Pulse of Toronto - Olympics and Transit

44% Say Quality of TTC Better than Last Year and Almost Half (48%) Say Gas Price Hikes Would Make Them More Likely to Use TTC

Toronto, ON - 70 percent of Toronto residents are in favour of the City of Toronto hosting the 2008 Olympics and almost as many (68%) believe that Toronto has a good chance of winning the bid. Just over half (52%) are prepared to tolerate the potential years of road construction and disruption of traffic to make it a reality however, residents resoundingly reject any increases in taxes to pay for the facilities (73%) or any large debt as a result of hosting the games (84%).

Given the issue of transportation infrastructure which has surfaced as a result of this and other discussions concerning the port lands redevelopment, the poll also probed on issues dealing with transportation generally and the TTC specifically. A plurality (44%) indicate that the quality of service is better than a year ago and almost half (48%) admit that because of rising gas prices they are now more likely to use the TTC. Further, a majority (59%) would be willing to pay between $6 and $20 on their municipal taxes if it was dedicated specifically to the TTC. The poll also shows that a full majority (83%) support the notion that "since all benefit from the transportation system transportation improvements should really come from everyone and not simply those who use the system".

On the environment front, 67 percent support a day of the week which would be "car-free" in the downtown core (the poll did not explore which day would be designated as such), and from an aesthetic point of view, a majority (55%) believe that tearing down the Gardiner expressway is "worth it if Toronto will have a more beautiful waterfront" (the poll did not explore alternatives to the Gardiner in terms of transportation infrastructure).

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/CFRB/Globe and Mail poll conducted between October 13th and October 17th, 2000. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 404 adult Torontonians. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 4.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Toronto 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 regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Toronto population according to the 1996 Census data.

Torontonians Give Thumbs-Up to Olympic Bid (70%) and Chance of Winning (68%) but Thumbs-Down to Taxes (73%) or Debt (84%) for Games

• Seven in ten (70%) Torontonians say they are in favour of Toronto hosting the 2008 summer Olympics, including almost a majority (47%) who are "strongly in favour" and a quarter (23%) who are "somewhat in favour". Three in ten (29%) say they oppose Toronto hosting the Olympics with 11 percent "somewhat opposed" and 18 percent "strongly opposed". Younger residents (79%) are more likely than middle aged (68%) or older (62%) residents to say they are in favour of hosting the Olympics.
• Most residents of the city (68%) say they think Toronto has a good chance of winning the 2008 Olympic bid. Only 29 percent disagree.
• While support for the Olympics runs strong, Torontonians (73%) are clear that they would not support the bid if it means an increase in taxes to pay for the facilities. A quarter (26%) would support the bid even if it meant an increase in taxes.
• An even larger percentage of Torontonians (84%) say they would not support the bid if it means that Toronto taxpayers are faced with a large debt as a result of hosting the games. Only 16 percent would still support the bid under these circumstances.
• Although Torontonians do not want to pay extra taxes for the games, a majority (52%) say they would still support the bid even if it meant years of road construction and disruption of taxes. In contrast, 48 percent say they would not support the bid if it meant traffic tie-ups.

Majority (59%) Willing to Pay Dedicated TTC Tax Between $6 and $20 and Majority (67%) Support "Car-Free" Day in the City

• The majority (59%) of Torontonians would be willing to pay between $6 and $20 on their municipal taxes if it was dedicated specifically to the TTC. The average amount that residents are willing to pay is $8.74 and of the 5 choices presented in the question, a plurality (28%) indicate that they would be willing to pay between $16 and $20.
• When asked to choose between two points of view about transportation funding, Torontonians (83%) are most likely to side with the statement that "the money for transportation improvements should really come from everybody in society because we all benefit from the transportation system even if we don't actually drive a car or use public transit." In contrast, only 16 percent say their point of view is closest to "only the people who use the transportation system should pay for improvements because they benefit the most." The percentage who say that everyone should pay has increased 12 points since 1999 (71%).
• Two-thirds (67%) of residents say they would support a day of the week which would be 'car free' in the downtown core (residents were not asked about which day), while one-third (32%) say they would not support this initiative. Lower and middle income residents (75%) are more likely than those earning $60,000 or more (58%) to support a 'car free day'
• A majority (55%) of Torontonians agree that tearing down the Gardiner Expressway is worth it if it means Toronto will have a more beautiful waterfront while 42 percent disagree. Residents were not asked about potential transportation alternatives.

44% Say Quality of TTC Better than Last Year and Almost Half (48%) Say Gas Price Hikes Would Make Them More Likely to Use TTC

• A plurality (44%) of residents agree that the quality of service of the TTC is better than a year ago (41% disagree). Men (50%) are more likely than women (39%) to agree, and lower income residents (58%) are more likely than those earning $30,000 or more (40%) to agree.
• With the recent increases in gas prices, 48 percent agree that they are now more likely to use the TTC meanwhile 51 percent say they are not more likely to use the TTC. Residents in the lowest income bracket (76%) are much more likely to say high gas prices have made them more likely to use the TTC than residents in the middle income bracket (53%) or residents in the highest income bracket (32%).

For more information on this news release, please contact:

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