New Poll: Cdns happy with the country's direction

[sharkman]

As opposed to a poll that asks how they'd vote (which essentially ignores the effect of an election campaign) or one that asks to predict the results of an election (which generally has respondents parroting back what they've heard from pollsters), this poll asks Canadians how they feel about themselves, about the country, about the economy, and about the government.

No hypothetical choices. No scrying.

The answer? Things are looking good. And that's bad news for Stephane Dion and the Liberals.

This poll reveals far less disapproval among Canadians than you'd assume considering the criticism leveled at the Tory Government by various forms of media. A full 65?% approve the direction the country is headed, and over 77% gave the government either "very good", "good" , or "average" marks. Not a voting public itching for an election.

This is bad news for Dion and the Liberals, who despite hammering away at the Tories on everything from Afghanistan to the GST, can't seem to motivate a happy population into a 'throw the bums out' kind of mood.

Edited January 7, 2008 by sharkman

[Oleg Bach]

[quote]As opposed to a poll that asks how they'd vote (which essentially ignores the effect of an election campaign) or one that asks to predict the results of an election (which generally has respondents parroting back what they've heard from pollsters), this poll asks Canadians how they feel about themselves, about the country, about the economy, and about the government.

No hypothetical choices. No scrying.

The answer? Things are looking good. And that's bad news for Stephane Dion and the Liberals.

This poll reveals far less disapproval among Canadians than you'd assume considering the criticism leveled at the Tory Government by various forms of media. A full 65?% approve the direction the country is headed, and over 77% gave the government either "very good", "good" , or "average" marks. Not a voting public itching for an election.

This is bad news for Dion and the Liberals, who despite hammering away at the Tories on everything from Afghanistan to the GST, can't seem to motivate a happy population into a 'throw the bums out' kind of mood.

Get on the Toronto subway and look at the faces - I do not see "motivated" and happy people. The average person is under tremendous duress and far from happy - especailly the immigrants who are starting to wonder why the hell they came here to be driven into the ground though over work that does not pay - YOU are dreaming their buddy - Maybe it's time you got out of your ivory tower and walked amoung the common man? People are not happy - and they have no use for politics these days - because a government is to serve the population - not the other way around.

[Shakeyhands]

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/291560

The Canadian Press Harris/Decima survey asked respondents to choose the kind of split they'd ideally like to see in a hypothetical Parliament of 100 seats. The results, on average, gave 36 seats to the Liberals, 31 to the Conservatives, 15 to the NDP, 10 to the Bloc Québécois and eight to the Green party.

Projecting those percentages to the actual House of Commons of 308 seats, the Liberals would end up with 111 seats rather than their current 96 and the Tories would have 95 instead of their present 125.

The NDP would have 46 seats instead of 30, the Bloc 31 instead of 49 and the Greens 25 rather than zero.

Interesting....

[Wild Bill]

Get on the Toronto subway and look at the faces - I do not see "motivated" and happy people. The average person is under tremendous duress and far from happy - especailly the immigrants who are starting to wonder why the hell they came here to be driven into the ground though over work that does not pay - YOU are dreaming their buddy - Maybe it's time you got out of your ivory tower and walked amoung the common man? People are not happy - and they have no use for politics these days - because a government is to serve the population - not the other way around.

Toronto subway? You can't use Toronto as the only point in your curve!

Just what we need. Someone else who thinks that Toronto represents all of Canada.

No wonder the rest of us like to dump on the city so much!

[sharkman]

Get on the Toronto subway and look at the faces - I do not see "motivated" and happy people. The average person is under tremendous duress and far from happy - especailly the immigrants who are starting to wonder why the hell they came here to be driven into the ground though over work that does not pay - YOU are dreaming their buddy - Maybe it's time you got out of your ivory tower and walked amoung the common man? People are not happy - and they have no use for politics these days - because a government is to serve the population - not the other way around.

Perhaps every single one of the 1400 respondents to this poll is dreaming? It seems you can read the minds of subway riders, good for you.

[sharkman]

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/291560

Interesting....

So Shakey, do you have any idea why your poll is so out of step with my Happy Canadian poll?

