Category: Latest Insights

November 24, 2023 —The November edition of Pollara Strategic Insights’ Rage Index shows Canadians are angrier than at any other point since Pollara began tracking the Rage Index 15 months ago. Though anger towards governments is down slightly, this wave featured a record high 70% of Canadians who are angry or annoyed about the latest stories in the news.

Drilling down on that, the majority of Canadians feel negative emotions about the war in Ukraine (79%), the conflict in Israel and Gaza (78%), and the Canadian Parliament accidentally giving an ovation to a veteran who fought for Nazi Germany (70%).

The Rage Index also hit a record high 43% of Canadians angry or annoyed about their own personal financial situation. This appears driven by high interest rates, with twice as many mortgage holders annoyed or angry about their personal finances (48%) as home owners who have paid down their mortgages (24%).

The Rage Index also finds:

• 60% of Albertans angry or annoyed about Danielle Smith’s consultations to take Alberta out of the CPP, compared to just 17% who are happy or pleased.
• More Atlantic Canadians pleased/happy (47%) than angry/annoyed (22%) about the Trudeau government exempting oil home heating from the carbon tax. However, negative sentiment outweighs positive sentiment in all other regions.

See the full details in our report  and commentary in the Toronto Star.

October 30, 2023 – The high cost of housing is taking its toll on Canadians, with 37% very stressed by it. Housing pains are especially acute for those paying down a mortgage (42% very stressed) and renters (52% very stressed).

Indeed, only 18% of renters believe buying a home is attainable in their future. Even among renters with 6-figure household incomes, only 28% consider home ownership an attainable goal.

Faced with these stressors, the majority of Canadians (60%) support increasing housing density in Canadian cities. However, many are still reticent about the idea of increasing housing density where they live. When asked how they would feel about a single-family home on their block being converted into a triplex, just 20% would see it as a “good thing” while more than twice that would see it as a “bad thing”.

Those living on streets with both single-family and multi-family units are split evenly on how they would feel about a triplex conversion (good thing 27% / bad thing 25%), but those living on single-family home blocks are cool to the idea (good thing 17% / bad thing 50%). See the full details in our report.

October 25, 2023 – According to the second annual BMO Climate Institute Business Leaders Survey, the business impact of climate change is driving more business leaders to think about mitigation plans, especially in the United States. Based on a survey of 700 business leaders in the U.S. and Canada, once again conducted on behalf of BMO by Pollara Strategic Insights, the 2023 results reveal why companies are increasingly taking action, how they are thinking about climate risk, and the challenges and opportunities they face in their transition to net-zero.

Even though, as in 2022, concerns like inflation and interest rates (89%), labour shortages (76%), and supply chain bottlenecks (75%) continue to weigh heavily, business leaders are increasingly paying attention to climate change:

• Nearly half (48%) of business leaders surveyed believe climate change is already affecting their businesses and even more (81%) anticipate it will affect their businesses in the next 5 years.
• A third (32%) of businesses have a plan in place to address climate change – up 6 points from last year – and 35% are in the process of developing one.
• U.S. business leaders (38%) are more likely to be moving forward with plans (up 10 points), compared to Canada where only 27% have a plan in place (up 3 points).

Though business leaders are slightly less confident in their ability to make a difference regarding greenhouse gas emissions, the survey identified actions believed to have the most impact:

• 76% of Canadian and U.S. businesses chose the use of renewable, compostable and recyclable resources.
• 61% chose tracking and managing supply chain emissions and cutting back on travel.
• Over half (53%) chose the purchase of carbon credits, up 6 points from 2022, and an 8-point increase in Canada alone.

Many business leaders think governments and industries could provide more realistic policies to help. Industry policies continue to be perceived as more lenient by all businesses, especially in Canada where only 44% of businesses find them ambitious (10% too ambitious, 34% ambitious but achievable).

The majority (68%) of businesses leaders continue to believe that financial institutions could play a role in helping companies become more climate-friendly. 22% (28% in the U.S. and 15% in Canada) say they are already playing this role, with 46% saying there is more they need to do. Among the products and services available from financial institutions:

• 77% of leaders are interested in the ability to generate insights on how business can adapt and thrive in an evolving climate landscape.
• 77% are interested in financial premiums for meeting climate-related targets, including discounted loans, and higher deposit rates.
• 76% value more analysis on how climate change will affect their business.
• 75% are interested in a tailored suite of green advisory, investment and lending products and services to support climate-related investments.
• 74% are looking for an easier way to track greenhouse gas emissions.
• 67% are looking for help with carbon offsets and trading carbon credits globally.

The second annual BMO Climate Institute Business Leaders survey was conducted by Pollara among more than 700 business leaders (at companies with at least five employees) in the U.S. and Canada between August 3 and August 24, 2023. Since the inaugural survey in 2022, the scope of the research has expanded to include more companies of all sizes. For more details and insights from the study, see BMO’s press release and report.

October 18, 2023 – Five years after the legalization of cannabis across Canada on October 18, 2023, the public continue to largely accept legalization (72%), with 52% expressing outright approval, 20% ambivalent, and just 23% disapproving. These levels have remained steady since 2020. Notably, the current incidence of negative perceptions about cannabis is far below the more pessimistic public expectations held prior to legalization.   

We now see 27% of Canadians reporting usage of cannabis in some form in the past 12 months – representing a 2-point increase from July 2022, a 9-point increase since March 2019 (five months after legalization), and a doubling of reported usage levels pre-legalization (+14 points). Although many Canadians feel that legalization has caused an increase in the number of cannabis users and usage frequency, this proportion is notably lower than the number of Canadians who expected such an increase prior to legalization.  

Dry bud/flower remains the most frequently used format amongst past 12-month users, followed by edibles. However, when considering all formats used in the past 12 months – regardless of frequency – edibles are now slightly ahead of dry bud.  

Eight-in-ten (82%) past 12-month users report buying legal, with two-thirds (65%) saying they only buy legal – a 7-point increase in legal buying since Nov 2022 and a 15-point increase since Mar 2021. One-in-ten (13%) report buying illegal – with 4% reporting that they buy illegal only, close to our Nov 2022 sounding.  

Past 12-month users still tend to view legal prices as higher (36%) or the same (17%) as illegal prices, but perceptions of higher prices remain significantly lower than 2019-2021 and four-in-ten are currently unsure.   For more details, see our report. 

October 5, 2023 (Toronto) – The Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC) and Pollara Strategic Insights today released the results of their annual Canadian Mutual Fund and Exchange-Traded Fund Investor Survey, which has tracked Canadian investor sentiments and behaviour since 2006.

The survey explores investor confidence, the value of advice, responsible investing (RI), sources of financial information, understanding of and satisfaction with statements, document delivery preferences, and the impact of inflation.

“The annual Pollara survey provides valuable insights to help us better understand what’s important to investors,” said Andy Mitchell, President and CEO, IFIC. “It is heartening to see that investors continue to place a great deal of confidence in advisors, especially during times of market volatility and uncertain economic conditions.”

“This survey gives us the opportunity to learn more about how investors respond to the ever-evolving environment,” said Lesli Martin, Senior Vice-President, Pollara Strategic Insights. “The data can help companies make the right decisions to best advise the investors they serve.”

