Canadians' Views on the CBC Budget Cuts

A slim majority of Canadians support the recent funding cuts to the CBC's budget and a plurality believe that the public broadcaster's budget is now "at the right level", according to the latest National Angus Reid/Southam News Poll. The survey was conducted among a representative cross-section of 1,516 Canadian adults between September 20th and 29th, following the most recent announcement of cuts.

Overall, a slim majority (52%) of Canadians surveyed expressed support for the recent reductions in the CBC's budget - 19 percent voiced strong support, 33 percent moderate support. Forty-five percent were opposed (20% strongly, 25% moderately). (Four percent were unsure of their opinion.)

Regionally, this overall pattern of response was recorded in B.C., Ontario and Quebec. In the Atlantic provinces the poll found most opposed to the cuts (55% opposed versus 42% support); in Manitoba/Saskatchewan views were split; and, in Alberta support outweighed opposition by a two to one margin (62% versus 35%). There are also some differences along socio-demographic lines. Support of budget cuts to the CBC tends to rise with age - those under 35 were split (47% support versus 49% oppose) while those over 55 tended to support the cuts (55% versus 41%). Support for the CBC cuts is also higher among men than women (60% versus 44%, with 52% of women opposed).

Asked for their overall view on the CBC's budget now, a plurality of four in ten (43%) Canadians surveyed said that the CBC budget "is now at the right level", one in three (32%) said the budget "has been cut too far" while just over one in ten (13%) said it "should be cut further". (Twelve percent were unsure.)

Views on the overall adequacy of the CBC's new budget vary along regional lines. The position that the budget has been cut too far is most popular in Manitoba/Saskatchewan (38%), Ontario (34%) and the Atlantic region (40%) - in each case, as or almost as popular as satisfaction with the new status quo. Consistent with their stronger support for the recent cuts, Albertans were most likely to say further cuts could be made (21%). Quebecers were most satisfied that the CBC's budget is now at the right level (53%).

There is an interesting difference of opinion along gender lines. Although a plurality of 43 percent of both men and women said that the budget is now at the right level, men were three times as likely to say the CBC's budget should be cut further (19% versus 7% of women).

This National Angus Reid Poll was conducted by telephone between September 20th and 29th among a representative cross-section of 1,516 Canadian adults . The actual number of completed interviews in each region was as follows: B.C. - 200; Alberta - 150; Manitoba/Saskatchewan - 120; Ontario - 526; Quebec - 400; Atlantic - 120. 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 1,516, 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, please contact:

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

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