Canadians' Overall Views on Trade Missions

Canadians are evenly split on whether the so-called "Team Canada" international trade missions are mostly public relations efforts or solid growth-producing endeavours.

This overall finding emerged from responses to a broad question included in the latest National Angus Reid/Southam News Poll conducted among 1,519 Canadian adults between January 21st and 27th, 1997. The poll's highlights on the efficacy of international trade missions include:

Asked which of two broad characterizations best describes their "take" on Canada's international trade missions - such as the recent venture to Asia - a total of 45 percent of Canadians surveyed said they view these missions as "mostly a political public relations effort" while 49 percent took the view that these missions are "a solid effort to create jobs and investment in Canada". (Table 1a)

The poll results show some interesting differences in perspectives across different segments of the Canadian population. The generational differences are strong: whereas fully 54 percent of older Canadians (55+) are satisfied that these trade missions are solid growth-enhancing efforts, a narrow plurality (49%) of their younger counterparts (under 35) take the opposite view. There are also major differences across socio-economic strata - noted across educational groupings as well as by household income categories. For example, focusing on household income levels, a full majority (57%) of the more affluent take the view that these trade missions are solid efforts to create jobs and investment, whereas most of their lower income counterparts (50% versus 44%) suspect they are more for their public relations benefit. (Table 1b)

This National Angus Reid/Southam News Poll was conducted by telephone between January 21st and 27th, 1997 among a representative cross-section of 1,519 Canadian adults.

The actual number of completed interviews in each region was as follows: B.C. - 202; Alberta - 151; Manitoba/Saskatchewan - 121; Ontario - 523; Quebec - 401; Atlantic - 121. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 1991 Census data.

With a national sample of 1,519, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results are within ±2.5 percentage points of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.

For more information on this release, please contact:

Darrell Bricker
Senior Vice President
Angus Reid Group
(613) 241-5802

John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Angus Reid Group
(416) 324-2900