Key findings

• Satisfaction with advisors: Satisfaction with advisors remains very high for both mutual fund investors at 92 per cent and ETF investors at 91 per cent.
  
• Advisor evaluation: Scores evaluating advisors increased from last year, with 77 per cent of mutual fund investors and 71 per cent of ETF investors saying advisors help encourage better savings and investment habits. In addition, 85 per cent of mutual fund investors and 80 per cent of ETF investors feel more confident in reaching their investment goals when working with an advisor.

• Investor confidence: Confidence is still high, with 90 per cent of mutual fund investors and 91 per cent of ETF investors saying they are somewhat confident, confident, or completely confident in these investment products.
  
• CRM2 statements: Fifty-six percent of mutual fund investors and 66 per cent of ETF investors report receiving and reading their annual fee and performance statements (CRM2 statements). New questions this year related to CRM2 revealed significant confusion about statement fees. Only 21 per cent of mutual fund investors and 26 per cent of ETF investors correctly state that some investment fees are not included in their annual fee statements.
  
• Statement delivery: The vast majority of mutual fund and ETF investors prefer to receive all their investment statements electronically, citing easier management, reduced clutter, and lower environmental impact.
  
• Responsible investing (RI): More mutual fund investors (39 per cent) and ETF investors (54 percent) are somewhat or very knowledgeable about RI compared to last year – an increase of seven per cent and four per cent, respectively.
  
• Impact of inflation: Inflation continues to affect investors, but less than it did last year. Forty-four per cent of mutual fund investors and 39 per cent of ETF investors are investing less than usual due to inflation, representing five per cent fewer mutual fund and ETF investors who said this last year.
  

The samples for the 2023 survey were 4,121 mutual fund investors and 1,514 ETF investors.

Access the full survey at IFIC or Pollara Strategic Insights.

About IFIC

The Investment Funds Institute of Canada is the voice of Canada’s investment funds industry. IFIC brings together approximately 150 organizations, including fund managers, dealers, professional and back-office service providers, to strengthen the integrity of the investment funds industry, foster public confidence in investment funds, and enable investors to achieve good outcomes. By connecting savers to Canada’s economy, our industry contributes significantly to Canadian economic growth and job creation. IFIC website

About Pollara Strategic Insights

Founded in 1980, Pollara Strategic Insights is one of Canada’s premier full-service research firms – a collaborative team of senior research veterans who are passionate about conducting research through hands–on creativity and customized solutions. Taking full advantage of their comprehensive toolbox of industry-leading quantitative and qualitative methodologies and analytical techniques, Pollara provides research-based strategic advice to a wide array of clients across all sectors on a local, national, and global scale.

Contact:

Christine Harminc
Senior Manager, Communications and Public Affairs
charminc@ific.ca
416-309-2313

Lesli Martin
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs
Pollara Strategic Insights
leslimartin@pollara.com
416-707-9770

September 29, 2023 — As federal Liberal and NDP MPs work to finalize a bill this session on their joint commitment of national pharmacare coverage , Pollara Strategic Insights is releasing this comprehensive survey of how Canadians understand the idea of national pharmacare, where it ranks in their health priorities, and their preferences on the design of the program.

In short, Canadians are fair and compassionate. They want people who don’t have drug coverage to have it. They want the failings of the current health system addressed more urgently. And they believe that achieving universality through support for the underinsured is a better approach than reinventing the pharmacare wheel with an expensive, new government program.

Click here to read survey findings.

September 27, 2023 – As the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon swept across Canada this summer, many Canadians were picking sides based on which movie they preferred. As the run for both movies wraps up, Pollara finds that while Barbie won the box office battle, more Canadians are likely to consider themselves part pf “team Oppenheimer”.

Overall, 27% of Canadian adults declare themselves as part of “team Oppenheimer” versus 20% for “team Barbie”. This is more a byproduct of what type of movie Canadians think they’d prefer than how they felt about the actual movies; among the 5% of Canadians who saw both movies this summer, 44% preferred Barbie and 42% preferred Oppenheimer.

Even politicians got in on the “Barbenheimer” craze, with a tweet from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau where he declared himself part of “team Barbie” drawing 43 million views. Despite Trudeau’s preference, Liberal voters are more likely to side with “team Oppenheimer” than “team Barbie”:

	Team Oppenheimer	Team Barbie
Liberal voters	28%	17%
Conservative voters	34%	15%
NDP voters	23%	36%
Bloc voters	24%	13%
Green voters	35%	34%
PPC voters	19%	6%

This is a byproduct of demographics more than anything else, with the Liberals stronger among many of the groups preferring Oppenheimer: older Canadians, higher education voters, and immigrants. Meanwhile, NDP voters were more likely to prefer Barbie, largely due to their base of younger women. See the full details in our report.

September 20, 2023 — New polling from Pollara Strategic Insights conducted on behalf of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) shows 78% of travellers through Toronto Pearson Airport over the past 90 days are satisfied with their experience.

“After much public grumbling about lineups at airports across North America in the summer of 2022, travellers appear in a good mood about their experiences this year,” said Dan Arnold, Pollara’s Chief Strategy Officer.

Travellers through Pearson are over twice as likely to be satisfied rather than dissatisfied with all aspects of airport service tested, including the check in process, terminal facilities, and baggage claim.

This improved airport experience is partly being driven by increased usage of new digital tools at the airport, including a live wait times dashboard, interactive digital maps, and YYZ Express. At least 78% users of these digital tools report a good experience, and the majority of users say they are likely to use them again.

These findings come from an online survey of 2,032 adult Canadians conducted from August 29 to September 7, 2023. See the full findings and survey methodology in our report.

September 18, 2023 – Fresh polling by Pollara Strategic Insights offers a reminder of how disconnected most Canadians are from federal politics, with just 57% of Canadians able to name the leader of the federal Conservative Party and only 40% able to name a member of the federal cabinet.

Though Poilievre has risen in the polls in recent months and is airing a multi-million dollar advertising campaign, over four-in-ten Canadians were unable to name him top-of-mind on an open-ended survey question. This includes over one-in-four (28%) Conservative voters who are unable to name him.

This lack of familiarity is not unique to Poilievre. Rather, it reflects that most Canadians do not follow federal politics closely. Indeed, awareness of federal Cabinet Ministers is even lower, with the majority of Canadians unable to identify a single minister.

Chrystia Freeland was, by far, the most widely named minister (30%), followed by Melanie Joly (15%) and Anita Anand (7%). No other ministers were named by more than 5% of survey respondents nationally, though some have regional profile.

See the full details in our report and commentary at The Writ.

September 14, 2023 —The September edition of Pollara Strategic Insights’ Rage Index shows Canadians are angrier than at any other point since Pollara began tracking the Rage Index 13 months ago. This wave also sees record high levels of anger towards the federal government, with 58% either angry or annoyed.

This is being driven by record levels of anger towards the Canadian economy. Economy angst is felt most among Canadians 18-34, with 71% of them annoyed or angry about the economy, significantly higher than any other age group. The housing market is a major pressure point for them, with eight-in-ten (81%) young people annoyed or angry – including 49% who are very angry.

“Young Canadians are the driving force behind this record-high level of anger, and it’s largely due to the housing market” said Dan Arnold, Pollara’s Chief Strategy Officer. “When young people can’t live the same life their parents enjoyed, it’s natural this would lead to frustration.”

