July, 2024
Our July Poll was prompted by talk of the possibility of an election being called this fall or spring.
We asked about a number of issues within several overarching issue buckets.
So, for example, respondents were able to indicate their level of interest in issues within the Healthcare issue bucket, including increased privatization, accessibility and equity, funding, mental health services, long-term care, and public health services.
Additional issue buckets were, Cost of Living, Environment and Climate Change, Education, Public Safety, Transportation and Infrastructure, Indigenous Rights and Reconciliation, and Government Transparency and Accountability. We also provided an “Other Issues” option where respondents could enter their own issue.
Results
Overall, interest was greatest in the Environment and Climate Change category, with 75% of selections for its sub-categories coming under the “Very Interested” heading.
Government Transparency and Accountability, as well as Healthcare, had the next highest selection of the “Very Interested” level, with 69% and 63%, while Indigenous Rights and Reconciliation was close behind, at 62%.
Categories with more moderate interest include Public Safety, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Education, with 48%, 47%, and 47% of respondents selecting Very Interested in their respective issue-sets.
Cost of Living had the least number of Very Interested selections, at 43%.
Interest in Specific Issues
Issues with the greatest amount of interest, perhaps not surprisingly, mirrors those that our coalition and our supporters are involved with.
Ecosystems Protection and Enhancement, Energy Transition, Carbon Tax/Pollution Pricing, and Net-Zero Goals occupy the top four spots in terms of the percent of Very Interested selections received.
The bottom four spots comprise Congestion, Road Maintenance, Taxes, and Support for Quality Time (Maternity / Vacation etc.).
While these reflect the number of “Very Interested” selections, it’s worth nothing that the “Not Interested” selections indicate something a bit different.
“Increasing Privatization”, in the Healthcare bucket, was by far the issue with the most “Not Interested” selections. “Support for Quality Time” and “Highways” were next, though trailing the question of healthcare privatization by a considerable amount.
Healthcare and Privatization
On that outlier regarding Increasing Privatization, many who chose it also selected “Accessibility and Equity”, “Funding”, and “Public Health Services”. This may indicate a lack of clarity regarding what “Increasing Privatization” meant to respondents, which is a learning point for us regarding how we put polls together in the future.
It may also indicate that those, or at least some of those, who selected that option were framing “Not Interested” in “Increasing Privatization” as just that, as they are not interested in, which could also be understood as not supportive of, increasing privatization in healthcare.
Additional Concerns
A number of respondents used the “Other” option to add issues they were concerned about.
Most of these would likely fall within the Environment and Climate Change category.
Suzanne outlined support for green building standards, and that there should be more funding for it, as well as for greener development, with increased density and transit.
Suzanne also felt that there needs to be better messaging regarding environmental policies, like the carbon tax, especially when it’s contrasted with the record profits the oil and gas industry is making.
Jennifer echoed these sentiments, noting that there should Green Development Standards should be created, with funding tied to meeting them. Jennifer also noted that carbon taxing is important, which she underlined by saying that both federal and provincial governments need to stop kicking the climate crisis can down the road by enacting carbon reduction targets that cannot be reneged on by future governments.
Additional issues that could fit in the Environment bucket were cancelling the Bradford Bypass and the 413, mentioned by Katherine and Donna; focusing on environmental protection, mentioned by Ed; and reducing plastic, mentioned by Patricia.
Toby noted a number of issues relating to education, including transphobia and school curriculums, international student wellbeing, and student loans and debt. Toby also mentioned concerns regarding gender-affirming care access, decolonization and land back, and freedom of expression and police violence against protestors.
Also related to the education bucket, Marilyn wrote that STEM should be STEAM, to include the arts.
To view all the answers, as well as full results of the poll, click here.
General Observations
Top Concerns: Environmental issues, government transparency, and healthcare are clearly the top priorities. These areas may benefit from more focused efforts in advocacy, policymaking, and resource allocation.
Emerging Concerns: Indigenous rights and reconciliation have a strong interest, reflecting a societal shift towards addressing and recognizing the importance of these issues.
Balanced Interests: Education, public safety, and transportation/infrastructure have moderate but significant interest levels, indicating they are crucial but perhaps less urgent than the top concerns.
Relative Priorities: While the cost of living is always a concern, it currently ranks slightly lower in urgency compared to other issues, which might reflect the particular context or the nature of the survey.
Conclusions
The data suggests a hierarchy of public interest where environmental protection, government transparency, and healthcare are paramount.
Education, public safety, and infrastructure are also important but less immediately pressing, while cost of living issues are somewhat lower on the priority list. This hierarchy can guide where resources, advocacy, and policymaking efforts might be most effectively concentrated.
