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]

The Politics of Resentment

The public mood is dark and the country divided. Overwhelmingly, those with the lowest levels of trust and highest levels of false beliefs are drawn to the Conservative Party of Canada. The links between mistrust, false beliefs, and support for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre are massive. [More...]

A Dark and Polarized Outlook

The following presentation was delivered by Frank Graves to Future of Insights Summit, hosted by the Canadian Research Insight Council (CRIC) in collaboration with ESOMAR and CAIP Canada on June 5, 2023. [More...]

Biden Envy?

[Ottawa – March 24, 2023] With U.S. President Joe Biden’s first official visit to Canada underway, we have seen a strong recovery in terms of the outlook on the U.S.-Canada relationship since change in administration. Just over half of Canadians (53 per cent) would describe the U.S.-Canada relationship as good, a two-fold increase over the final months of Donald Trump’s presidency. Meanwhile, just 11 per cent rate it as poor. [More...]

Advances in Creating More Scientifically Accurate and Practical Probability

The following presentation was delivered by Frank Graves to CIPHER 2023 conference, hosted by the Center for Economic and Social Research on March 9, 2023. [More...]

Post-Election Survey

Below is a retrospective of our polling during the 44th Canadian federal election, the forces that shaped it, and the underlying movements. [More...]

Pandemic, Polarization, and Expectations for Government

As the pandemic continues to exert its fierce grip on Canada we are seeing some important shifts in public outlook. In this release, we summarize some of these key shifts based on a very large probability sample of some 5,200 Canadians polled from November 13 to the 26nd. The research shows the impact of two critical new developments working in largely opposite directions; deep and rising gloom about a much worse than expected second wave and a new recognition that safe and effective vaccines have been developed. These contradictory forces are reshaping public expectations for the coming months. They are also revealing a stark polarization of the public with a strengthened majority now saying governments should be tougher and more uniform in their responses to ensure that deaths and disabilities that would be rendered wasted once vaccines are rolled out are not needlessly sacrificed in this waiting period. On the other hand, a strongly opposed group of those protesting loss of freedom, anti-mask and anti-vax outlooks have shifted from tepid compliance to outright defiance. [More...]

Northern Populism

This paper examines the issue of whether or not authoritarian populism — or what we prefer to label ordered populism — is a force in Canada. There is clear evidence in the international literature that this force has been a critical factor in explaining the rise of Donald Trump in America, Brexit in the United Kingdom and similar examples in other advanced Western democracies. The paper attempts to clarify the key concepts under discussion based on a cursory review of the recent and historical literature. Using this literature, we identify the key forces that seem to be linked to the emergence of ordered populism in other societies. These include economic stagnation and the rising concentration of wealth at the top of the social system, a magnified sense of external risk, a cultural backlash against the loss of core values for those embracing this outlook, and a wide sense of normative tension that the broadest direction of society is moving in the wrong direction. [More...]

Northern Populism

The following presentation was delivered by Frank Graves to Massey College at the University of Toronto on November 27, 2019. [More...]

Political Landscape Deadlocked

TAX PROPOSALS NOT HURTING GOVERNMENT, MAY WELL HELP

Commissioned by The Canadian Press

[Ottawa – October 3, 2017] The horserace has remained remarkably stable over the summer and the apparent oscillations and movements that one would gather from looking at different polls are not expressed in our research. Indeed, all five parties find themselves within the margin of error of where they were in June. At 34 points, the Liberals are holding steady and are statistically tied with the Conservatives, who are a mere one point behind. At 15 points, the NDP is in a distant third… [More...]

Rethinking Citizen Engagement 2017

Results from this edition of Rethinking Citizen Engagement reveal a continued and, arguably, strengthened case for increased citizen engagement.

The federal government’s ‘scorecard’ on engagement and consultation is up in a very significant manner, as is trust in the federal government. There is, however, a strong case for further strengthening federal performance in the area of consultations. Although marks are up, performance is still well short of importance; and there are still large portions of the citizenry who are unhappy with government performance in this area (particularly poor marks are assigned to providing Canadians with an opportunity to input into government decision-making). Survey results also reveal that there are still strong reservoirs of negative outlook on government in terms of governments not caring about the views of average citizens, and this cynicism is more prevalent among older and more economically vulnerable Canadians. [More...]

Liberals Still Feeling the Love, NDP not so Much

[Ottawa – April 18, 2016] The Liberals remain at stratospheric levels. The dip we saw in our last poll may be receding and the party is going strong at 44 points. The Conservatives are fairly stable, but at 29 points, they are well back of the Liberals. At 12 points, the NDP sits in a distant third place.

What is remarkable is the uniformity of the Liberal Party’s support across various demographics. Liberal support is consistent across all gender and age cohorts. These results are dramatically different from the fractured landscape that we saw… [More...]

Rethinking the Public Interest: Evolving Trends in Values and Attitudes

By Frank Graves

[Ottawa – October 2, 2014] Influential thinkers, organizers, policy developers and business leaders have gathered to discuss what we can accomplish as a nation at this year’s Canada 2020 conference. To open the conference, Frank Graves presents brand new public opinion data on the major policy challenges facing Canada.

Click here for the full story of how evolving trends in values and attitudes are causing our political leaders to rethink the public interest: Public Record – Canada 2020 conference – Polling Presentation (October 2, 2014)

Click here for a PDF version of… [More...]

Pensions, Values, and the Role of the State

IMAGINING THE DEFINING ISSUE OF THE 42ND ELECTION

FEBRUARY 21, 2014

Introduction

Now that we’ve all had a chance to pick through the entrails of a fairly low-key federal budget, let’s ask the questions: What does it tell us about the next election? How do we place this budget within the evolving political landscape? What does this fiscal plan reveal about broader changes to our society and democracy? Finally, how does this connect to what we believe to be the most fundamental political challenge of our age – the diminution of the middle class and the collapse… [More...]

Looking Back and Looking Forward – Part 2

ARE WE APPROACHING A CRISIS OF DEMOCRACY?

JANUARY 3, 2014

2.0 The Longer Term Patterns of Trust in Government

Let’s start with the deep historical context in upper North America. Perhaps the biggest change among a plethora of structural changes in our society has been the shift from a more trusting collectivist society to a more individualistic society – one that is wary of the state and public institutions. The deferential and conformist societies of the post Second World War gave way to the counter culture and protest of the sixties and seventies and the transformation continues… [More...]

Stephen Harper Plumbing Record Lows on Trust, Direction, and Approval

FAR MORE CANADIANS BELIEVE DUFFY THAN HARPER

[Ottawa – October 29, 2013] The recent Senate spending scandal is registering strongly with voters and shaping up to be a truly frightening shock to this government’s prospects as they try to hit the reset button in lead up to their Halloween Eve convention. It comes on the heels of a series of setbacks which finds the government in its most precarious position since it assumed office some seven plus years ago.

It is important to remember, however, that Stephen Harper has come back before and it would be foolish to… [More...]

The Trust Deficit: What Does it Mean?

By Frank Graves

[Ottawa – May 14, 2013] – Trust has become a scarce societal resource. This isn’t a recent problem and the decline of trust has been a steady downward march for the past 40 years in upper North America. Only about one four citizens believe they can trust their federal governments (it either Ottawa or Washington) to do the right thing. Contrary to views that this precipitous decline in trust is caused by specific events (e.g., Watergate, Sponsorship), the evidence shows that there are much bigger cultural forces at play.