While housing pressures are especially acute among young people, inflation is a source of anger for nearly all Canadians. Even though the rate of inflation is significantly lower, the share of Canadians angry about inflation is higher than a year ago.

The Rage Index also found that seven-in-ten (69%) Ontarians are angry or annoyed about Doug Ford’s plan to rezone parts of the greenbelt for housing, up 8 points from December 2022. Only 17% of PC voters are pleased or happy about the plan.

See the full details in our report and commentary in the Toronto Star.

July 13, 2023 — The latest horse race polling from Pollara shows the Conservatives leading the Liberals 32% to 30% among decided voters, with the NDP in third at 21%. These figures are largely in line with 2021 election results, and have been stable over the past 8 months of polling.

The Liberals lead in each of the four Atlantic provinces, while the Conservatives lead in each of the four Western provinces. The Liberals lead the Conservatives by 2 points in Ontario, despite some erosion of their support in the GTA. Meanwhile in Quebec, the Bloc lead the Liberals by 5 points.

This survey used a larger than normal sample size of 7,001 eligible voters, allowing for a far more granular look at vote demographics than is usually available. This includes a deep dive analysis on the nuances of the “youth vote” and “racialized voters”. See the methodology and full findings in our report.

June 25, 2023 —The June edition of Pollara Strategic Insights’ Rage Index shows the mood of Canadians continuing to improve, with the Rage Index falling 5 points since December.

This decline in anger has been primarily concentrated among men, leading to the largest gender gap recorded on the Rage Index over the past year, with women significantly angrier than men. This gap is especially pronounced when it comes to feelings towards the Canadian economy (60% of women frustrated/angry vs. 46% of men) and their personal financial situations (41% of women frustrated/angry vs. 32% of men).

“The ongoing economic pressures of inflation are hitting women harder than men.” said Dan Arnold, Pollara’s Chief Strategy Officer. “We don’t see high intensity anger among women yet, but there’s widespread frustration.”

This wave of the Rage Index looked at topical issues, including reports of Chinese interference, the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs, and government subsidies for EV plants. Feelings towards the later are mixed – in Ontario, more feel positive than negative about these subsidies (31% pleased/happy vs. 27% annoyed/angry), but feelings skew negative in Quebec and the Prairies. See the full details in our report.

June 20, 2023 — New polling from Pollara Strategic Insights conducted on behalf of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) shows 75% of travellers through Toronto Pearson Airport over the past year are satisfied with their experience.

“Despite news coverage of airport lineups last summer and winter storm delays over the holidays, most Canadians who have travelled through Pearson feel good about their experience,” said Dan Arnold, Pollara’s Chief Strategy Officer.

When Canadians are asked how they feel about Toronto Pearson Airport, impressions run neutral to positive, with over three times more people feeling positive (38%) than negative (11%) toward the airport. Among those travelling through Pearson over the past year, positive sentiment runs 17 points higher, with no increase in negative feelings.

These positive feelings by Pearson visitors are partly being driven by increased usage of new digital tools at the airport, including a live wait times dashboard, interactive digital maps, and YYZ Express. At least eight in ten users of these digital tools report a good experience, and the majority of users say they are likely to use them again.

These findings come from an online survey of 2,000 adult Canadians conducted from April 19 to 27, 2023. See the full findings and survey methodology in our report.

May 16, 2023 – Nine-in-ten Canadians feel that people are quitting the country’s workforce due to stress and burnout, according to the latest Canadian Household Perspectives survey conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights for The Prosperity Project. The sixth survey in this series of groundbreaking research reveals that, for most, the reasons cited are work-related – that is, feeling stressed, being underpaid, or not getting enough support. And, women are notably more likely to consider taking a step back from work.

More than three-quarters (77%) of women say they have considered quitting their jobs over work-related issues, compared to 66% of men.

“The immediate health threat from COVID-19 may have abated, but the economic threat is still very real,” said Julie Savard-Shaw, Executive Director of The Prosperity Project, a registered charity created to ensure Canadian women are not left behind in the COVID-19 recovery.

On behalf of The Prosperity Project, Pollara Strategic Insights conducted the online survey from April 3 to 11, 2023, among N=1,001 adult (18+) Canadians. This dataset mainly includes men and women who are currently working and some recent retirees that have retired since 2020 onwards. It also includes some who are unemployed or stay at home/care for family. The dataset is weighted as per the profile of these Canadians by age, gender within regions to be representative of the proportions of this population. Online surveys do not permit the application of a margin of error. However, as a guideline, a probability sample of N=1,001 carries a margin of error of ±3.1% nineteen times out of twenty.

A key theme in the 2023 survey was attitudes and perceptions around workplace advancement as the pandemic recovery progresses. Nearly six-in-ten employed Canadians (59%) are looking to change their job levels to a more senior role, with about three quarters (76%) being optimistic about this move. Men are notably more ambitious (64%) regarding the move to a senior role compared to women (55%) and are slightly more optimistic about it (78% of men versus 75% of women). Conversely, 7% of those employed – 9% of women and 5% of men – have taken or are considering taking a step back from their work. Women are more stressed about handling a senior role, while men are more concerned about getting paid enough for the amount of hours they put in.

“For women to accept a senior role, they need more flexible working options such as hours or location, they need to be valued as a team member and they need mentoring and affordable education and training options. Employers need to recognize and understand the stresses people are feeling, and adjust to keep our workforce robust,” Savard-Shaw said. “A practical work-home balance, particularly for women with added burdens such as childcare, is critical to both retention and advancement,” Savard-Shaw noted.

Other highlights from the poll:

Burnout

• 90% of Canadians believe that burnout is prevalent in the Canadian work force. A third (32%) feel that many people are quitting their jobs due to burnout, 46% feel that this is happening occasionally, and 11% feel it is happening but rarely.
• Notably, 71% of Canadians have at least considered quitting their jobs due to burnout or stress – 32% report actually quitting, while the remainder have at least thought of it. Women are more likely to say they quit their jobs because of stress or burnout than men (39% vs. 25%), and are also more likely to think of quitting their jobs at least occasionally than men (38% vs. 30%).
• Most of the reasons for considering taking a step down are related to job stress (51%), not feeling appreciated for the amount of work they put it (42%) or not getting enough support at work (29%). Although the reasons are similar among men and women, women are more likely to experience work related stress than men (57% vs. 43%), are more likely to not feel appreciated at work (49% vs. 33%) and are more likely feel they don’t have enough support at work (35% vs. 22%).
• Some decided to prioritize themselves (34%), with women more likely to take this step than men (37% vs. 28%). A majority see those who prioritize themselves over work as positive affirmative action (83%) and don’t see stepping down as a sign of weakness (72%). That said, men are more likely than women to see this as a sign of weakness (28% vs. 19%).
• Working women find it more difficult to manage their households and work responsibility than working men (53% vs. 42%).
• Childcare is a key concern. Mothers of kids under 13 years have considered quitting much more often than the fathers (80% vs. 63%) – among them, four-in-ten (41%) say they have left a job, compared to 24% of the fathers. Almost one-fifth of women specifically work hours that allow them to handle the childcare as well as work (17% vs. 6% of men). More than a third of working mothers (35%) say it is very difficult for them to arrange for childcare.