[Borg]

Get on the Toronto subway and look at the faces - I do not see "motivated" and happy people. The average person is under tremendous duress and far from happy - especailly the immigrants who are starting to wonder why the hell they came here to be driven into the ground though over work that does not pay - YOU are dreaming their buddy - Maybe it's time you got out of your ivory tower and walked amoung the common man? People are not happy - and they have no use for politics these days - because a government is to serve the population - not the other way around.

Ahh yes! Toronto!!

The centre of well being for the entire country of canada.

So glad you are there. Good place for you.

Folks I talk to on a daily basis come from coast to coast. While they have complaints about the cons, as a whole those complaints are localized. Overall they are not unhappy with the way things are going.

Borg

[Borg]

So Shakey, do you have any idea why your poll is so out of step with my Happy Canadian poll?

Has the star ever written anything positive about the cons? Seems they were a liberal bag carrier in the past. Have they changed?

Methinks not.

Borg

[Shakeyhands]

So Shakey, do you have any idea why your poll is so out of step with my Happy Canadian poll?

I don't know... Technorati/Janke Blog vs. Canadian Press Harris/Decima perhaps?

So basically respected Polling company vs. partisan whiner and a neverheard of?

[sharkman]

The poll was conducted by Nanos Research, not Janke, but I must say I'm not surprised at your response. No doubt many liberals would also prefer to attack the poll than consider its results.

This poll adds weight to the "Tories on the threshold of a majority" theory which others have commented on around here.

[Shakeyhands]

The poll was conducted by Nanos Research, not Janke, but I must say I'm not surprised at your response. No doubt many liberals would also prefer to attack the poll than consider its results.

This poll adds weight to the "Tories on the threshold of a majority" theory which others have commented on around here.

By all means please post the link to the actual survey, I looked but only got as far as the link to Technorati.

[margrace]

I don't know that there is much truth in what is being debated here. What I do know is the a lot of Canadians are aware that minority goverment is a lot safer for most of them. Are they happy with what Harper is doing, I haven't hear much approval of it.

[M.Dancer]

By all means please post the link to the actual survey, I looked but only got as far as the link to Technorati.

Easy enough to find

http://www.nikonthenumbers.com/topics/show/55

http://www.nanosresearch.com/news/in_the_n...Dec%202007E.pdf

[Michael Bluth]

So basically respected Polling company vs. partisan whiner and a neverheard of?

Nanos Research (used to be SES Research) is one of the most respected polling companies in the country.

I take it you aren't calling Nik Nanos a neverheard of or a partisan whiner.

[capricorn]

This poll reveals far less disapproval among Canadians than you'd assume considering the criticism leveled at the Tory Government by various forms of media. A full 65?% approve the direction the country is headed, and over 77% gave the government either "very good", "good" , or "average" marks. Not a voting public itching for an election.

Thanks for raising this poll sharkman. Here's where I found it a couple of days ago.

http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-1-2/63559.html

I posted it yesterday in jdobbins Canadian political polls 2008. I knew jdobbin would ignore this poll because it does not fit his agenda of criticizing the Conservatives. I thought I'd throw some "balance" in his poll thread.

Yeah, Harper's doing a good job and most Canadians don't see the need for an election. I wonder if the Liberals will take note of this as they ponder whether to defeat the government before the fixed election date.

[capricorn]

Get on the Toronto subway and look at the faces - I do not see "motivated" and happy people.

Considering the City Council they are saddled with I'm not surprised Torontonians are glum. The question is why do they keep re-electing them.

[Oleg Bach]

Thanks for raising this poll sharkman. Here's where I found it a couple of days ago.

http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-1-2/63559.html

I posted it yesterday in jdobbins Canadian political polls 2008. I knew jdobbin would ignore this poll because it does not fit his agenda of criticizing the Conservatives. I thought I'd throw some "balance" in his poll thread.

Yeah, Harper's doing a good job and most Canadians don't see the need for an election. I wonder if the Liberals will take note of this as they ponder whether to defeat the government before the fixed election date.

Polls are owned - if I was a big corporate boss the first thing I would do is buy and fix the polls - the sheeple would do what all the other sheeple do - pay tribute.....did you know that 95% of Canadians want to bring back the horse and buggy? There - no more grid lock or war over oil....it's true - the POLL SAID SO!

[capricorn]

I don't know that there is much truth in what is being debated here.

What. You think the poll is bogus?

What I do know is the a lot of Canadians are aware that minority goverment is a lot safer for most of them.

