So, Who Do Canadians Think Lie Like a Rug?

Toronto, ON - According to a new poll conducted by Ipsos-Reid on behalf of the Comedy Network, six in ten (60%) Canadians believe that politicians are `very likely to lie' when making statements in the media about important issues. Lawyers (40%), corporate executives (35%), and union leaders (31%) are also listed in the top tier of the liar's brigade as those who are `very likely to lie' according to the Canadian public, followed by film/television celebrities (22%), comedians (18%), journalists (17%), sports celebrities (14%), music celebrities (13%) and priests/ministers (13%).

At the bottom of the Liar's brigade are police officers (8%), doctors (6%) and teachers (5%).

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid poll conducted between October 22nd and October 24th, 2002 on behalf of The Comedy Network. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 1,000 adult Canadians. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian 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 Canadian population according to the 1996 Census data.

Six in ten (60%) Canadians believe that politicians are `very likely to lie' when they make statements in the media about important issues. This compares to 30% who say politicians are `somewhat likely to lie' and 9% who believe they are `not very' or `not at all likely to lie'.

• Residents of Alberta (76%) are the most likely to say politicians are `very likely to lie', while those in Quebec (52%) and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (50%) are least likely to believe this to be the case.
• Canadians in lower income households (64%) are more likely than those in upper income households (55%) to hold this view.
• Canadians who have a high school diploma (65%), have not completed high school (64%) or have some university or other post-secondary education (63%) are more likely than those who have a university degree (52%) to believe that politicians are `very likely to lie' in public statements.

Lawyers (40%), corporate executives (35%), and union leaders (31%) are also listed in the top tier of the liar's brigade as those who are `very likely to lie' when making statements in the media according to the Canadian public.

• As for the view of lawyers, regionally, Albertans (49%) and those in British Columbia (47%) are more likely to say members of this profession are `very likely to lie', while those in Saskatchewan/Manitoba (30%) and Atlantic Canada (27%) are least likely. As well, Canadians between 18 and 54 (43%) are more likely to feel this way than those 55 and older (35%). More men (43% versus 38% of women) believe this to be the case while Canadians in middle income households (43%) are more likely than those in lower income households (36%) to think this way.
• This negative view of corporate executives is stronger in British Columbia (48%) and weaker in Atlantic Canada (29%) and Quebec (26%). There is no statistical difference between age, gender or household income groups.
• Regionally, residents of British Columbia (35%), Ontario (33%), Alberta (31%) are more likely to say union leaders are `very likely to lie' in comparison to residents of Saskatchewan/Manitoba (20%). This view is also held by more Canadians 35 years of age and older (35%) than among those 18 to 34 (22%). Canadians in both upper (29%) and lower (29%) income households are less likely than their counterparts in middle income households (36%) to say that union leaders are `very likely to lie' when making statements in the media.

The list of those `very likely to lie' continues with film/television celebrities (22%), comedians (18%), journalists (17%), sports celebrities (14%), music celebrities (13%) and priests/ministers (13%).

• In general, residents of Alberta are more likely than those in other regions to say that celebrities (film/TV 32%; sports 18%; music 18%) are `very likely to lie' in the media, with the exception of comedians (Atlantic Canada 23%; Alberta 21%) where they are at the top with Atlantic Canadians.
• As for comedians, they are suspected of being `very likely to lie' by a higher proportion of younger (21%) Canadians than by middle aged (15%) Canadians. This view is also held by more Canadians in lower income households (22%) than by those in middle (16%) or upper (16%) income households.
• Music celebrities are `very likely to lie' in the media according to more younger (19%) Canadians than older (11%) or middle aged (10%) Canadians.
• Albertans (29%) are also the most likely to believe that journalists are `very likely to lie', compared to the views of residents of British Columbia (17%), Quebec (16%), Ontario (15%), Atlantic Canada (15%), and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (14%).
• Residents of Quebec (28%) are the most likely to say that priests/ministers are `very likely to lie' in the media, compared to the views of Atlantic Canadians (11%), those in Alberta (9%), Ontario (9%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (8%), and British Columbia (7%). As well, Canadians in lower income households (20%) are also more likely to say that priests/ministers are `very likely to lie' in the media, compared to the views of those in middle (13%) and upper (9%) income Canadians.

At the bottom of the liar's brigade are police officers (8%), doctors (6%) and teachers (5%). In fact, 17% say that police officers are `not likely at all' to lie, 22% indicate that same view of doctors and 20% hold this opinion regarding teachers.

• Police officers are more likely to be seen as `very likely to lie' in the media by younger (11%) Canadians than by older (4%) Canadians.
• Quebecers lead the list in terms of believing that doctors (11%), as well as teachers (10%) are `very likely to lie' to the media.

To view the factum and tables, please open the attached PDF files.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

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