Compensation/Promotion

• Women are more likely to feel that they are not being fairly compensated because of their gender (46%) than men (30%). They are also more likely to feel that their colleagues are not fairly compensated because of their gender (29% women vs. 18% men).
• Employed BIPOC Canadians are much more likely to feel they are not fairly compensated (31%) and that their colleagues are not fairly compensated (28%) because of their racial identity compared to employed Caucasian Canadians (18% and 15% respectively). Similarly, 35% feel they have been passed over for a promotion or feel a colleague was passed over for a promotion (27%) because of their ethnicity compared to White Canadians (14% and 18% respectively).
• While salary remains the most important factor to consider when moving to senior role for both men and women, there are a few subtle differences between other priorities: working women are more likely to want work flexibility in terms of hours and location (25% vs. 20% men), to be seen as a valuable member of the team (22% vs. 14% men) and to be able to take the allotted vacation time off (21% vs. 16%).

Visit The Prosperity Project website for more information and details emerging from this study, including the press release and the full Pollara report on the survey results.

March 31, 2023 – About 3 years after the first COVID-19 lockdown began, Pollara Strategic Insights today released a new research report detailing Canadians’ views and experiences regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The report also includes public assessments of the government responsiveness during the pandemic and government preparedness for another, future pandemic.  

In terms of the health impact of COVID, more than half (55%) of adult Canadians report catching COVID-19 over the past 3 years – with 43% testing positive and 13% believing they have caught it (without confirming via test). Those who report catching COVID in the past 3 years are far more likely to say they have caught it once (68%) than multiple times (22%). And, half say their symptoms were mild while a quarter say their symptoms were severe.  

• Notably, 1-in-10 (9%) of those who have caught COVID say they have been diagnosed with (3%), or believe they have (6%), Long COVID.
• Two-thirds of Canadians still wear a face mask to protect themselves at least some of the time – just 34% say they never wear a mask

Turning to the relationship impacts of the pandemic, about one-in-five Canadians report having lost a family member or friend who died due to COVID. 7-in-10 feel Canada is more divided since the pandemic, and a quarter – or almost 10 million Canadians – have stopped talking to a friend or family member over COVID-related disagreements.  

When considering the job done by governments responding to the pandemic, 6-in-10 feel the federal government did a good job overall, and 7-in-10 feel the same about the job done procuring vaccines for Canadians.  

• Less than half of the residents of Alberta (39%), Manitoba (41%), Saskatchewan (48%), and Ontario (49%) feel their provincial governments did a good job managing the pandemic, whereas clear majorities (62-82%) in the other provinces approve of the job done by their provincial governments.

Looking towards the future, three-quarters of Canadians believe there will be another pandemic in the next 20-30 years. However, only four-in-ten feel federal and provincial governments are currently prepared for it.  

Read our new report for more details.  Also, to see where public opinion stood at the start of the pandemic, see our first public opinion report on COVID, conducted in Late March 2020.  

February 23, 2023 – Today, Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) released the results of the latest in-depth survey designed, executed, and analysed on their behalf by Pollara Strategic Insights. This is the 15^th survey conducted for MHRC since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to monitor, track, and understanding Canadians’ mental health during this crisis and beyond.  

In our recent waves of research for MHRC, we saw mental health indicators improve. However, this new piece of research sees levels of high anxiety (10%), depression (8%), and not coping well with stress (14%) remain constant compared to our last data collection in November 2022. Future polls will validate whether this is indicative of a new normal for Canadians, or the result of transitional changes, such as a seasonal impacts or the state of the economy.   

The online survey was conducted from January 23 to February 6, 2023 amongst a randomly-selected, reliable sample of N=3,238 adult Canadians.  

The poll reveals some positive trends, such as high levels of happiness (81%) and hopefulness (64%) and a slight increase in the number of Canadians accessing mental health services in the past year. However, the poll also reveals a number of items of concern:     

• A quarter of Canadians are feeling exhausted and burnt out (24%, and higher among the unemployed and students).
• A disproportionate level of mental health challenges faced by 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians, including self-rated anxiety, depression, and resilience indicators.
• While half of Canadians indicate that inflation is not having a negative mental health impact on them, those whose mental health has been affected by inflation are showing significant signs of worsening mental health, in terms of higher anxiety (33%), depression (32%), difficulties handling stress (30%), suicide ideation (31%), and alcohol (23%) or cannabis (22%) dependency.
• We’ve also noted increases in similar negative mental health indicators in parents of children under the age of nine.

For more detailed findings from this survey, please read the report.  In addition, in collaboration with Pollara, MHRC hosts an interactive, easily searchable Data Portal, which tracks the data captured in this series of surveys. MHRC has also released a series of research briefs that provide an in-depth investigation of specific issues and population cohorts in this survey series.  

February 2, 2023 — New polling from Pollara Strategic Insights shows Canadians conceptually support safe injection sites, but are more hesitant about one potentially opening in their community. While 62% of Canadians feel that safe injection sites save lives and 51% support governments funding them, only 41% would support a safe injection site opening in their community.

Quebecers are the most supportive of governments funding safe injection sites (58%), and are the most open to one opening in their community (53%). 

There is a partisan skew on this issue, with around two-thirds of Liberal, NDP and Bloc voters supportive of safe injection sites, compared to one-third of Conservative and PPC voters.

See the full findings and survey methodology in our report, and additional analysis and commentary by Paul Wells at his Substack.

January 11, 2023 — Pollara’s annual Economic Outlook study finds the public the most pessimistic about the Canadian economy and their personal finances they have been since the 2008 financial crisis. On many questions, we see levels of negativity only reached a few times over the 28 years this study has been fielded.

As we head into 2023, over eight-in-ten (83%) Canadians feel the country is in a recession, a 17-point increase from last year, and the highest level recorded since 2009.

This pessimism can also be seen when people look at their personal finances. The percentage of Canadians who feel they are “losing ground” financially has jumped from 25% last year to 38% this year. The biggest cost of living expenses driving this are the cost of food (46% say it’s a major source of stress), housing expenses (34%), and the cost of gas (30%).

Amidst these cost of living pressures, when looking ahead to 2023, half (50%) of Canadians expect their household income will fall behind the cost of living – a high only reached once during the 28 years of Pollara’s Economic Outlook study.

The public’s one ray of hope for 2023 is Canada’s job market, which ended the year with low unemployment levels. Only two-in-ten (20%) Canadians feel it is likely they or a family member will lose their job this year, the lowest level recorded since 2008.

See the full details in our report and commentary on the study in the Toronto Star.

