(12/28/10) -

Canadians Split on What the Next Federal Budget Should Address

Balancing the budget, creating jobs and spending on health care are the most important issues.

Canadians have identified three priorities as the country awaits the next federal budget, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion / Toronto Star poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative sample of 1,016 Canadian adults, 28 per cent of respondents believe that the biggest task at hand for the federal government is to balance the budget. About one-in-four Canadians (23%) think job creation initiatives should take precedence, while one-in-five (21%) would prefer to concentrate efforts on health care spending.

Balancing the budget is the most important priority for respondents in Manitoba and Saskatchewan (38%), Quebec (35%) and British Columbia (29%). Ontarians are particularly preoccupied with job creation (31%). In Atlantic Canada (29%) and Alberta (28%), health care is the key issue.

Across the country, 37 per cent of respondents say they are more concerned about their own personal finances, while 23 per cent are more worried about the overall state of the economy. Albertans are more likely to express concerns about the overall state of the economy (34%), but respondents in every other region are more worried about their own financial situation.

Taxes (23%) and unemployment (22%) top the list of national economic concerns for Canadians, followed by poverty (17%), the deficit (12%) and inflation (10%). Once again, broad regional differences emerge. Unemployment is the main worry for British Columbians and Albertans, while taxes are a bigger issue in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and Atlantic Canada.

Political Leadership

Two-in-five Canadians (41%) say they trust Prime Minister Stephen Harper to do the right thing to help the economy, while only one-in-four (23%) feel the same way about federal opposition leader Michael Ignatieff. The level of trust in Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney is 42 per cent.

The Conservative Party is preferred by about at least a third of Canadians to rein in the national debt, end the recession, control inflation and create jobs. The Liberal Party has its best showing on job creation (28%), but trails the Tories by double digits on the three other issues.

Analysis

As the year draws to a close, it is hard to pinpoint a single national economic concern. Albertans and Atlantic Canadians, who have recently had discussions about the state of their health care systems, believe this is the area that requires attention. Quebecers are more interested in a balanced budget. Ontarians want to see more people at work.

Throughout the year, Stephen Harper has maintained a considerable advantage over Michael Ignatieff as an economic manager. About two-in-five Canadians in every region other than Quebec trust Harper, while Ignatieff has had a difficult time connecting in the Prairies and British Columbia. However, at least two-in-five Canadians cannot pick either party to deal with four economic issues, showing that—in the event a federal election takes place in 2011—there is a large component of the population waiting for proposals and policies.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Communications & Media Relations
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From December 21 to December 22, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,016 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.