Ipsos Reid poll¹ taken one week ago that found the public supporting teachers and the BCTF by a margin of 55% to 33% over the employer, the BC Public School Employers' Association.

Overall public support for the teachers doesn't fully carry over to support for continued strike action. On this issue, the public is almost evenly divided. Half (47%) say they approve of the strike action taken so far and think teachers should continue to strike to promote their demands. The other half (51%) of the public either disapproves of the strike action taken by teachers altogether (37%) or approves of the strike action taken so far, but think it's time for the teachers to end the strike and go back to work (14%).

In other findings, British Columbians generally disapprove of the provincial government legislating an end to the contract dispute, but narrowly approve of the BC Supreme Court freezing the assets of the BCTF.

Slightly more than six-in-ten (63%) residents say they disapprove of the provincial government legislating an end to the contract dispute, including five-in-ten (51%) who "strongly" disapprove of this legislation. Fewer than four-in-ten (36%) residents approve of the provincial government's legislation. The public is more divided on the recent BC Supreme Court ruling that temporarily froze the assets of the BCTF, preventing it from using its funds for any strike activity including strike pay for teachers. A slim majority (54%) of British Columbians say they approve of the Court's decision, while 43% disapprove of the decision.

Finally, British Columbians are also divided on the issue of teachers' pay. Just less than half (46%) think teachers are underpaid, while a similar proportion (45%) think teachers are either overpaid (6%) or paid about the right amount (39%).

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted October 14th to 16th, 2005 with a sample of 600 adult British Columbia residents. The polling was conducted using Ipsos Reid's "Voice of the West InterActive Forum" - an online panel of more than 1,100 British Columbians who have been pre-recruited to participate in surveys. Forum participants are randomly recruited through telephone surveys to match the overall characteristics of the adult BC population. The results are considered accurate to within 1774.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire BC adult 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 final sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual BC population according to the 2001 Census.

¹ Telephone poll of 800 adult British Columbians fielded October 6-10, 2005.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Kyle Braid
Vice-President
Ipsos Reid Corporation
604.893.1605
[email protected]

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.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

Ipsos
Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media. They measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999. In 2004, Ipsos generated global revenues of e 605.6 million ($752.8 million U.S.).

Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos offerings and capabilities.