December 21, 2022 – Today, Pollara Strategic Insights released an updated report for the 5^th edition of SocialScape – Canada’s definitive measurement of social media, messaging, and videoconferencing platform usage patterns.   Although SocialScape 2022 was released two months ago, recent anecdotal reports of Twitter account cancellations occurring in the wake of Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter prompted us to conduct a short follow-up survey in order to update Twitter membership and usage data in the report. Ultimately, we found no evidence of a significant post-Musk exodus of members, as recent anecdotes may suggest, but reading and posting activity amongst members has reduced noticeably from August to December 2022.   Some of the key findings in SocialScape 2022 include:  

• 90% of Canadians are social media users.
• Facebook and Instagram continue to be the top social media platforms used in Canada. Notably, newer platforms, like TikTok and Discord,have quickly entered the top 10 social media platforms in Canada.
• Many platforms have somewhat lower membership figures in 2022 compared to 2019, with the exception of Instagram and Reddit. Although Twitter recorded a steady, gradual increase in membership from 2016 to 2019, membership numbers declined notably by August 2022 – and continued to do so following Elon Musk’s purchase and assumption of the CEO position. However, as mentioned above, there is no evidence of a significant post-Musk exodus of members.
• As in 2019, social media users spend 6 hours per week on social media, on average – with browsing far more prevalent than posting content.  
• Social media continues to be a tool that helps people stay connected with family and friends. However, it is also considered a medium that allows the spread of conspiracy theories and fake news and fosters hate and violence. And, privacy concerns remain high, with few trusting social media to keep their personal information private.
• Turning to messaging platforms, 94% of Canadians use at least one. Three-quarters use basic SMS or MMS texting or (Facebook) Messenger – by far the most-used messaging platforms. iMessage and WhatsApp are used by two- fifths. While these four platforms see an uptick in usage, other older platforms such as Skype, Android Messages, and Google Chat see a significant drop in usage.
• And, turning to our new entry in SocialScape, 82% of Canadians use at least one video conferencing platform.  Zoom is – by far – the most widely-used platform, followed by Facetime and Microsoft Teams.

For more details and insights, please read the SocialScape 2022 report. 

September 30, 2022 —Pollara Strategic Insights’ second edition of the Rage Index shows Canadians’ mood improving after a summer of frustration, with the percentage of Canadians annoyed or angry across our tracking questions down 5 points this month.

One topic at the centre of high profile outbursts of rage over the past year is vaccine mandates. However, this poll shows only 23% of Canadians are annoyed or angry by the mandates – while nearly twice as many (43%) are pleased or happy with them. However, the mandates are a highly politicized issue, with three-in-ten Conservative voters and over seven-in-ten PPC voters very angry about them:

While the mandates themselves are not a source of widespread anger, they may be leading to increased frustration among Canada’s unvaccinated. This edition of the Rage Index finds that unvaccinated Canadians are significantly angrier about nearly all topics polled, with the majority of them annoyed or angry about the federal government (71%), provincial government (64%), Canadian economy (68%), personal financial situation (52%), and the types of changes happening in Canada (63%).

One topic generating significantly more widespread anger this month than vaccine mandates is the firing of Lisa LaFlamme. This news story has struck a nerve among women over 50, with 36% of them very angry and another 29% annoyed or moderately angry. Strikingly, this is as big a source of anger for women over 50 as inflation or delays in the healthcare system.

See the full details in our report and commentary on the study in the Toronto Star. You can read last month’s Rage Index here.

September 29, 2022 – Pollara’s 2022 Canadian Telecom Sentiment Report shows a majority (59%) of Canadians are annoyed or angry about telecom companies, ranking ahead of insurance companies (51%), airlines (45%), real estate companies (41%), banks (41%), and grocery stores (40%).

Price is driving much of this negativity, as two-thirds (66%) of Canadians say their cell phone bill would be “unaffordable” if it rose by 10%. Moreover, telecom bills trail only groceries and gas as the cost of living bills that make Canadians angriest:

When asked about other Telecom irritants, the majority of Canadians report being annoyed or angry at companies who try to upsell them (63%), hidden fees (59%), and locking phones to networks (57%). Close to half are also upset about fees for going over their data limit (49%), their monthly bill (48%), and roaming charges (48%).

These findings come from the 2022 Canadian Telecom Sentiment Report, conducted by Pollara on behalf of Globalive. The survey was fielded online between September 2nd and 12th, 2022, among 3,105 Canadians 18 years and older. A probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of ± 1.8%, 19 times out of 20.

For a detailed summary of the findings from this survey, please see our report . For Globalive’s commentary on the survey, you can read their press release.

October 3, 2022 (Toronto) – The Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC) and Pollara Strategic Insights today released the results of their annual Canadian Mutual Fund and Exchange-Traded Fund Investor Survey. The annual survey has tracked Canadian investor sentiments and behaviour since 2006.

The survey this year expanded its focus on the value of advice and investor responses to annual fee and performance statements and added a component investigating the impact of inflation on saving and investment. The survey also had additional questions relating to responsible investing, including perceived impact on returns, sources of information, and interests in specific focus areas.

“The Pollara investor survey has become an increasingly valuable tool to test regulatory assumptions about the value of advice and to better understand how investors view advice,” said Paul Bourque, President and CEO, IFIC. “We are particularly pleased to see that the vast majority of investors feel that the advice they receive is worth the fees, and that investors feel more confident about reaching their investment goals when using a financial advisor.”

“This survey gives us the opportunity to learn about how investors respond to the ever-evolving economic environment,” said Lesli Martin, Vice President, Pollara Strategic Insights. “In a year of rising inflation, it was particularly interesting to learn more about how investors have reacted and responded.”

This year, the survey moved to an online-only format. The samples for the 2022 survey were 4,045 MF investors and 1,503 ETF investors.

Key Findings:

• For mutual fund investors, confidence their product will help them achieve financial goals is at 88%, and for ETF investors, confidence is at 91%.
• Nine in ten mutual fund and ETF investors are satisfied with their advisors.
• Eight in 10 mutual fund investors agree that advice is worth the fees and they would not want to handle investments on their own, an increase by two and three points respectively.  Seven in 10 ETF investors would not want to handle investments on their own, an increase by seven points.
• 80% of mutual fund investors and 73% of ETF investors believe that they get a better return on investments due to their financial advisor.
• 84% of mutual fund and 78% of ETF investors feel more confident that they will reach their investment goals when using a financial advisor.
• Two-thirds of investors remember receiving their annual fee and performance (CRM2) statements, and 56% of mutual fund investors and 63% of ETF investors report reading their statements.
• 25% of investors currently own responsible investments, and a majority who do not currently own responsible investments report they may include these investments in their portfolio in the future.
• Inflation has had an impact on investing with half of investors saying they are investing less than usual

To access the full survey, please visit IFIC.ca or pollara.com.

About IFIC

The Investment Funds Institute of Canada is the voice of Canada’s investment funds industry. IFIC brings together approximately 150 organizations, including fund managers, dealers, professional and back-office service providers, to strengthen the integrity of the investment funds industry, foster public confidence in investment funds, and enable investors to achieve good outcomes. By connecting savers to Canada’s economy, our industry contributes significantly to Canadian economic growth and job creation. To learn more about IFIC, please visit www.ific.ca. 

About Pollara Strategic Insights

Founded in 1980, Pollara Strategic Insights is one of Canada’s premier full-service research firms – a collaborative team of senior research veterans who are passionate about conducting research through hands–on creativity and customized solutions. Taking full advantage of their comprehensive toolbox of industry-leading quantitative and qualitative methodologies and analytical techniques, Pollara provides research-based strategic advice to a wide array of clients across all sectors on a local, national, and global scale.

For more information, please contact:

Pira Kumarasamy
Senior Manager, Communications and Public Affairs
pkumarasamy@ific.ca
416-309-2317

Lesli Martin
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs
Pollara Strategic Insights
leslimartin@pollara.com
416-707-9770

September 13, 2022 — Fresh polling by Pollara Strategic Insights fielded in the days after the death of Queen Elizabeth II shows only 35% of Canadians want Canada to remain a constitutional monarchy, with 44% wanting to end this connection to the British Crown.

