Three in Four (74%) Montreal Island Residents Believe the City Deserves Special Status Within Quebec Because It's a World Class, Cosmopolitan City
The data also reveals that while most residents have high praise for Quebec's biggest city, a majority in each region (55% Island residents/53% Greater Montreal residents/53% rest of Quebec) believe the city is on the decline and bold and drastic steps should improve Montreal to keep it moving forward.
While Quebecers are aligned on the notion that bold and drastic steps need to be taken, residents of different regions differ substantially on a number of issues ranging from whether or not Montreal should have more autonomy and investment from the provincial government to whether or not the city should have different language laws due to its diversity. The table below outlines statements outlining how Montreal differs from the rest of the province of Quebec and what proportion of each area resident `agrees' with the sentiment:
Rating Montreal...
Overall, at least two in three believe that Montreal is a world class city, but residents of different regions have differing opinions when looking at the quality of life that Montreal provides as one of its biggest strengths. Interestingly, residents outside of Montreal are more likely to rate the city's current job market and ability to attract new business from outside the province as `good' than those from the Island or the GMA. The following table outlines different qualities of Montreal as well as the proportion of region residents who rate these current situations as `good':
Recommendations and Outlook...
Only a minority of respondents from all surveyed regions (38% Island of Montreal/40% Greater Montreal Area/35% Rest of Quebec) are `optimistic' about the short term future of Montreal over the next year, while a majority (62% Island of Montreal/60% Greater Montreal Area/66% Rest of Quebec) are `pessimistic' about the city's future over the next 12 months.
While most have a pessimistic outlook for Montreal looking into next year, this has not deterred most residents from recommending the city to others for cultural and entrepreneurial endeavours. The table below outlines how `likely' residents are to recommend Montreal for cultural activities and starting a business:
Ideas for the Future and Attracting New Business...
As perceptions of Montreal as a world class city wane, several ideas and strategy focuses have been discussed to make the city more attractive and bring it back its luster. Respondents gave higher ratings to ideas centered around making the city an attractive setting for both students and business leaders, as well as providing a more efficient and effective governance model. The table below outlines the ideas presented that could be used to help Montreal become more competitive and attract new business, as well as the proportion of region residents who indicate that these are `good' ideas:
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between July 22nd to 31st, 2013 on behalf of the CRITIQ Foundation. For this survey, a sample of 1,250 Quebecers (including 752 respondents from the Island of Montreal, 251 from the Greater Montreal Area, and 251 from the rest of Quebec) from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/- 4.1 percentage points had all residents of the Island of Montreal been polled and within +/-7.1 percentage points had all residents of the Greater Montreal Area and remaining areas of Quebec been polled. 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:
Luc Durand
President, Quebec
Ipsos Reid
514.904.4344
[email protected]
About Ipsos Reid
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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.
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