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Archive for National Results

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 the nine-point lead the… [More...]

HARPER, “YUCK”; IGNATIEFF, “MEH” - February 25, 2010

HARPER’S MANY DETRACTORS CAN’T FIND A CHAMPION

[Ottawa – February 25, 2010] - Stephen Harper has a couple of things going for him, according to a new EKOS poll on political leadership: Conservative supporters approve strongly of his job performance, and though most other Canadians may not, they haven’t found anyone to rally around.

The poll, conducted for release by the CBC program Power and Politics, shows that more than half of Canadians disapprove of the way the prime minister is doing his job.  That’s substantially worse than the last time EKOS asked the question in mid-autumn.

Just 33% of Canadians approve of… [More...]

CONSERVATIVES RE-OPEN GAP OVER LIBERALS - February 25, 2010

LIBS STALL/TORIES RISE

[Ottawa – February 25, 2010] - After several weeks in which Canada’s two major parties have been neck-and-neck, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives have opened up a three percentage point lead over the Liberals. The shift, though small, puts the Conservatives back in comfortable minority-government territory if an election were held.

“The Liberals rode the dissatisfaction with the government over Afghan detainees, Copenhagen and prorogation back into contention after what was for them a disastrous early fall,” said EKOS President Frank Graves. “However, they have not had been able to find the leadership or the message to build on that momentum… [More...]

LIMP LIBERALS/CONSERVATIVES FROZEN IN PLACE - February 18, 2010

NEITHER PARTY MUSTERS EVEN A THIRD OF CANADIANS

[Ottawa – February 18, 2010] - The dramatic movement in the fortunes of Canada’s two leading parties over the last four months seems to have come to an end, with neither able to muster even a third of Canadians in support. The Conservatives retain a narrow lead over the second-place Liberals who are too feeble at the moment to overtake a governing party that is mired at 31% support.

“It is extremely unusual for no party to command even a third of the electorate over many weeks, which is the situation we have now,”… [More...]

CANADIANS WANT SPENDING CUTS, DEFICIT REDUCTION, NOT TAX HIKES - February 11, 2010

QUEBECKERS STRONGEST ADVOCATES OF SPENDING CUTS

[Ottawa – February 11, 2010] – Canadians seem to want the federal government to take on the deficit, and to do it through spending cuts.

In response to a viewer-suggested question on the CBC program Power and Politics, EKOS surveyed more than three thousand Canadians on the question, which will be on the top of the political agenda when the government introduces its budget after the Olympics.

First, the viewer wanted us to ask Canadians whether they had heard of the recent report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, Kevin Page, which projected Canada would run a deficit… [More...]

TORIES EKE OUT NARROW EDGE - February 11, 2010

OPPOSITION SUPPORTERS WANT EARLY ELECTION; TORY SUPPORTERS WANT TO WAIT

[Ottawa – February 11, 2010] - The federal Conservatives have gotten a small reprieve in this week’s EKOS poll, after months of sliding backwards, then into a tie with the Liberal Party. The Conservatives now have a small, but statistically significant lead over their chief opposition rival.

“The Conservatives should be heartened by the fact that the bleeding has clearly stopped and that the issues of Afghan detainees and prorogation have exhausted themselves,” said EKOS President, Frank Graves. “However, a growing plurality of Canadians now feel the government is headed in the… [More...]

LIBERALS/TORIES IN DEADLOCK - February 4, 2010

TURNING THE PAGE HASN’T CHANGED THE TREND

[Ottawa – February 4, 2010] - For the third week running the federal Conservatives and their Liberal opponents are virtually deadlocked in public support, and for the second week running the Liberals are showing a small numerical edge, but within the margin of error

“Clearly the strong trend away from the Conservatives, which is now more than three months underway, and the more recent trend to the Liberals, have slowed somewhat,” said EKOS President Frank Graves. “This is not surprising since the Conservatives are now down closer to their core of most committed supporters.”

“That having… [More...]

CANADIANS ENDORSE GOVERNMENT ACTION ON HAITI - January 28, 2010

TORY VOTERS MORE SKEPTICAL ABOUT LOOSENING IMMIGRATION RULES

[Ottawa – January 28, 2010] – Canadians are giving the federal government strong support for its efforts in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti earlier this month. However, this is not giving the ruling party the lift it might have expected in the race with the opposition parties.