Quebecers are the most opposed to remaining a constitutional monarchy (18% yes / 64% no), and a sharp age divide can be seen across the country with support for keeping the monarchy over twice as high among Canadians 55+ (47% yes / 35% no) as among Canadians 18-to-34 (22% yes / 54% no).

While there is not consensus on this question, the majority of Canadians (56%) are against Canada putting Charles III’s face on its money, with only one-in-four (24%) supportive.

This is not necessarily indicative of intense negativity towards the new King, as Canadians are divided on how they feel about Charles III: 37% are favourable and 33% are unfavourable. Though Canadians are divided on Charles, they are largely favourable towards his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry:

See the full details in our report and commentary on the study in the Toronto Star.

September 7, 2022 – Today, Pollara Strategic Insights released a new study focussed on Canadians’ engagement, understanding, and views on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.  

Nearly all Canadians have heard about Bitcoin, but it remains a mystery to most, as only one-in-four (26%) Canadians report ownership and/or sufficient familiarity that they could explain it to someone else.

Less than one-in-ten (8%) Canadians report ownership of Bitcoin and/or other cryptocurrencies, with ownership overwhelmingly concentrated among young men.  Politically speaking, PPC and Conservative Voters are more likely to report ownership and interest in investing in Bitcoin and/or other cryptocurrencies.     

Amongst those who own Bitcoin or have some understanding of it, almost nine-in-ten (88%) view it as a risky investment and more than three-quarters (77%) report that it has declined in value.

Amongst those who own Bitcoin or have some understanding of it, only one-in-ten (11%) think it is a good way to opt out of inflation, and half (48%) feel that most people who recommend investing in Bitcoin are scam artists.  PPC Voters and young men are the most likely to feel that moving investments into Bitcoin are a good way to opt out of inflation.   

For more detailed results, read our report. 

June 15, 2022 – The Prosperity Project released the results of a new Pollara Strategic Insights survey today, with fascinating findings for employers to pay heed to. This – the 5^th survey in The Prosperity Project – Pollara series of Canadian Household Perspectives surveys – surveyed employed women to understand their views and preferences for their working situations as society continues to re-open.

Fewer Canadian women (62%) are working full-time now as compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic (70%). While three-quarters (73%) acknowledged that employers were more accommodating during the pandemic, a similar proportion (72%) expect employers to put the priority on in-person office work going forward. However, the vast majority of women (91%) would prefer to work remotely most or part of the time in the foreseeable future.

• Nearly six-in-ten feel they will have to choose between their career and their family – at a time when almost half (46%) said the pandemic has increased their responsibilities at home.
• More than six-in-ten (63%) said they would turn down promotions in order to keep working from home.
• Most alarmingly, almost half (45%) are more likely to quit their jobs if working from home at least part of the time is not an option.

“As organizations create post-pandemic work strategies, this research sheds light on what women are thinking and feeling about work and their careers. A majority would like the flexibility offered during the pandemic to continue, specifically the option to work remotely some of the time,” said Andrea Spender, CEO of The Prosperity Project, a registered charity created to ensure Canadian women are not left behind in the COVID-19 recovery.

The research also highlighted mixed views on the impact of the pandemic, with a third (35%) of working women saying their careers are in a better place now, compared to 29% who said they are worse off than two years ago and 36% saying their career condition had not changed.  Opinions were also mixed on what the end of the pandemic could mean for career prospects, with three-in-ten (29%) optimistic that there will be more opportunities ahead and a quarter (24%) believing there will be fewer opportunities. However, the research shows many Canadian women are concerned that the better paying and higher level jobs are more likely to be offered to men than to themselves. 

A plurality (44%) of women are excited about their career prospects, while one-third (33%) are not.

“We learned important lessons about workplace flexibility during the pandemic, and we must continue to heed those lessons,” said Pamela Jeffery, founder of The Prosperity Project. “Canada’s economic growth needs women contributing. Enabling women to balance their careers and home responsibilities – through hybrid home/office work and other adjustments, with equal opportunity for promotion and advancement – is a critical priority.”

Other highlights from the study:

• Working from Home:  All of the women surveyed were working full-time in January 2019. During the pandemic, almost half (46%) went from working outside the home to working from home. Of those who started working remotely, 71% continue to work from home at least part of the time, with 28% returning to work in-person at the office most or all of the time. 
• Return to In-Person Office Work: – Half of the respondents believe they will be returning to working in the office, either with a hybrid model (31%) or in the office full-time (2%), while 8% said their employer no longer has an office, and 17% believe they will have a choice of where they will work. Approximately half of the women surveyed (51%) are fine with their organization’s plan regarding going back to the office. A fifth (19%) said it is not exactly what they want, but they aren’t concerned about it, and 18% are concerned about how they will make it work.
• Home/Office Preferences:  The vast majority (91%) of women surveyed want to work remotely at least part of the time. Almost three-quarters (73%) of women would prefer to work from home all (42%) or most (31%) of the time. One-fifth (22%) would rather spend all (9%) or most (13%) of their work time in the office.
• Advancement:  In terms of career advancement, 28% of working women are considering but not actively looking to advance, 22% are actively looking, and 19% said they could be open to advancement if the right opportunity came along. Racialized women are more likely to be actively looking to advance their careers (31%).
• Barriers:  For half (52%) of the working women with kids under 18, balancing their career with being a good parent is the major barrier. Only a sixth (16%) said it is not a barrier at all. Work-life balance is cited as a barrier for almost two-thirds (64%) of the women surveyed.
• Childcare – Those working from home during the pandemic and having kids under 12 are somewhat (37%) to very (24%) concerned about going back to work in-person. Younger women are most likely to be concerned about going back into the office. More than half of the women surveyed (55%) are primarily responsible for child care. Only 7% said their partner/spouse are responsible and over a third (35%) share the responsibilities equally.
• Finances:  Views on women’s financial situations were almost evenly split: A third (33%) said they are in a better place in terms of their finances, with almost an equal number (37%) saying they are in a worse place, and 30% reporting no change in their finances. Younger women are likely to be in a better place with their finances (46% amongst those aged 18-34, 30% for 35-54, and 20% for 55+).

“This research tells us some changes brought about by the pandemic were actually improvements for working women, but there’s still uncertainty about whether they’re permanent,” said Pollara Senior Vice-President Lesli Martin. “Amid this uncertainty, many Canadian working women are understandably apprehensive about their future.”

These are some of the findings of The Prosperity Project’s 5^th Canadian Household Perspectives survey, conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights from May 12 to May 17, 2022. The online survey interviewed a randomly-selected, reliable sample of N=800 employed adult women across Canada. As a guideline, a probability sample of N=800 carries a margin of error of ± 3.5, 19 times out of 20. The margin of error is larger for sub-segments. The dataset was weighted by the most current age and region Census data, to ensure the sample reflects the actual population of women in Canada.

The survey is part of The Prosperity Project’s Canadian Households’ Perspective on the New Economy initiative. Partner organizations in the initiative are CIBC, Enterprise Canada, and Pollara Strategic Insights. Launched in May 2020, The Prosperity Project is a volunteer-driven, registered charity conceived by a diverse group of 62 female leaders from across the country – women who have historically made a difference and are committed to continuing to promote positive change as active participants in The Prosperity Project. 

