Canada in Global Top 5 of 25 Countries as Majority (54%) Says We're on the Right Track

Toronto, ON - A majority of Canadians (54%) say that things in Canada are heading in the right direction, placing us in the top five countries in the world (among 25 countries polled) for optimism about the state of our nation. Canada remains near the top of the list, despite a six-point decline in the belief that things are going well since July. 160The finding comes from a major new Ipsos survey of more than 10,000 adults across 25 countries around the world.

While 54%of Canadians surveyed say that things are generally going in the right direction here, globally that number shrinks to an average of just 38% when all 25 countries are combined, meaning things in Canada are perceived to be going comparatively quite well. Conversely, 46% of Canadians say things in Canada are on the wrong track, but this more negative view is far more pervasive at the global level, where 62% feel the same.

The Chinese (90%) top the list for saying things in their country are on the right track, followed by residents of Saudi Arabia (71%), India (67%), Peru (61%) and Canada (54%). At the bottom of the list is France, where just 12% say that things in that country are going in the right direction. South of the border, only 36% of Americans believe things are heading in the right direction, slightly less optimistic than the Global average (38%).

160What Are We Worried About?

In Canada, unemployment tops the list, with four in ten (41%) Canadians saying it is a worrying topic in this country - slightly higher than global average of 38%.

Canada's top worries are well-worn issues that have dominated the national discussion for years: Compared to the survey's global average, Canadians over-index on worry about healthcare (33% vs. 22% globally), taxes (32% vs. 16% globally), and environmental issues such as climate change (15% vs. 8% globally) and threats against the environment in general (13% vs. 9% globally).

Despite frequently making world headlines, other topics seem to prompt less worry here at home. Canada under-indexes against the global average in terms of worry about financial/political corruption (21% vs. 33% globally), crime and violence (16% vs. 30% globally), and terrorism (10% vs. 21% globally).

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These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted in 25 countries around the world between August 26 and September 9, 2016. For this survey, a sample of 18,014 adults aged 18-64 in Canada, Israel and the US, and aged 16-64 in all other countries, was interviewed online. The sample size in Canada is 1,000. Weighting160has been employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to the most recent country census data.

The accuracy of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the Canadian results are considered accurate to within +/- 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would be had everyone aged 18-64 in Canada been polled.

In 16 of the 25 countries surveyed internet penetration is sufficiently high to think of the samples as representative of the wider population within the age ranges covered: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Great Britain and United States. Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey have lower levels of internet penetration and so these samples should not be considered nationally representative, and instead be considered to represent a more affluent, connected population.160 These are still a vital social group to understand in these countries, representing an important and emerging middle class.160160

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Sean Simpson
Vice President
(416) 324-2002
Ipsos Public Affairs
[email protected]

About Ipsos

Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry. With a strong presence in 87 countries, Ipsos employs more than 16,000 people and has the ability to conduct research programs in more than 100 countries. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is controlled and managed by research professionals. They have built a solid Group around a multi-specialist positioning-- Media and advertising research; Marketing research; Client and employee relationship management; Opinion & social research; Mobile, Online, Offline data collection and delivery. Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999. www.ipsos.com