Two-thirds of Canadians say the speed of the government’s actions is just right. Just over half say the scale of resources devoted to relief and reconstruction is just right. And while many Tory supporters don’t like the government’s decision to loosen immigration rules to… [More...]

LIBERAL GROWTH/TORY DECLINE UNAFFECTED BY HAITI - January 28, 2010

SIGN THAT SHIFT MAY BE STRUCTURAL

[Ottawa – January 28, 2010] - For the second week in a row, the opposition Liberals are in a dead heat with the ruling Conservatives – now nominally ahead, in fact – a sign that the government’s adroit handling of the Haiti crisis has not reversed its steady decline in voters’ favour, which began mid-autumn.

“There is no evidence that the government’s actions on Haiti are providing any relief in the Conservatives’ decline from clear dominance of the political landscape in October to basic parity with the Liberals today,” said EKOS President Frank Graves. “At this… [More...]

LIBERALS/CONSERVATIVES IN VIRTUAL TIE - January 21, 2010

“HAITI EFFECT” NOT YET BOOSTING TORIES

[Ottawa – January 21, 2010] - The federal Liberals have pulled into a virtual tie with the Conservatives in the past week – the first time they have drawn so close to the governing party since late summer.

“The Conservative Party has been in decline since mid-October,” said EKOS President Frank Graves. “However, for the first time it is possible to say that the Liberals have also had a rebound – albeit a more modest one.”

The Liberals sunk into the mid-20 percent range in the fall after threatening to force an election. Today’s poll marks the… [More...]

SWIFTER, HIGHER, TOO EXPENSIVE - January 14, 2010

MANY CANADIANS GRUMPY ABOUT COST OF OLYMPICS – ESPECIALLY IN B.C.

[Ottawa – January 14, 2010] – A slim plurality of Canadians say that too much is being spent on the Winter Olympic games to be held in Vancouver next month, although almost as many say that “just the right amount is being spent”. Just seven per cent say that too little is being spent.

“Perhaps the most startling element of this poll,” said EKOS President Frank Graves, “is that in British Columbia, there is a veritable landslide for those saying that too much is being spent on the Olympics. Obviously, the… [More...]

LIBERALS/TORIES IN HORSERACE ONCE AGAIN - January 14, 2010

PROROGATION KICKS KNEES FROM UNDERNEATH GOVERNMENT

[Ottawa – January 14, 2010] - In a stunning turnaround for the ruling Conservatives, who were comfortably in majority territory just three months ago, the Tories now find themselves struggling to stay ahead of the opposition Liberals.

“For those who have been speculating as to whether Canadians really care about the ‘obscure’ issue of prorogation the evidence is now incontrovertible,” said EKOS President Frank Graves.  “Canadians have noticed, they do care and this is having a very negative impact on Conservative fortunes.”

The 15-point lead the Conservatives enjoyed over the Liberals in mid-October has tumbled to just… [More...]

PROROGATION REGISTERING - January 7, 2010

CLEAR LEAN TO DISAPPROVAL

[Ottawa – January 7, 2010] – Most Canadians say they are aware of Stephen Harper’s decision to prorogue Parliament, and among those who are there is strong disapproval – by a margin of about two-to-one.

“The initial evidence is that Canadians are indeed paying attention to the issue of prorogation,” said EKOS President Frank Graves, “and they don’t like it.”

“The Conservatives may have prorogued in part to stem the tide of bad news coming from the parliamentary committee investigating the Afghan detainee issue. However, prorogation may actually be giving new momentum to the downward slide in Tory support… [More...]

TORY LEAD WANING - January 7, 2010

ONE IN THREE CANADIANS NOW SUPPORT RULING CONSERVATIVES

[Ottawa – January 7, 2010] - Canada’s ruling Conservatives, who surged into a commanding lead and comfortable majority territory in the wake of Liberal threats to trigger an election in the fall, have sunk back hard.

The Conservative lead over the Liberals, which was as high as 15 percentage points in mid-October, is now about five. Two-thirds of Canadians who express a preference are now choosing one of the opposition parties to support.

At 33 points – a low not seen since the summer – a majority is a fantasy for the Conservatives for the… [More...]