Please visit The Prosperity Project website for more information about this study or the organization itself.   

May 30, 2022 – A new Pollara Strategic Insights study, conducted on behalf of News Media Canada, shows eight-in-ten (79%) Canadians believe web giants like Facebook and Google should have to share revenue they generate from Canadian news content with the Canadian media outlets that produce these copyrighted stories. The proportion who strongly supportive (42%) of this outnumber the strongly opposed (4%) by a 10:1 ratio.

This survey also found that nine-in-ten (90%) Canadians believe it’s important that local media outlets survive, and eight-in-ten (80%) support Parliament passing a law that would let smaller outlets negotiate collectively with the web giants.  

Notably, this is a topic that has broad cross-partisan support with the supporters of all parties placing a high level of important on the survival of local media outlets, and supportive of forcing web giants to share their revenue with Canadian media outlets.

Federal Voting Intention	Important that local media outlets survive	Web giants should have to share revenue with Canadian media outlets	Parliament should pass a law that would let smaller outlets negotiate collectively with the web giants
Liberal	96%	86%	88%
CPC	86%	71%	74%
NDP	94%	83%	84%
Bloc	92%	97%	94%
Green	97%	81%	88%
PPC	65%	61%	65%
Undecided	89%	73%	73%

These are some of the findings arising from a survey conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights, on behalf of News Media Canada. Pollara conducted an online survey of N=1,500 adult Canadians between May 20to May 26, 2022. Data has been weighted by gender, age, and region statistics, based on the most recent census data, so as to be representative of all Canadians. Online surveys cannot be officially assigned a margin of error, but a probability sample of this size is accurate within ± 2.5%, 19 times out of 20.  

For more information, please see the News Media Canada release and the Interview Schedule.

May 30, 2022 – A new survey conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights on behalf of the Ontario College of Family Physicians reveals that – when informed that 1.3 million residents of the province do not have a family doctor – eight-in-ten Ontarians (80%) feel that this is either a crisis for Ontario’s health care system (34%) or a major problem (46%).  

Moreover, nine-in-ten Ontarians want the provincial government to ensure that every Ontarian that needs a family doctor has access to one, regardless of who wins the Ontario provincial election.  

These are some of the results of an online survey conducted from May 16-18, 2022 on behalf of the Ontario College of Family Physicians. The survey was conducted amongst a reliable, randomly-selected sample of N=816 adult Ontarians. Online surveys do not permit the assignment of a margin of error, but a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/-3.4%, 19 times out of 20.  

For more details and commentary, please view our report and the opinion editorial from the President of the Ontario College of Family Physicians.

May 24, 2022 – Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) has released its 12th poll in its ongoing series of surveys on Canadians’ mental health since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey, conducted from April 13-25, 2022 amongst N=3,000 adult Canadians, represents a period when COVID-19 restrictions in Canada had substantially eased and some public health measures were removed.

The study found that the mental health of Canadians slowly continues to improve. The percentage of Canadians experiencing high levels of self-rated anxiety has dropped from 24% in December 2021 to 21% in April 2022. These are the lowest levels seen in the self-rated scale and clinical screeners in depression and anxiety since April 2021. Fewer Canadians are experiencing disruptions caused by mental health challenges. Recovery to mental health levels seen prior to the pandemic remains a distant hope. 

Concern around the lasting impact of COVID-19 continues and has seen a slight increase in this poll. Fear of a family member catching the virus has also increased. A majority of Canadians also support COVID-19 health measures, particularly those experiencing high levels of self-rated anxiety.

Other key findings include:  

• Mental health literacy — measured by how often mental health is thought about, discussed, or read about — in Canadians is low. Canadians over the age of 55 are demonstrating the lowest mental health literacy while students are demonstrating the highest.
• New mothers are experiencing higher than average levels of anxiety. About 31% of mothers with children aged between 0 and 1 have high anxiety, as compared to the 21% of the general population with high anxiety. Optimistically, the findings show that new mothers are very hopeful, have good relationships with others, and are more likely to talk to a mental health professional.
• About a quarter (27%) of working Canadians are experiencing burnout. This is even higher among those who are currently looking for work (36%) and low among retirees (9%).
• One-fifth of Canadians have accessed mental health support since the start of the pandemic. There was a considerable decline in Canadians’ satisfaction with accessing mental health support since December 2021. Now, levels are back to those seen in November 2021 (69% are satisfied).
• Despite the issues they are facing,most Canadians continue to be hopeful for their future. They feel their relationships are valued and allow them to get help when they need it.  

These and other key findings are featured in both the summary report and full survey report – as well as an interactive, searchable data portal – are available at www.mhrc.ca. The online survey was conducted amongst a randomly-selected, reliable sample of N=3,000 adult Canadians from April 13-25, 2022, as part of MHRC’s ongoing series of surveys – “Mental Health in Crisis: How COVID-19 Is Impacting Canadians” – designed to capture Canadians’ perceptions of their levels of anxiety and depression to identify and evaluate factors that influence mental health.

April 28, 2022 – A new Pollara Strategic Insights study, conducted on behalf of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN), reveals that most Canadians support mandatory labelling on genetically modified foods and food products with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and that the public opposes by a margin of nearly 2 to 1 a proposal to let food companies conduct their own safety assessments of genetically modified foods produced through gene editing.  

The study found that almost half (47%) of Canadians felt knowledgeable about GMOs prior to participating in the survey. However, only 6% felt very knowledgeable, whereas four-in-ten (41%) felt somewhat knowledgeable.

Similarly, just over half (54%) of Canadians expressed concern about the safety of genetically modified foods and food products that contain GMOs, although this concern is more likely to be moderate (37%) than intense (17%). 

After being presented with arguments for and against the labelling of genetically modified foods (i.e. “let consumers make informed decisions” vs. “labels might make unknowledgeable consumers assume the foods are unsafe”), more than two-thirds of Canadians (68%) expressed support for the federal government making it mandatory for food companies to label if their foods are genetically modified or contain GMOs. Just 7% were opposed, as 18% were ambivalent and 6% were unsure.

After informing respondents of the Health Canada proposal to allow food companies to assess the safety of some genetically foods produced through gene editing – a process whereby plant genes are deleted or changed, but no foreign DNA is introduced – almost half (46%) of Canadians expressed opposition, preferring that Health Canada conduct these safety assessments. Comparatively, a quarter (24%) supported the Health Canada proposal.  Two-in-ten were ambivalent (19%) and 11% were unsure. 

These are the findings of a public opinion research study conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights on behalf of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) from April 21-24, 2022. Pollara Strategic Insights conducted an online survey amongst a randomly-selected, reliable sample of N=1,517 adult Canadians. Online surveys do not permit the assignment of a margin of error. A probability sample of this size and design would carry a margin of error of +/- 2.5, 19 times out of 20. The dataset has been weighted using standard statistical techniques to ensure that the sample accurately reflects the gender, age, and provincial distribution of the adult Canadian population according to the most recent Census.

For more information, please see the CBAN media release and the data tables.

April 27, 2021 — Our ongoing municipal satisfaction tracking survey reveals that Canadians’ overall satisfaction with local municipal governments has dropped by a significant 15 points in 2022 (55%) compared to 2020 (70%). One-in- three (36%) are dissatisfied.

