Majority (53%) Sides With Running Major Deficit of at Least $30 to $40 Billion in Coming Budget to Stimulate Economy

Toronto, ON - As speculation mounts that Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's budget next week will post a deficit of $34 Billion in 2009 and another $30 Billion next year in order to spur a flagging economy, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Canwest News Service and Global Television reveals that a slim majority (53%) of Canadians believe the government must run a major deficit of at least $30 to $40 Billion in order to `stimulate the economy and get us out of this recession'.

On the other hand, four in ten (41%) are closer to the opinion that `the federal government should not run a major deficit because it is a waste of money that will do little to get us out of this recession'. Six percent (6%) don't know which of these points of view best represents their own.

• British Columbians (57%), Atlantic Canadians (57%) and Ontarians (56%) are the most likely to support a major budgetary deficit, while a majority (51%) of Quebecers also supports it. Less than half of Albertans (48%) and residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (40%) believe that major deficits are the way to go.
• Those aged 55+ are more likely (57%) than 35-54 year olds (53%) and those under the age of 35 (49%) to support a major deficit.
• City dwellers (54%) are more likely than rural Canadians (45%) to support this approach.
• Those with a university education (64%) are considerably more likely than those with some post-secondary education (55%), a high school diploma (53%) or no diploma (33%) to agree with this position.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted January 20 to 22, 2009, for Canwest News Service and Global Television. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1,000 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 1773.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of Canada been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure that the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

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.

About Ipsos
Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

Member companies 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. They measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999.

In 2007, Ipsos generated global revenues of e927.2 million ($1.27 billion U.S.).

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