Poll for CUPE on Education in BC

Vancouver, BC - In early September, Ipsos Reid completed a survey of British Columbians on behalf of Canadian Union of Public Employees. Some findings from the survey were as follows:

Eight-in-ten (81%) British Columbians said that public education support staff workers' wages should at least keep up with inflation (9% said wages should not keep up with inflation and 10% were undecided). As a preamble to this question, respondents were told that support staff workers in public schools have not received a raise since 2009, which means that after inflation is taken into account, those workers are earning less today than they did in 2009.

More than six-in-ten (62%) British Columbians said that education support staff workers are under-paid for what they do (25% said they are paid fairly, 2% said they are over-paid and 11% were undecided). Survey respondents were told that the average education support staff worker, such as groundskeepers and education assistants, earns $24,000 per year.

Two-thirds (66%) of British Columbians said that they agree more with the viewpoint that BC public schools need more government funding because they are underfunded by the provincial government, which harms the quality of education. Only two-in-ten (20%) British Columbians said they agree more with the viewpoint that schools do not need more funding because the BC government is doing a good job providing the funding needed by BC's public schools. Fourteen percent are undecided.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. The poll of 829 adult British Columbians was conducted online using Ipsos Reid's national online household panel between August 30 and September 4, 2013. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual BC population according to 2011 Census data. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/- 3.9 percentage points had all British Columbia adults been surveyed. 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:

Kyle Braid
Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
778.373.5130
[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.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

With offices in 85 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,789 billion (2.300 billion USD) in 2012.

Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos' offerings and capabilities.