Six-in-ten (60%) residents are satisfied with the quality of services provided by their local municipal government – significantly lower than seen in 2020 (71%), but a return to similar territory as in 2019 (66%).

Two-thirds (62%) of Canadians are satisfied with the range of services provided by their local municipal government, although this represents a notable decline since 2020 (-11).

Although a majority of Canadians remain satisfied (57%) with how their local municipal government has managed and responded to COVID-19, satisfaction has declined notably compared to September 2020 (71%). For more details, including provincial/regional results, please see our report.  

February 23, 2022 – A new Pollara Strategic Insights survey of drivers and delivery people working on the Uber platform reveals very high support for the new agreement between Uber Canada and UFCW Canada. The study also found that drivers and delivery people provide resounding support to their provincial government enacting the slate of industry reforms that are laid out in the agreement.  

• After reading a description of the agreement, 85% of all drivers and delivery people working on the Uber platform expressed support for it. Only 6% were opposed. Notably, 87% of drivers and delivery peop le in BC and Ontario were supportive.

• After reading the list of proposed reforms for app-based workers contained in the agreement, 89% of drivers and delivery people expressed support, and only 4% were opposed. Nine-in-ten drivers and delivery people in BC (91%) and Ontario (90%) were supportive.

Testing support for each of the reforms separately revealed high, strong support for provincial governments enacting each of the individual reforms proposed, with each element garnering between 86% to 91% support.    

These high levels of support for the Uber Canada-UFCW Canada agreement and their industry reform proposals are not surprising given that the survey also found that the goals of the agreement and its proposed reforms align very strongly with driver and delivery people’s values and preferences – especially their strong desire to maintain flexibility and control over their schedule.

These are the key findings of an online survey conducted from February 2-9, 2022 by Pollara Strategic Insights, on behalf of Uber Canada, amongst a randomly selected, representative sample of N=1,000 app-based rideshare drivers and delivery people on the Uber platform. Survey results amongst the total sample carry a margin of error of ± 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The sub-samples and margins of error for BC and Ontario drivers and delivery people were n=197 (± 7.0%) and n=537 (± 4.2%), respectively.  

For a detailed summary of the findings from this survey as well as a summary of the agreement and its proposed reforms, please see our report.  For UFCW and Uber’s commentary on the agreement, their proposed industry reforms, and this study, please see their opinion editorial in iPolitics.

February 8, 2022 — The results are in for the 27th annual edition of Pollara Strategic Insights’ Economic Outlook study – Canada’s longest-running study of the public’s perceptions and expectations of the economy and their personal financial situation.  

It reveals that most Canadians are in a psychological recession and tend to hold negative expectations for the economy, although perceptions are somewhat improved compared to January 2021.  

Yet, when considering their personal finances, most continue to report a positive situation – as many Canadians have higher levels of savings due to reduced consumer spending and unprecedented government supports (i.e. CERB) during the pandemic. Buttressing this sense of financial stability, the study also found significantly reduced public expectations of job losses.  

However, there are potential storm clouds on the horizon. When it comes to public expectations for 2022, almost half of Canadians now feel that they will fall behind the pace of the cost of living in the months ahead. An equal proportion say they will keep pace with, or outpace, the cost of living, but many Canadians may have more negative perspectives on their personal finances dependent upon the trajectory of the rate of inflation.  

• When it comes to the cost of living, most Canadians (69%) are stressed about grocery prices, and majorities (50-56%) of the public are also stressed about the gas prices, housing expenses, income taxes, and telecom bills.

See the full details in our report and commentary on the study in the Toronto Star.

September 28, 2021 – Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) has released its 8th survey in its ongoing series of surveys on Canadians’ mental health since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reveals asignificant divide in mental health experiences of Canadians as more of the population is vaccinated. Respondents who have not been vaccinated indicated significantly more symptoms of mental distress, as well as higher levels of anxiety and depression compared to those who have received the vaccine.   

For the first time in this ongoing series of MHRC research – designed, conducted, and analysed by Pollara Strategic Insights – the majority (84%) of respondents reported being double-vaccinated. Three out of four of these individuals (75%) indicated concern about the continuing potential threat of COVID-19, compared to 38% of unvaccinated respondents. However, unvaccinated Canadians indicated significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression when looking ahead two months in the context of pandemic-related restrictions.   

Key findings include:

• A quarter (26%) of parents indicate that their children “rarely” or “never” had a chance to socialize with other children in the last month.
• A third (32%) of Canadians indicate either that they are, or they should be, accessing mental health supports since COVID-19.
• The increase in mental health service delivery is almost entirely in virtual services (phone, text, online) — 4% of Canadians were accessing services in this way in the year prior to COVID, compared to 14% now.

These and other key findings are featured in both the summary report and full survey report for this wave of research – as well as an interactive, searchable data portal – available at www.mhrc.ca. The online survey was conducted amongst a randomly-selected, reliable sample of N=3,010 adult Canadians from August 17-24, 2021, as part of MHRC’s ongoing series of surveys – “Mental Health in Crisis: How COVID-19 Is Impacting Canadians” – designed to capture Canadians’ perceptions of their levels of anxiety and depression to identify and evaluate factors that influence mental health.

Of these Canadians still in school or in the workforce, 8% noted losing school or work days to mental health and 30% noted their productivity is significantly impaired. 

These are some of the key findings of MHRC’s sixth poll in our ongoing series of polls on “Mental Health in Crisis: How COVID-19 Is Impacting Canadians.” The poll captures Canadians’ perceptions of their levels of anxiety and depression in order to identify and evaluate the factors that influence mental health.  

On the positive side, two-thirds (69%) of Canadians indicate a high degree of resiliency, which suggests a belief in a robust mental health recovery post-pandemic and a level of optimism. When looking ahead two months, even Canadians with high levels of anxiety expect their mental health to improve (28% to 18%), which suggests the vaccine efforts, reduced lockdowns and start of summer will improve mental health. Depression levels are expected to remain steady. 

Other major findings of MHRC’s study include:  

• Self-rated anxiety continues to rise, with 28% of Canadians reporting high levels of anxiety and 17% reporting high levels of depression. This is driven primarily by an increase in Ontario, where 1 in 3 (33%) Ontarians reports high levels of anxiety and 1 in 5 (21%) reports high levels of depression.
• Specific groups and demographics continue to show the highest rates of self-rated anxiety and depression, including younger Canadians, those with young children at home, those living alone or with roommates, and frontline healthcare workers.

• Going outside (walking and hiking) continues to be the most positive thing you can do to support your mental health.
• The number of Canadians accessing mental health services is increasing, with 11% accessing services in the year before the onset of the pandemic, compared to 18% who accessed in the year that COVID began.

Data for our seventh poll will be collected in the first to second week of June.  

ABOUT THE STUDY

The poll was conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights from April 20 to April 28, 2021. A total of 4,005 adult Canadians were surveyed online, including an oversample of 500 surveys with residents of New Brunswick and an oversample of 500 surveys with residents of Newfoundland.

Results of earlier polls are compared when applicable. Results from a probability sample of this size could be considered accurate to within ±2.2 percentage points; they are weighted based on age, gender and region to be representative of the Canadian population. 

Findings from Polls 2 to 5 are searchable on our free Data Portal — and the findings of Poll 6 are in the process of being integrated.