They got burned with incompetent majorities. Once they experience a competent government, Canadians will give it a majority.

Are they happy with what Harper is doing, I haven't hear much approval of it.

Read the results of the poll discussed in this thread. You won't "hear" it but you'll "see" it.

[capricorn]

Polls are owned - if I was a big corporate boss the first thing I would do is buy and fix the polls -

Lucky for us you're not a corporate boss.

[Alexandra]

I posted it yesterday in jdobbins Canadian political polls 2008. I knew jdobbin would ignore this poll because it does not fit his agenda of criticizing the Conservatives. I thought I'd throw some "balance" in his poll thread.

Yeah, Harper's doing a good job and most Canadians don't see the need for an election. I wonder if the Liberals will take note of this as they ponder whether to defeat the government before the fixed election date.

A personal opinion of Akin's, however, interesting:

The national Liberal caucus is set to meet in Kitchener, Ont. on January 21 and 22, just ahead of the resumption of the goings-on in the House of Commons.

Liberals, no doubt, will be talking about electoral strategy. Should they push for an election this year? This spring? If so, on what issue? And even if they wanted to go, how do they push the government over? Personally, I think that, no matter what Stephane Dion says, this Parliament will get to its fixed election date in October, 2009. It all has to do with the algebra of the seat breakdown in the House of Commons. All the government needs is the support of any one opposition party. And that means all three opposition parties have to agree to force the Conservatives out. That seems like a tall order right now. During the first two years of this government, there has always been at least one opposition party that did not want an election. For a long time, that was the Liberals. Now, even if the Liberals started clamouring this spring for an election, the general feeling is that the Bloc Quebecois is a little gunshy and would look for a way out of an election this spring.

Posted to: Federal politics

David Akin

http://politicsblog.ctv.ca/blog/Federalpol.../4/3447435.html

[Michael Bluth]

A personal opinion of Akin's, however, interesting:

http://politicsblog.ctv.ca/blog/Federalpol.../4/3447435.html

I tend to agree with Akin on this one. As far away as it appears the clock is running on an election before the fixed election date.

It is very unlikely any party will want to go over the budget, so we are looking at Fall of this year. Then things have to align perfectly for all three opposition parties to want an election this fall.

Which brings us into 2009. With a fixed election date for fall of next year the opposition needs to find a pretty big issue to bring the Government down early over.

I posted it yesterday in jdobbins Canadian political polls 2008. I knew jdobbin would ignore this poll because it does not fit his agenda of criticizing the Conservatives. I thought I'd throw some "balance" in his poll thread.

He did until you posted this comment about it. Either it's such a strong poll for the Conservatives he couldn't think of anything but a very weak anti-CPC spin on the results or he realizes his cries are falling on deaf ears.

Either way it is a good thing!

Edited January 8, 2008 by Michael Bluth

[jdobbin]

I posted it yesterday in jdobbins Canadian political polls 2008. I knew jdobbin would ignore this poll because it does not fit his agenda of criticizing the Conservatives. I thought I'd throw some "balance" in his poll thread.

Yeah, Harper's doing a good job and most Canadians don't see the need for an election. I wonder if the Liberals will take note of this as they ponder whether to defeat the government before the fixed election date.

That's right. I only post great polls for Liberals. Just ignore all those other polls posted. Nothing to see there. heh

I'm sure the Liberals did look at that early December poll. And then they saw the polls that came after that with the Liberals in the lead and changed their minds.

[sharkman]

Thanks for raising this poll sharkman. Here's where I found it a couple of days ago.

http://en.epochtimes.com/news/8-1-2/63559.html

I posted it yesterday in jdobbins Canadian political polls 2008. I knew jdobbin would ignore this poll because it does not fit his agenda of criticizing the Conservatives. I thought I'd throw some "balance" in his poll thread.

Yeah, Harper's doing a good job and most Canadians don't see the need for an election. I wonder if the Liberals will take note of this as they ponder whether to defeat the government before the fixed election date.

I went over saw your link on this poll (good job btw) and was also puzzled at why the main stream media would not report this poll as they trumpeted several ones before and after. It does seem strange, perhaps they couldn't get a handle on where this one was coming from since it didn't ask leading(biased) or outright political questions as most others would.

But it finds Canadians generally pleased with the status quo, which wouldn't exactly grab headlines.