CANADIANS APPROVE OF FEDS APPROACH TO H1N1/SWINE FLU – July 30, 2009

LIBS HAVE NARROW EDGE IN CLOSE NATIONAL RACE

[Ottawa – July 30, 2009] – A majority of Canadians approve the job the Harper government is doing to deal with the H1N1 virus, also called the swine flu. While media stories have ebbed and flowed about the seriousness of the pandemic, both currently and in the future, a majority of Canadians are content that the federal government is adequately prepared.

It is worth noting, however, that younger people, who are most vulnerable to the H1N1 virus, are also the least supportive of the government’s approach so far.

“The swine flu issue is reflective of the broader problem the opposition parties have, particularly the Liberals,” said EKOS President Frank Graves “While there is no affection or enthusiasm for the Harper government outside of its core base, there is also no burning sense of dissatisfaction. Many Canadians who say they intend to vote for other parties nonetheless give general approval to the direction of the government and, as we can see with the swine flu, also of its handling of particular issues of public concern.”

This week’s survey of vote intention shows the Liberals enjoying a narrow lead nationally. Since parliament rose in June, the two main parties have essentially been neck-and-neck. The Liberals may take some satisfaction in having resisted the common trend of governments improving their standing during the summer when they do not face the daily gauntlet of question period. However, the Liberals have not returned to the levels of support they enjoyed in the spring. Moreover, their lead in the crucial battleground of Ontario remains precarious.

“The Tories would probably narrowly lose an election if it were held right now,” said Graves. “But the voters don’t see any compelling reason to have an election just to replace a fragile Conservative minority with a fragile Liberal minority.”

The gender gap is very large now, with the Tories relying disproportionately on men for their support, and the Liberals on women. There is also a striking education gap between the supporters of the two parties: the Tories enjoy around half the Liberals’ support among the university educated. The Conservative do relatively better among the college-educated.

Click here for complete survey results: 0779-full-report-_july-30_