TO VOTE…CLICK HERE - December 17, 2009

CANADIANS WANT INTERNET VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS

[Ottawa – December 17, 2009] – Canadians strongly favour the introduction of voting over the internet according to a major poll of Canadians conducted by EKOS Research Associates for the CBC.

Nearly half of Canadians say they would “very likely” vote online if that option were available to them. Another 15% say they would be “somewhat likely” to do so.

Not surprisingly, young people, who have had lower rates of voting than their elders in recent years, are the most enthusiastic about internet voting.

“Canada’s already anaemic voter turnout hit a historic low in 2008,” said EKOS… [More...]

POLITICAL LANDSCAPE FREEZES AS PARLIAMENT CLOSES - December 17, 2009

[Ottawa – December 17, 2009] - The overall political landscape continues to drift back to a familiar steady state with no party poised to disrupt the pattern of minority governments. The most recent poll confirms that the steady but mild erosion of Conservative fortunes is a stable pattern and the new normal no longer has the Conservatives knocking on the door of a majority. To the contrary, they are back firmly in minority territory and they have surrendered their advantage of having been seen as moving the federal government in the right direction.

The numbers are now deadlocked and at 35.9… [More...]

POTENTIAL TROUBLE BREWING FOR CONSERVATIVES AS CANADIANS ARE ACCEPTING THE COLVIN ACCOUNT - December 10, 2009

BROAD DISSATISFACTION WITH FEDERAL TRANSPARENCY

[Ottawa – December 10, 2009] – The issue involving allegations of torture of prisoners handed off to Afghan authorities by the Canadian Forces is clearly a significant and possibly growing problem for the government.

A clear majority of Canadians believe that Canadian Forces handed off prisoners with the knowledge that they might be subject to torture (61% nationally and over 70% outside of CPC supporters). Of that, the vast majority (83%) believe that transferred prisoners were undoubtedly subjected to torture.

Turning to the question of satisfaction with the Government’s level of transparency and disclosure on this issue, it… [More...]

RELATIVELY PLACID POLITICAL LANDSCAPE - December 10, 2009

SOME EVIDENCE OF GENTLE EROSION IN CPC FORTUNES

[Ottawa – December 10, 2009] - The political landscape continues to show a gentle but progressive decline in Conservative fortunes. They have now clearly moved out of majority territory, having seen their support descend from the low 40s to the mid 30s. This places them below their election result of last year.

Notably, declining CPC fortunes have not resulted in greater support for the Liberals, but the margin between the two parties is now much smaller than it was just a couple of months ago.

More evidence of the declining fortunes of the CPC is… [More...]

WHITHER THE BOOMERS: FROM WOODSTOCK TO OIL STOCKS - December 3, 2009

IN ASSOCIATION WITH CBC NEWS NETWORK’S POWER AND POLITICS, EKOS RESEARCH ASSOCIATES IS CONDUCTING SURVEYS USING QUESTIONS AND TOPICS SUBMITTED BY VIEWERS. EKOS PRESIDENT, FRANK GRAVES LOOKS AT THE RESULTS OF THIS WEEK’S SURVEY.

[Ottawa – December 3, 2009] – Despite announcements that the recession is over, we see an unusual pattern among the public where management of the economy continues to be the dominant election issue (named by 31%), followed by social issues (27%). While the environment and climate change continue to be important issues for Canadians (tied with fiscal issues at 18%), they have yet to reclaim the salience… [More...]

HUGE SAMPLE GIVES DEEPER PICTURE OF TORY LEAD - November 26, 2009

[Ottawa – Nov 26, 2009] - The extremely robust sample in EKOS’ latest survey of Canadians’ voting intentions (5,759 cases), conducted for exclusive release by the CBC, gives a deeper sounding of the Tories’ current ten-point lead over the second place Liberals.

Looking at segments of the Canadian electorate, the bedrock for the Tories is the group of Canadians over the age of 45.  The Conservatives do very well among baby-boomers. Their support among seniors is literally twice as high as among young people. Among Canadians under 45, the Conservatives fare less well, but no single party dominates these younger groups.

Indeed… [More...]

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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 in Election '08. EKOS's experience, knowledge and sophisticated research designs have contributed positively to many previous elections.

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