In Case you Didn't Notice, An Election is Happening:
Few (21%) Canadians Giving this Campaign More Attention

Ottawa, ON - According to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of CanWest News Service and Global Television, it doesn't appear that Canadians are getting too excited about this election when compared to previous elections. Only two in ten (21%) Canadians are paying more attention to this election than ones in the past. The majority (65%) say they're giving it about the same amount of attention as others, while 14% even say they're paying even less attention than previous elections.

• Interestingly, residents of Ontario (27%) and British Columbia (27%) are most likely to say that they're paying closer attention to this election than previous ones, followed by those in Atlantic Canada (21%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (21%), Alberta (13%) and Quebec (13%).
• Perhaps as a result of the Conservatives creeping up to majority territory, Conservative (26%) and Liberal (26%) supporters are more likely than those supporting the Bloc (17%), NDP (16%) or Green Party (13%) to say that they're paying more attention to this election than others.

Taking the pulse of these Canadians on the outcome of the election reveals that the preference of more is for a majority government (48%), not a minority (32%). Two in ten (20%) don't know which outcome they'd prefer.

• Albertans (56%) are most likely to want a majority, followed by Canadians living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (50%), Ontario (47%), Atlantic Canada (47%), Quebec (46%) and British Columbia (45%). Men (51%) are also more likely to want a majority (51%) than are women (45%).
• Quebecers (36%) have the highest propensity to prefer a minority government, followed by Ontarians (34%), British Columbians (32%), Atlantic Canadians (31%), residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (23%) and Alberta (19%).
• Three quarters (75%) of those who currently say they are voting for the Conservatives say they'd prefer a majority, compared to 16% who want a minority. A plurality of those voting for the Bloc (54%), Green (45%), NDP (45%) and Liberals (42%) would prefer a minority government as the outcome of this election.

But thinking about the likely outcome of the vote on October 14, more Canadians think that another minority (41%) government will be elected than think a majority (30%) government is in the cards. Three in ten (28%) Canadians don't yet know how the election will play out.

• Residents of Quebec (37%) are most likely to think that the outcome will be a majority government, followed by those living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (36%), Alberta (25%), British Columbia (25%), and Atlantic Canada (24%).
• Atlantic Canadians (48%) are most likely to believe that we'll see a minority government elected on October 14, while Ontarians (46%), British Columbians (42%), Quebecers (37%), Albertans (33%) and residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (33%) are less convinced.
• Conservative supporters (47%) to think that the outcome will be a majority government. Liberal (54%), NDP (52%), Green (50%) and Bloc supporters (45%) each are more likely to think it will be a minority government that is elected.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of CanWest News Service and Global Television from September 17 to September 18, 2008. This online survey of 1013 Canadian adults was conducted via the Ipsos I-Say Online Panel, Ipsos Reid's national online panel. The results are based on a sample where quota sampling and weighting are employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the actual Ontarian population according to Census data. Quota samples with weighting from the Ipsos online panel provide results that are intended to approximate a probability sample. An unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire adult population in Canada been polled.

For more election commentary, please visit our blog at: http://election.globaltv.com/blogs.aspx

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Dr. Darrell Bricker
President & CEO
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
416-509-8460
[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.

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