Two-Thirds (66%) of Canadians Believe Blackout Result of Technical, Not Supply Problems - 61% in Ontario Agree
Further, a majority (71%) of Canadians are confident that Canadian electricity companies will be able to sustain the demand for electricity over the next number of years. However, while a majority (58%) in the province agrees, Ontarians are among the least positive on this proposition.
According to a number of North American political leaders, it has become the accepted position that consumers will have to pay more for their electricity in order to upgrade the electricity distribution system. One in three (34%) Canadians, including 42% in Ontario, appear to be willing by agreeing that in order to invest in a more fail-safe system, they would be willing to pay more for hydro.
When asked specifically how much more, 81% of willing Canadians indicated they would be pay up to $25 more per month, with a further 13% saying they would pay between $26 and $50, 2% who indicate they would pay an extra $51 to $75 per month and 1% say they would be willing to pay more than $75.
Support for the idea of paying more for hydro rises to almost half (46%), including 52% of Ontarians, who say they would be willing to pay more for hydro if the additional charges were earmarked specifically for system upgrades.
As a result of the blackouts, three in four (74%) Canadians agree it has made them think of things that they personally can do to conserve energy. Not surprisingly, Ontarians (84%) lead all other regions in agreement.
As for what Canadians say they can do, a full majority (58%) of this group say that one way would be to do what their mothers always told them to do -- turn off lights. The next highest cited action is to reduce the use of air-conditioning or to turn up the temperature setting on the air-conditioner (37%). Ontarians (58%) were significantly more likely to suggest this than Canadians in any other region of the country. Other mentions include turning off appliances such as TV/radio/stereo/computer when they are not being used (22%), reduce the use of electrically heated hot water (11%), switching to energy efficient appliances (7%), using appliances in off-peak hours (6%), washing cloths in cold or warm water instead of hot water (6%), switching to lower watt or florescent light bulbs (4%), switching to alternative energy sources such as solar or wind power (4%) and 1% cited they could walk instead of taking subways or streetcars.
As for perception of the job that a number of leaders did during the blackout, Ontario Premier Ernie Eves (71% - 73% in Ontario) comes out on top as doing a `good job' (very good job/good job). Following behind is Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman (64% - 62% in Ontario), and despite incorrect comments blaming Canada for the blackout, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (59%), and New York Governor George Pataki (54%). Not fairing quite as well is Canadian Federal Minister of Defence John McCallum (47%), Prime Minister Jean Chretien (46%) and his American counterpart President George W. Bush (46%).
Within Ontario, local municipalities are viewed by seven in ten (73%) Ontarians as doing a `good job' during the blackout, followed by the Ontario provincial government (70%) and the hydro industry (68%).
And finally, seven in ten (71%) Canadians support the idea that electricity is too important to society to be left up to private sector companies to manage and run and must be owned and managed by the public sector. This contrasts to the one quarter (25%) who say that the public sector cannot afford the investment required to upgrade and expand the electricity system and that increased private sector involvement would provide the money for these needed upgrades and expansion.
These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/CTV/Globe and Mail poll conducted between August 19th and August 21st, 2003. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 1,030 adult Canadians. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage 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 2001 Census data.
Two-thirds (66%) of Canadians agree that the electricity blackout was the result of a technical problem in the system that can be corrected and is not because of more serious electricity supply problems. This compares to 29% who disagree with this proposition.
- In Ontario, the province hit by the largest blackout in North American history, a full majority (61%) express agreement with this position. Quebecers (77%) lead the country in agreement, followed by Saskatchewan/Manitoba (69%), British Columbia (66%), Atlantic Canada (65%), Ontario, and Alberta (57%).
- Young adult (71%) and middle aged (68%) Canadians are more likely to agree with this viewpoint than are older Canadians (60%).
- However, while a majority (58%) in the province agrees, Ontarians are less positive on this proposition than are Canadians as a whole. In fact, Ontarians (41%) lead all other regions in disagreement with this view.
- In electricity rich Quebec, close to nine in ten (87%) residents agree with this position, followed by Atlantic Canadians (76%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (75%), British Columbia (72%), Alberta (69%) and as noted above Ontario (58%).
- Young adults (79%) are significantly more likely to agree with this view than are their middle aged (68%) or older (68%) counterparts.
- Ontarians (42%) are significantly more likely to agree with this idea than are those in Atlantic Canada (31%), British Columbia (29%), Quebec (28%) and Alberta (22%). One in three (33%) of residents of Saskatchewan/Manitoba express agreement.
- Young adults (39%) are significantly more likely than their middle aged (30%) counterparts to agree.
- Here is no statistical difference between household income groups regarding this proposition.
