One in Three (33%) English-Canadians Expect Harper to Win English-Language Debate, Followed by Ignatieff (24%),
Layton (13%), and Duceppe (2%),
Three in Ten (28%) Don't Know
Heading in to the debate, the online poll of 1,861 English-speaking Canadians gauged opinions on which leader they thought had the best ideas, look the best, sound the most prime ministerial, and who is the most likeable:
- One half (50%) believe that Stephen Harper sounds and acts most like a Prime Minister, while fewer believe that Michael Ignatieff (25%), Jack Layton (16%), or Gilles Duceppe (2%) fit the bill. One in ten (7%) are undecided.
- Four in ten (36%) are of the opinion that Stephen Harper has the best ideas and polices, while Michael Ignatieff (26%) and Jack Layton (26%) are tied for second place. Just 1% of those polled think that Gilles Duceppe has the best ideas and policies, while one in ten (11%) don't know.
- Thinking about who is the most visually attractive, Jack Layton (35%) polls slightly ahead of Stephen Harper (29%), while Michael Ignatieff (9%) and Gilles Duceppe (8%) battle it out for third place. Two in ten (18%) are unsure.
- When it comes to who is most likeable, that is the person who they'd most like to go out for a beer or coffee with, a majority (53%) choose Jack Layton, well ahead of Stephen Harper (25%), Michael Ignatieff (10%), and Gilles Duceppe (7%). Six percent (6%) don't know which leader is most likeable.
English-speaking Canadians have outlined their priorities for the political leaders: Three in ten (28%) most want the leaders to be talking about the economy, while healthcare (16%) and ethics and accountability in government (16%) round out the top three issues for English-speaking Canadians. Others most want the political leaders and the local party candidates to be talking about taxes (10%), jobs and unemployment (8%), the environment (6%), education/schools/universities (4%), poverty (4%), crime and justice (2%) the armed forces and military (1%) or some other issue (3%). Just 2% don't know what they want leaders and candidates to be addressing.
Thinking about the following issues heading into the debate, English-speaking Canadians have identified which of the major leaders they believe has the best ideas and policies to deal with each:
- Economy: 46% Stephen Harper, 27% Michael Ignatieff, 11% Jack Layton, 1% Gilles Duceppe, 15% don't know.
- Healthcare: 35% Jack Layton, 23% Stephen Harper, 22% Michael Ignatieff, 1% Gilles Duceppe, 20% don't know.
- Taxes: 39% Stephen Harper, 27% Michael Ignatieff, 16% Jack Layton, 0% Gilles Duceppe, 18% don't know.
- Environment: 37% Jack Layton, 16% Stephen Harper, 13% Michael Ignatieff, 1% Gilles Duceppe, 33% don't know.
These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted exclusively for Global Teleivison on April 12, 2011, from noon to 3pm EDT. The pre-debate survey was conducted among 1,861 English-speaking Canadian adults. Respondents were selected via the Ipsos I-Say Online Panel, Ipsos Reid's national online panel. The sample was drawn from a pre-recruited panel of over 6,589 voters. Weighting then was employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the population of English-speaking Canadian adults according to the latest Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 2.3 percentage points,, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire English-speaking adult population in Canada 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 Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[email protected]
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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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