Canadians Assess the 2012 Flaherty Federal Budget:
Three Quarters (73%) View Budget as Good (18%) or a Wash (55%), Only Some say Bad (24%) or Will Hurt Them Personally (28%)
Jim Flaherty's budget - his first with a majority government - included a reduction in the federal civil service and funding for other federal departments and agencies such as the CBC, laid the groundwork for the increase in the retirement age to 67, and set in motion a plan to get the government's finances back into a surplus position in four years. It also included some surprises, such as an increase in the tax-free exemption amounts for cross-border shopping, and a phasing out of the penny.
Prior to the budget, Ipsos Reid released a poll that revealed that half (49%) of Canadians thought this would be a bad-news budget. Interestingly, the current polling shows that three in ten (28%) Canadians believe this budget personally hurts them, while just one in ten (7%) thinks it will personally help them. Most (63%), though, say it does neither, and 2% don't know its potential impact on them. This is in contrast to last year's budget, when the proportion of Canadians who thought the budget would hurt them (13%) or help them (10%) was roughly even, while most (62%) thought they wouldn't be impacted either way.
Four in ten (40%) Canadians believe that the budget contains `too much spending', Conversely, one quarter (26%) believes that there was `too much emphasis on deficit reduction', while three in ten (29%) believe the Harper Government struck `just the right balance'. Four percent (4%) don't know. Last year, the distribution among those who thought there was too much spending (32%), just the right balance (31%) or too much emphasis on deficit reduction (22%) was closer, suggesting that this year's budget is more polarizing than last year's budget.
The budget has done little to change Canadians' minds about whether or not they approve or disapprove of how the Harper government is managing the economy. A majority (55%) of Canadians `approve' (12% strongly/44% somewhat) of `the Federal Government's overall management of the Canadian economy' (up 1 point since February), while four in ten (44%) `disapprove' (14% strongly/30% somewhat) of the government's handling of the economy (down 2 points). One percent (1%) doesn't know. Approval is highest in Alberta (74%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (66%), followed by British Columbia (61%), Ontario (58%), Atlantic Canada (51%) and Quebec (38%).
These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Postmedia News and Global News from April 3 to 4, 2012. For the survey, a representative randomly-selected sample of 800 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone, and 1,009 interviews were conducted online via the Ipsos I-say panel. Ipsos merged the two sample sources and employed weighting to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflected that of the adult population according to Census data. A survey with an unwieghted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of sample of 1772 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error would be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to, methodology change, coverage error and measurement error.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Darrell Bricker, PhD
CEO
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
416.324.2001
[email protected]
About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.
To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.
About Ipsos
Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.
With offices in 84 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.
Ipsos researchers 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 and they measure public opinion around the globe.
Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,363 billion (1.897 billion USD) in 2011.
Visit www.ipsos-na.com to learn more about Ipsos' offerings and capabilities.
