As Nation Celebrates Its Birthday, Slim Majority (56%) Believes Country On `Right Track'
And `No Need' For Election (57%)

Toronto, ON - As the nation celebrates its birthday, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of CanWest News Service and Global Television has given Canadians across the country the opportunity to reflect on where Canada is currently and where it's headed going forward.

The results of the survey of over 2,500 Canadians, including 932 Quebecers, have revealed that only a slim majority (56%) believes that the country is `moving in the right track these days', compared to nearly one half (44%) who are closer to the opinion that Canada is `headed in the wrong direction'.

And as the House of Commons breaks for the burger-flipping circuit, six in ten (57%) Canadians more closely identify with the sentiment that `the political process is operating just fine at the moment and there's no need for an election'. However, four in ten (43%) adopt the position that `our federal political process is hopelessly deadlocked right now and that we really need an election to clear the air'.

Thinking about the economic conditions of this country as a whole, only two thirds (65%) - down 6 points since the beginning of May - believe that the state of the economy is `very good' (3%) or `good' (62%). One third (35%) believes that the economy is in `very poor' (3%) or `poor' (32%) shape. Focusing specifically on their own family's economic situation, Canadians say the outlook for the next year is flat. A majority (54%) believes their own situation will `stay the same', while equal proportions believe their situation will `improve' (23%) or `get worse' (23%).

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted from 06/23 to 06/26, 2008. This online survey of 2,505 Canadian adults (including 932 Quebecers) 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 Canadian 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 +/- 2.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

A slim majority (56%) believes Canada is on the `right track'...

A slim majority (56%) believes Canada is on the `right track', nearly one half (44%) is of the opinion that Canada is headed in the `wrong direction'. However, Canadians across the country do not have uniform opinions on the matter:

• Canadians living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (70%) are most likely to think that Canada is on the `right track', followed by residents of Alberta (61%), British Columbia (57%), Ontario (54%), Quebec (53%), and Atlantic Canada (52%).
• Men (57%) are slightly more likely than women (55%) to say that Canada is on the `right track'.
• Older Canadians (58%) and middle-aged Canadians (57%) are more likely than younger Canadians (52%) to say the country is on the `right track'.

Majority (57%) says `no need' for election...

A majority (57%) of Canadians say there is `no need' for an election at the moment, while four in ten (43%) feel that an election would be good to `clear the air'.

• Men (58%) are slightly more likely than women (55%) to say there's `no need' for an election.
• Older Canadians (64%) are more likely than middle-aged (57%) and younger (47%) Canadians to say there's `no need' for an election.
• Canadians living in Alberta (62%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (62%) are most likely to say there's `no need' for an election, followed by residents of British Columbia (59%), Ontario (57%), Quebec (56%), and Atlantic Canada (42%).

Only two thirds (65%) think economy is in `good' shape...

Two in three Canadians (65%) think the economy is in `good' shape (only 3% `very good'), while the rest (35%) believe that the state of the economy is more accurately described as `poor' (only 3% `very poor').

• Men (69%) are more likely than women (60%) to say the economy is in `good' shape.
• Younger (65%), middle-aged (64%), and older (65%) Canadians are equally likely to say the economy is in `good' shape.
• Residents of Alberta (76%) are most likely to think the economy is in `good' shape, followed by those living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (73%), Quebec (69%), British Columbia (66%), Ontario (58%), and Atlantic Canada (57%).

A majority (54%) believes their own family's financial situation will `stay the same'...

A majority (54%) of Canadians believe their own family's financial situation will `stay the same'. The rest of the country is evenly split between feeling their situation will improve (23%) or get worse (23%).

• Older Canadians (63%) are more likely than middle-aged (55%) and younger (43%) Canadians to believe their family's financial situation will stay the same over the next year.
• Women (25%) are more likely than men (20%) to believe their family's financial situation will get worse over the next year.
• Canadians living in Ontario (27%) are most likely to believe their family's financial situation will get worse over the next year, followed by residents of Alberta (25%), British Columbia (25%), Atlantic Canada (21%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (18%), and Ontario (16%).

For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[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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