Three Quarters (78%) of Canadians Believe Rob Ford Should Have Resigned After Admitting Illegal Drug Use

Toronto, ON - Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has made many a headline in 2013, ranging from his admission to smoking crack cocaine, to less than appropriate comments to the media, to potential ties to figures in organized crime, Toronto's controversial Mayor is no stranger to make the nightly news. Rob Ford has provided so much fodder for media in 2013 that CTV, Ipsos's media partner, has named Toronto's controversial Mayor and his ongoing controversies the 8th largest news story of 2013.

Much discussion has surrounded whether or not Mayor Ford should have resigned after admitting use of crack cocaine with most Canadians believing he should have stepped down, according to a new poll conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of CTV News.

Three in four (78%) Canadians `agree' (53% strongly/25% somewhat) that `Rob Ford should have resigned after admitting illegal drug use', compared to just one quarter (22%) who `disagree' (9% strongly/13% somewhat) that he should have.

Women (82%) are significantly more likely than men (75%) to agree that the Mayor should have resigned, while men (25%) are more likely than women (18%) to disagree that he should have stepped down after his admission.

Canadian seniors (83%), aged 55+, are most in agreement that Mayor Ford should have resigned, ahead of middle-aged (76%, aged 35-54) and younger (75%, aged 18-34) Canadians. Conversely, younger (25%) and middle-aged (24%) are more likely than seniors (17%) to disagree with this sentiment.

Regionally, British Columbians (83%) are most likely to believe that Rob Ford should have resigned after admitting illegal drug use, followed closely by those from Saskatchewan and Manitoba (82%), Atlantic Canada (81%), Quebec (80%), and Alberta (78%). Interestingly, Ontarians (74%) are least in agreement with the idea of Rob Ford resigning due to his admission, although the region still resoundingly agrees that he should.

Diving into Ontario region specifically to identify the levels of agreement within the city and its regions, the city itself is less likely than the national average to believe that their Mayor should have resigned with this admission. Seven in ten (72%) Torontonians `agree' (48% strongly/25% somewhat) that Rob Ford should have resigned, compared to 78% nationally, while three in ten (28%) `disagree' (14% strongly/14% somewhat) that he should have stepped down, 6 points higher than the national figure.

The data also reveal that residents of Etobicoke (82%), Rob Ford's home region, are most in agreement that the Mayor should have resigned following an admission of illegal drug use, followed by those from downtown (73%), North York (73%), Scarborough (67%), and York/East York (67%). Conversely, those from York/East York (33%) and Scarborough (33%) are most likely to disagree that the Mayor should have resigned, ahead of those in North York (27%), downtown (27%), and Etobicoke (18%).

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between December 9th to 13th, 2013, on behalf of CTV News. For this survey, a sample of 2,535 Canadians 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 +/- 2.2 percentage points of the entire Canadian adult population. 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:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
416.324.2002
[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.

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