Ontarians Agree With Harris Government's Reform Of Ontario's Education System

Two-Thirds (67%) Agree That Once We Get Past The First Couple Of Years Of Change, The Education System Will Be Better Able To "Deliver The Kind Of Education Our Kids Deserve"

Toronto, ON - An Angus Reid poll released today reveals that Ontarians agree with the Harris government's reform of Ontario's education system. Two-thirds (66%) of Ontarians agree that the recent changes to the curriculum and standards in Ontario's schools will benefit students in the years ahead. Meanwhile, almost six in ten (58%) agree that we do not need to spend more money to improve Ontario's education system, we need to spend the money more wisely. Ontarians (67%) also agree that once we get past the first couple years of change, the education system will be better able to "deliver the kind of education our kids deserve".

These are the findings of an Angus Reid poll conducted between May 18 and May 25, 2000. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 525 adult Ontarians. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 4.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Ontario population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Ontario population according to the 1996 Census data.

Two-Thirds (66%) Agree That The Recent Changes To The Curriculum and Standards In Ontario's Schools Will Benefit Students In The Years Ahead

Two-thirds (66%) of Ontarians agree with the statement "I think the provincial government's recent changes to the education curriculum and standards in Ontrario's schools will benefit students in the years ahead". One-third (33%) "strongly agree" with this statement and a similar number (34%) "somewhat agree". Meanwhile, three in ten (30%) disagree (17% "strongly disagree", 13% "somewhat disagree") that the recent changes will benefit students in the years to come.

• Agreement with this statement is consistent across demographic variables such as age, income, education and gender.

Almost Six In Ten (58%) Agree That To Improve Ontario's Education System We Do Not Need More Money, We Need To Spend The Money More Wisely

Almost six in ten (58%) Ontarians agree that "we do not need to spend more money to improve Ontario's education system -- we need to spend the money more wisely". Four in ten (40%) "strongly agree" with this statement, while almost one in five (18%) "somewhat agree". In contrast, 42 percent disagree that we do not need to spend more money, including three in ten (30%) who "strongly disagree" and 12 percent who "somewhat disagree".

• Ontarians aged 55+ (81%) are much more likely than those under 55 (49%) to agree that we do not need to spend more money.
• Men (64%) are more likely than women (52%) to agree with this statement.
• Ontarians without a university education (63%) are more likely than those with a university education (47%) to agree.

Two-Thirds (67%) Agree That Once We Get Past The First Couple Of Years Of Change, The Education System Will Be Better Able To "Deliver The Kind Of Education Our Kids Deserve"

Many Ontarians see the reforms as having a positive impact in the long term. Two-thirds (67%) of Ontarians agree that "once we get past the first couple of years of change, the education system will be better able to deliver the kind of education our kids deserve". This includes more than one-third (36%) who "strongly agree" and three in ten (31%) who "somewhat agree" with this statement. Meanwhile, three in ten (31%) Ontarians disagree that the education system will be better able to "deliver the kind of education our kids deserve". Of those who disagree, 17 percent "strongly disagree", while 14 percent "somewhat disagree".

• Men (71%) are more likely than women (62%) to agree.
• Ontarians who do not have a university education (72%) are much more likely than those who have a university education (56%) to agree with this statement.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Public Affairs
Angus Reid Group
(416) 324-2900