POLICE UNION "TRUE BLUE" CAMPAIGN GIVES TORONTO FORCE BLACK EYE

POLICE UNION "TRUE BLUE" CAMPAIGN GIVES TORONTO FORCE BLACK EYE

62% of Torontonians Have a Less Favourable Opinion of the Toronto Police Force Because of Union's Fundraiser "Operation True Blue"

But, 85% Say they are Satisfied with the Performance of the Police Force

Toronto, Ontario -- According to the results of an Angus Reid/CFRB/Globe and Mail/Global Television poll conducted between February 15th and February 20th, 2000 among 600 residents of the City of Toronto, the Toronto Police Association's recent "Operation True Blue" fundraising campaign has given Torontonians a less favourable opinion of their police force. Although 85 percent say that they are satisfied (37% very, 48% somewhat) with the performance of the police force, six in ten (62%) say their opinion of the Toronto Police Force has become less favourable (36% somewhat, 26% much less favourable) since the details of the union's Operation True Blue fundraising campaign have come to light.

62% of Torontonians Have a Less Favourable Opinion of the Toronto Police Force Because of Union's Fundraiser "Operation True Blue"

More than six in ten (62%) Torontonians say that their opinion of the Toronto Police Force has become less favourable since the details of the union's Operation True Blue fundraising campaign have come to light. This includes over one-quarter (26%) who say that their opinion is now "much less favourable" and over one-third (36%) who say their opinion is now "somewhat less favourable". A total of 16 percent say their opinion of the police has become "more favourable", including 4 percent who say their opinion has become "much more favourable" and 12 percent who say their opinion has become "somewhat more favourable". One in five (19%) volunteered that the campaign has had "no impact" on their opinion of the police.

• These results are consistent across demographic lines including gender, income and age.
• Ninety percent of Torontonians say they have heard about Operation True Blue

But, 85% Say they are Satisfied with the Performance of the Police Force

While the favourability of the Toronto Police Force may have fallen, residents still remain satisfied with the performance of the Force. Greater than four in five (85%) Torontonians say they are satisfied with the performance of the Toronto Police Force, including 37 percent who are "very satisfied" and 48 percent who are "somewhat satisfied". One in ten (9%) Torontonians say they are "not very satisfied" and 5 percent say they are "not at all satisfied" with the performance of their police force. Only, 1 percent say they "don't know". However, the intensity of satisfaction has declined since June 1999, with the number of respondents who say that they are "very satisfied" dropping five points between June 1999 and February 2000.

• Satisfaction with the police is considerably higher among older residents. Those aged 55 and over (92%) are much more likely to be satisfied with the performance of the police than those aged 35- to 54 (83%) or those aged 18 to 34 (81%).
• Satisfaction with the police is higher among women (89%) as opposed to men (82%).
• Satisfaction is consistent across income groups.
• Residents aged 55 and over and women show the largest decrease in intensity of satisfaction since June 1999. Among older residents, there has been a seven point drop in the numbers saying they are "very satisfied" with the performance of the police force and among women, there has been a six point drop in the numbers saying they are "very satisfied".

These are the findings of an Angus Reid/CFRB/Globe and Mail/Global Television poll conducted between February 15th and February 20th 2000. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 600 adult residents of the City of Toronto. The results are accurate to within 4.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire population of the City of Toronto 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 regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual population of the City of Toronto according to the 1996 Census data.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

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