- Residents of Ontario and Quebec appear to be willing to pay the most. Within Ontario, 78% would be willing to pay up to $25 extra, with an additional 17% who say between $26 and $50, 4% who say they would pay between $51 and $75 and 1% willing to pay more than $75 extra per month. Meanwhile in Quebec the numbers are similar (up to $25 - 76%; $26-$50 - 16%; more than $75 - 1%).
- Men (17%) are significantly more likely to say they would pay between $26 and $50 extra per month, than are women (10%).
- In general, middle and upper income households are more willing to pay more extra than are lower income households.
- Ontario (52%) are significantly more likely to agree with this suggestion than are those in Atlantic Canada (38%) and British Columbia (36%). The numbers in the other regions to agree are: Quebec (45%), Alberta (42%) and Manitoba/Saskatchewan (42%).
- Young adult (49%) Canadians are significantly more likely to agree than are middle aged (41%) counterparts.
- There are no significant differences between household income groups on this suggestion.
As a result of the blackouts, three in four (74%) Canadians agree it has made them think of things that they personally can do to conserve energy. Not surprisingly, Ontarians (84%) lead all other regions in agreement. One quarter (25%) disagrees.
- As mentioned Ontarians (84%) are the most likely to agree. This compares to the numbers in Saskatchewan/Manitoba (72%), British Columbia (69%), Quebec (67%), Atlantic Canada (67%) and Alberta (66%).
- Women (81%) are significantly more likely than men (66%) to have thought about things that they can personally do to conserve energy.
- Canadians in middle income households (79%) are significantly more likely than either those in lower (71%) or upper (70%) income households to agree with this statement.
- Residents of British Columbia (76%) top the list as the most likely to say they could turn off lights to conserve energy, while Ontarians (58%) as noted above are the most likely to say turning off or lowering the temperature on their air-conditioning. Quebecers (25%) are significantly more likely to cite reducing the use of electrically heated hot water.
- Young adults (68%) are significantly more likely to suggest turning off the lights than are their middle aged (57%) or older (50%) counterparts. This is also true regarding turning off appliance when not in use (young adults 30%, middle aged 21%, older 16%). Older (13%) and middle aged (13%) Canadians on the other hand are significantly more likely to suggest they could reduce the use of electrically heated hot water than their young adult (6%) counterparts.
- Women (62%) are significantly more likely to suggest turning off the lights than are men (54%).
- University graduates (50%) are significantly more likely than those with a post-secondary education/some university (35%), a high school education (32%) or without a high school diploma (32%) to suggest turning off or increasing the temperature on their air-conditioning.
- Air-conditioning is also more likely to be cited by Canadian in upper (45%) and middle (37%) income households than by those in lower income households (26%).
- Regionally, the views of Ontario Premier Ernie Eves are statistically consistent across the country, while Quebecers (71%) are significantly more likely than Ontarians (62%) to say that Mel Lastman had done a good job.
- As for national and international leaders, young adult Canadians are more likely than their middle aged or older counterparts to feel that John McCallum (young adults 61%; middle aged 44%, older 38%) or Jean Chretien (young adults 56%, middle aged 44%, older 38%) had done a `good job'.
- Women are significantly more likely than men to feel than John McCallum (women 51% versus men 43%), Jean Chretien (women 49% versus men 43%) and George W. Bush (women 49% versus men 43%) had done a `good job'.
The view that Mel Lastman had done a `good job' is more likely to be expressed by Canadians in lower (70%) and middle (67%) income households than by those in upper income households (59%). This also the case regarding Prime Minister Chretien (lower 57%, middle 49%, upper 41%).
- Mayor Lastman is more likely to receive high marks from those without a university degree (68%) than by those with a degree (53%).
- Young adults are significantly more likely than their middle aged or older counterparts to believe that the Ontario government (young adults 80%, middle-aged 67%, older 65%) and the hydro industry (young adults 78%, middle-aged 65%, older 61%) did a `good job'.
- Women (76%) are significantly more likely than men (58%) to feel that the hydro industry did a `good job' during the blackout.
- The hydro industry is also more likely to be said to have done a `good job' by those in middle (76%) and lower (75%) income households than by those in upper income households (59%).
- Regionally, those most likely to believe that electricity should be owned and managed by the public sector are in British Columbia (77%) and Ontario (74%), followed by Quebec (69%), Atlantic Canada (69%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (67%) and Alberta (61%).
- This viewpoint is also more likely to be held by older (74% versus 66% of young adult) Canadians. In fact, young adults (32%) are significantly more likely to hold the opposing view than are their middle aged (24%) or older (20%) counterparts.
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For more information on this news release, please contact:John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Ipsos-Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2900
