Nine in Ten (91%) Torontonians Say Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport a Valuable Asset for the City
Moreover, most (84%) `agree' (49% strongly/35% somewhat) that `Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is an important part of Toronto's future economic growth' (15% disagree - 6% strongly/9% somewhat) while nine in ten (89%) `agree' (47% strongly/42% somewhat) that it is `great for the economy of Toronto' (10% disagree - 4% strongly/6% somewhat).
Thinking about the airport's impact on tourism, eight in ten (84%) `agree' (46% strongly/37% somewhat) that `the island airport makes a great first impression for visitors who use it to travel to Toronto', while one in ten (14%) `disagree' (4% strongly/10% somewhat) and 3% don't know. Furthermore, nine in ten (87%) `agree' (49% strongly/38% somewhat) that it's `a great gateway for the City and tourists', while one in ten (13%) `disagree' (5% strongly/8% somewhat), and 1% don't know.
One in three (33%) Torontonians has used the airport. Examining residents who live downtown south of Queen Street, 60% have used the airport. The average Torontonian (including non-users) has used the airport 2.7 times, with users having used it on average 8.3 times. Among those who have used the airport, nearly all (97%) rate the overall experience as being `positive' (71% very/25% somewhat), while just 3% say their overall experience has been `negative' (1% very/2% somewhat).
Thinking about the existence of the airport, two in three (67%) say that they are `personally in favour of having an airport on the island and believe it's good for Toronto'. Conversely, one in ten (9%) say they're `dead set against having an airport on the island and believe it's bad for Toronto'. Two in ten (19%) say they `really don't care one way or another about having an airport on the island, while 5% don't know what their position is. These figures are statistically unchanged since 2010.
The majority of residents living South of Queen Street also support the airport: two in three (69%) are in favour of it, while 14% are dead set against it and 11% don't care either way, while 6% are unsure of their position.
Porter Airlines has put forth a proposal that would utilize jet aircraft at BBTCA and the City of Toronto has asked the TPA to study the issue. The results of this poll reveal that six in ten (60%) Torontonians `support the use of jet aircraft at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport provided the jets make no more noise than the current turboprops'. Four in ten (37%) `oppose the use of jet aircraft at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport under any circumstances', while 3% are unsure of their position.
Among residents living South of Queen street, they are evenly divided in their opinions: 50% oppose the use of jet aircraft under any circumstances, while 48% support the use of these aircraft, provided they make no more noise than the current aircraft. Three percent (3%) don't know if they support the idea of jet aircraft at BBTCA or not.
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Toronto Port Authority from August 8 to 19, 2014. For the survey, a representative randomly-selected sample of 700 adults living in Toronto was interviewed by telephone, including a sample of 300 Torontonians living downtown south of Queen Street, and cellphone sampling. Ipsos employed weighting to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflected that of the adult population according to Census data. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of sample of 177 3.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of Toronto been polled. The margin of error would be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to, methodology change, coverage error and measurement error.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Sean Simpson
Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 572-4474
[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.
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