While Recession Fears Grow,
Job Anxiety Remains Low
Ottawa, ON - Increased media speculation of a recession appears to be fuelling Canadians' fears of a looming recession, with a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted exclusively on behalf of CanWest News Service and Global Television revealing that nearly one in four Canadians (22%, up 9 points since February) believe the Canadian economy is headed for recession. Recession fears are greatest in Ontario (30%) and Quebec (22%).
Seven in ten (71%) Canadians label the state of the Canadian economy as `good' (5% `very good/66% `good'), down 7 points over the last four weeks. Three in ten (28%) believe the economy is `poor' (6% `very poor'/21% `poor'), an increase of 7 points.
Still, the majority of Canadians (59%, down 5 points) agree that the economy will likely slow down but continue to show some growth, effectively avoiding a recession. Nearly two in ten (16%, down 6 points) believe that it will continue to grow as strongly as it has in recent years.
While the data reveal that Canadians assessment of the state of the economy is worsening, job anxiety remains low. Fifteen percent (15%) of Canadians report that they, or someone in their household, are worried about losing their job or being laid off, down 1 point over the last four weeks. Job anxiety is the highest in Ontario (22%), with the next highest jurisdiction being Saskatchewan and Manitoba (12%).
Thinking about the political party in which they have the most confidence to manage the economy, 43% (down 2 points since February) of Canadians indicated that Stephen Harper and the Conservatives hold this position for them. One quarter (25%, unchanged) chose Stephane Dion and the Liberals, while just 16% (unchanged) said they had the most confidence in Jack Layton and the NDP to manage the economy. Sixteen percent (16%) don't know in whom they've got the most confidence.
These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of CanWest News Service and Global Television from May 6 to May 8, 2008. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1000 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 1773.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of Canada been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure that the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Dr. Darrell Bricker
President & CEO
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
416-509-8460
[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 a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.
Member companies 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. They measure public opinion around the globe.
Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999.
In 2007, Ipsos generated global revenues of e927.2 million ($1.27 billion U.S.).
Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos offerings and capabilities.
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