Diversity and Community Tops List of What Torontonians Most Love About Their City; Traffic (37%) and Living Costs (35%) Are Most Hated

Toronto, ON - With the municipal election only a week away, an Ipsos Reid poll conducted for Global News reveals what Torontonians love most and hate most about the city they call home.

According to the survey, the diversity (29%) of the city and their particular neighbourhood (20%) are what Torontonians love most, followed by their own home (15%), the arts and culture (11%) the city has to offer, the food and restaurants (11%), their job (4%), the sports (2%), or some other aspect of the city (7%).

• Diversity is the top choice among all regions led by North York (32%) and York/East York (30%)
• Those from Etobicoke (28%) and Downtown (27%) are most likely to love their neighbourhood, ahead of those in York/East York (20%), Scarborough (16%), and North York (12%)
• Those living downtown most love the city's arts and culture offerings (15%) but are least likely to love their own home (9%)

While Torontonians love a variety of things about their city, they also reveal some of the less rosy things about the city that they dislike.

Topping the list of what they hate most about the city, Torontonians identify the traffic (37%) and the cost of living (35%) as what they dislike most, followed by taxes (11%), the city's politics (11%), the size (2%) of the city, or some other aspect (5%).

• Residents of North York (41%) most hate the city's traffic with those from Downtown (39%) and Etobicoke (36%) citing traffic as what they hate most about Toronto and those from York/East York (37%) and Scarborough (30%) saying it's their second most hated aspect of the city
• Looking at cost of living, those from York/East York (39%) and Scarborough (38%) indicate it tops their list of what they hate most about Toronto, ahead of those living in Etobicoke (35%), Downtown (32%), and North York (32%)
• Residents of Downtown are most likely to say they hate the city's politics (16%) but are least likely to indicate that they hate Toronto's taxes (5%)

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Many Would Pay For Better Facilities...

The results of the survey also reveal that city residents would like better recreational facilities (like pools, parks, etc.) with many being willing to pay a little more in fees to make this happen.

Half (46%) of Torontonians `agree' (9% strongly/37% somewhat) that they would be willing to pay more in user fees to improve the city's recreational facilities, with the remaining half (53%) `disagreeing' (19% strongly/35% somewhat) that they would be willing to pay more for better facilities.

A majority (55%) of Downtown residents agree that that they would pay more in user fees for better recreational facilities, tops among all regions and ahead residents from York/East York (49%), North York (45%), Etobicoke (42%), and Scarborough (41%).

More Money for Arts and Culture...

While Many Torontonians say they love the city's arts and culture and they would pay more for better recreational cities, a sizeable portion believes that there aren't enough resources being invested into these areas.

More than two in five (43%) `agree' (10% strongly/33% somewhat) that the City of Toronto spends too little on arts, culture, and recreation, while a majority (57%) `disagree' (13% strongly/44% somewhat) that the City doesn't spend enough on these areas.

Similarly to those who would pay more in user fees for better recreational facilities, Downtown residents (50%) most agree that the City spends too little on arts, culture, and recreation, followed by those living in York/East York (48%), Scarborough (42%), North York (39%), and Etobicoke (37%).

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between September 23rd and 26th, 2014 on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,252 Torontonians (of which 1,105 are decided voters) from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/ 3.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Torontonian adults been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Global Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[email protected]

About 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 600 research 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--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, visit www.ipsos.ca

About Ipsos

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