About EKOS Politics

We launched this website in order to showcase our election research, and our suite of polling technologies including Probit and IVR. We will be updating this site frequently with new polls, analysis and insight into Canadian politics. EKOS's experience, knowledge and sophisticated research designs have contributed positively to many previous elections.

Other EKOS Products

In addition to current political analysis, EKOS also makes available to the public general research of interest, including research in evaluation, general public domain research, as well as a full history of EKOS press releases.

Media Inquires

For media inquires, please contact: Frank Graves President EKOS Research Associates t: 613.235-7215 [email protected]

ATTENTION TO AFGHAN DETAINEE ISSUE FADING BUT SCEPTICISM OF GOVERNMENT REMAINS – March 25, 2010

SUPPORT FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE STRONG AND RISING

[Ottawa – March 25, 2010] – It appears that the opposition parties have had little success in keeping the detainee issue central in the minds of Canadians. With little new evidence and time marching on, the incidence of people paying close attention is fairly low (16% pay “close” attention, 41% follow it “somewhat” closely). Although a strong plurality (48%) think the Iaboucci will not solve lingering doubts about government withholding evidence that they should have released, there appears to be a cooling of public concern as the issue has been passed off… [More...]

LIBERALS FALLING BACK – March 25, 2010

NO PARTY CAN CRACK THE 33-POINT GLASS CEILING

[Ottawa – March 25, 2010] –  For the 12th consecutive poll this year, we see no party able to summon up more than the support of 33% of a stingy electorate. “This is the fly in the ointment for what is otherwise a pretty positive poll for Stephen Harper’s Conservatives,” said EKOS President Frank Graves.

Canadians are relatively happy with the overall direction of the country and satisfaction with the federal government direction continues to improve. This leads to the puzzling question of if Canada is up, why are the… [More...]

CANADIANS SUPPORT DECRIMINALIZATION OF MINOR POT POSSESSION AND LEAN TO NOT REINTRODUCING DEATH PENALTY – March 18, 2010

10 YEARS LATER WE ARE MORE PROGRESSIVE ON THESE INDICATORS

[Ottawa – March 18, 2010] – EKOS tested two indicators of social conservatism as part of an ongoing societal monitoring program. The indicators are interesting for a number of reasons.

One asks whether the public agree that we should NOT have legal penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana. The other asks whether the respondent supports the reintroduction of the death penalty. In both cases, the current results were compared with benchmark testing conducted 10 years ago.

These indicators are interesting social barometers at any time but they… [More...]

TORIES OPEN CLEAR WATER AHEAD OF LIBERALS – March 18, 2010

CONSERVATIVES TIED OR LEADING IN EVERY REGION BUT QUEBEC

[Ottawa – March 18, 2010] – The federal Conservative Party has re-established a clear, statistically significant lead over the second-place Liberals. This follows a six-month period during which the governing party fell from majority-government territory into a virtual tie with the opposition Liberals.

The Conservatives have the support of barely a third of Canadians, and they owe their first-place status in part to the continued weakness of the Liberal Party.

The Liberals, who surged into the low thirty percent range during January, now seem to have settled back… [More...]

Public Perceptions on Politics and Emotion: The Paradox of the Rational Imperative

The following presentation was delivered by Frank Graves to the The 2010 Walter Gordon Massey Symposium on Public Policy on March 17, 2010. [More...]

BUDGET CREATES BARELY A RIPPLE – March 11, 2010

MOST CANADIANS RATE IT NEITHER GOOD NOR BAD

Eighty percent of Canadians say they recall hearing about last week’s federal budget, but for a majority of them, it was a giant yawn.

Half of those who did remember hearing about it rated the budget as neither good nor bad. Among those who had a definite opinion, slightly more gave the budget a bad review, though the tilt was hardly dramatic.

EKOS Research Associates conducted the poll for exclusive release by the CBC program Power and Politics. Interviews ran from budget day, March 4, through March 9… [More...]

BUDGET SHRUG – March 11, 2010

PARTY SUPPORT DOESN’T BUDGE OVER BUDGET

[Ottawa – March 11, 2010] – None of the parties has made any significant movement in the wake of last week’s budget and throne speech. The latest EKOS poll, done for exclusive release to the CBC, was mostly conducted March 3-9, after the throne speech and all-but-one-day after the budget.

The Conservatives have a nominal 2.3 percentage point lead over the opposition Liberals in this poll. Although the lead is small, the fact that the Tories have had the edge for five consecutive weeks, suggests that it is real.

“Some observers… [More...]

TORIES THREE POINTS AHEAD IN PRE-BUDGET POLL – March 4, 2010

MOST CANADIANS EMPHASIZE INVESTMENT OVER TAX/DEFICIT CUTS

[Ottawa – March 4, 2010] – The Conservatives retained a three-percentage point lead over the opposition Liberals in this week’s EKOS Research Associates poll – the last conducted before today’s federal budget. The size of the lead is virtually unchanged from last week’s poll.

“Although a lead of this size is small – near the edge of statistical significance – the fact that it has held now for two weeks suggests it is real,” said Frank Graves, President of EKOS Research Associates. “In any case, it is a substantial fall from… [More...]