Transit Top Issue for Torontonians in Municipal Election

Toronto, ON - Public transit is the top issue of the campaign for one in three (31%) Torontonians, according to an Ipsos Reid poll conducted for Global News. Connected to transit is infrastructure like roads and bridges, which was chosen as the top issue by 15% of Torontonians. The only other issues that were reasonably close were city taxes that are too high (14%) and the economy (9%).

Further, public transit specifically was the top issue in every region of the city, highest in the old city of Toronto/downtown (36%), followed York/East York (33%), North York (33%), Scarborough (31%) and Etobicoke (20%). Only in Etobicoke was it challenged by the second-place issue - infrastructure (19%).

Among the two in three (68%) Torontonians who work outside of the home, nearly as many take public transit (44%) as car or motorcycle (49%), while relatively few travel by bicycle (3%) or some other method (4%).

Among Torontonians who travel outside the home to get to work, more than eight in ten (86%) spend more than half an hour a day commuting. Half (47%) indicate that they spend half an hour to an hour each day commuting, while four in ten (39%) say they spend more than hour. Just one in ten (14%) say they spend less than half an hour a day commuting to work. The average Torontonian working outside the home indicates that they take approximately 67.1 minutes per day commuting to work.

On average, commuters from Scarborough have the longest commutes at approximately 73.1 minutes each day, followed by commuters from North York (70.9 minutes), York/East York (67.9 minutes), downtown (63.6 minutes), and Etobicoke (61.1 minutes).

With average daily commute times hitting just over an hour, just 2% of commuters say their commute has been getting shorter over the last four years, compared to the majority (57%) who believes it is getting longer. Four in ten (41%) don't perceive a difference in the length of time it takes for them to get to and from work.

Congestion in Toronto has frustrated so many that half (50%) of Torontonians `agree' (16% strongly/34% somewhat) that they'd be willing to see municipal taxes increased by 5% if it meant they could get across the city by transit or car in less time than it takes them today. But the concept is controversial, as the other half (50%) of Torontonians `disagree' (25% strongly/25% somewhat) that they'd be willing to pay more to shorten their travel time. The fact that only 16% strongly agree that they'd agree to higher taxes suggests that most are skeptical that City Hall could actually solve the problem with more revenue from taxation.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between September 23rd and 26th, 2014 on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,252 Torontonians (of which 1,105 are decided voters) 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 +/ 3.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Torontonian adults 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:

Darrell Bricker, PhD
CEO
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 509-8460
[email protected]

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Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country's leading provider of public opinion research. 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 Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and on-line panels. Ipsos Reid's Canadian marketing research and public affairs practices are staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, offering the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada--all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group. To learn more, visit www.ipsos.ca

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