Summer Poor-Air-Quality Warnings

Toronto, ON -As Canadians experience poor-air-quality warnings in Canada this summer a CTV/Globe and Mail poll conducted by Ipsos-Reid suggests that when given a choice, increasing taxes to help pay for more public transit so fewer people would have to use their cars (37%) is not as popular as restricting the use of cars whenever a poor-air-quality warning has been declared (58%).

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/Globe and Mail/CTV poll conducted between July 24th and July 26th, 2001. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 1,002 adult Canadians. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 per centage 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.

Respondents were provided with two initiatives that might reduce automobile emissions and asked their support or opposition to each.

The first initiative suggested increasing taxes to help pay for more public transit so fewer people would have to use their cars. In this scenario 37 percent supported the initiative, while 62 percent (42% strongly) opposed the initiative. The highest levels of support were registered in British Columbia (41%), Quebec (39%) and Ontario (37%), while the highest levels of opposition occurred in Saskatchewan/Manitoba (67%), Atlantic Canada (65%) and Alberta (63%). A full majority opposed this initiative in every province. Demographically, middle-aged (35-54) respondents (66%) and men (64%) were most likely to oppose this initiative.

The second initiative dealt with the suggestion to restrict the use of cars whenever a poor-air-quality warning has been declared. In this scenario, 58 percent supported the initiative versus 48 percent who were in opposition.

Those provinces most likely to support restrictions of cars were Quebec (74%), followed by Atlantic Canada (63%), British Columbia (56%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (55%) and Alberta (54%). Ontario residents split on this initiative -- 49 percent in favour and 50 percent opposed. Demographically, women (63%) were more likely than men (53%) to support this initiative.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

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