Toronto Residents Split on Whether City Headed on the
Right Track (48%) or in the Wrong Direction (52%)
What's evident is that one part of the city is very pronounced in its view: two thirds (64%) of residents who live in the old city of Toronto/downtown indicate that the city is headed in the wrong direction compared with only 36% who believe it's on the right track. No other part of the city is so convinced in their views - Etobicoke 51% right track/49% wrong direction; Scarborough 50% right track/50% wrong direction; North York 53% right track/47% wrong direction); York/East York 55% right track/45% wrong direction.
Reflecting on what the most important issue is for the City, it would appear that the trials and tribulations of Mayor Rob Ford - not any substantive policy, service or structural issue - is considered the most important local issue facing Toronto by 26% of its residents, followed closely by public transit (20%). Other issues of importance include infrastructure like roads and bridges (12%), city taxes (7%), affordability (7%), the economy (6%), crime (4%), municipal spending (4%), social assistance for families that need help (3%), access to health care (3%), city growth (2%), the environment (1%), access to and quality of municipal services (1%), parks, recreation, and cultural facilities, programs and services (1%) or some "other" issue (2%).
Majority of Residents Approve of Council and Performance of Key Public Figures, With the Exception of the Ford Brothers...
It would appear that Mayor Rob Ford's approval rating is at the bottom of the proverbial approval barrel when compared to other prominent leaders and groups at Toronto City Hall. The Mayor is at 40% approval rating (18% strongly/22% somewhat) down from 49% in 2012 and 62% in both 2011 and 2010. Overall, since 2010 the Mayor's approval rating has dropped 22 points.
In comparison, Police Chief Bill Blair's approval rating is at 80% (32% strongly/48% somewhat), holding steady from 2011, up from 74% in 2010 but still lower than the 88% high watermark he received in 2005. The approval rating for residents' local City Councilor is at 74% (15% strongly/59% somewhat), on par with approval ratings in 2011 at 75% but higher than in 2010 at 61%.
Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly has an approval rating of 66% (8% strongly/58% somewhat) while City Councilor/TTC Chair and declared mayoral candidate Karen Stintz has an approval rating of 65% (9% strongly/55% somewhat). Neither of these Councilors have been tracked previously on approval ratings.
Next are Media Reporters at City Hall at 64% (17% strongly/46% somewhat), not previously tracked.
Toronto City Council has an approval rating of 57% (6% strongly/51% somewhat) which is almost identical to where it was in 2011 (58%) but up from 44% in 2010.
And rounding out the bottom of the approval ratings list, and just ahead of his brother Mayor Rob Ford, is City Councilor Doug Ford with 42% (11% strongly/31% somewhat).
Who do Torontonians Trust?...
Torontonians were asked to rate the trustworthiness of various public figures. Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair ranked highest on the list at 73% (31% very/43% somewhat) followed by Olivia Chow, Member of Parliament at 65% (26% very/39% somewhat), John Tory, former politician and current radio personality at 61% (17% very/45% somewhat), City Councilor Karen Stintz, Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission at 55% (9% very much/46% somewhat), Premier Kathleen Wynne at 54% (14% very/40% somewhat), Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly at 47% (6% very/40% somewhat), City Councilor Adam Vaughan, outspoken city activist, at 43% (10% very/33% somewhat) and Prime Minister Stephen Harper at 42% (14% very/28% somewhat).
Mayor Rob Ford has the trust of just 34% of Torontonians (12% very/22% somewhat) - which is just four points higher than that of his brother City Councilor Doug Ford who is trusted by 30% of Torontonians (7% very/22% somewhat).
These are some of the findings of and Ipsos Reid poll conducted between November 8 and 12 on behalf of CTV News/CP24/ Newstalk 1010 Radio. For this survey, a sample of 665 Torontonians was interviewed via Ipsos' online panel. 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 +/-4.3 percentage points had all adults living in Toronto 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:
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.
To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.
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.
Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,789 billion (2.300 billion USD) in 2012.
Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos' offerings and capabilities.
