Canadians have a gloomy outlook on the economy and their place in it, making the topic a top election issue, according to an Angus Reid poll released today.
The poll showed that 39% of Canadians view themselves as “have-nots” while 66% say they are often stressed about money; 47% of respondents said they worry either they or someone in their household will lose their job in the next year.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has campaigned on his party’s economic record, legacy of lowering taxes and support for business. But poll respondents picked NDP leader Thomas Mulcair, whose campaign has featured increasing social spending and a promise to balance the budget, as the best choice to manage the economy.
When asked to divide themselves into social classes, the majority of Canadians pick middle class. But asked to divide themselves into just two categories, the “haves” and the “have-nots,” two-thirds of poll respondents classified themselves as “have-nots,” (39%), one-third thought they were in the “have” category (31%) and 30% weren’t sure.
The richer you are (or think you are), the more likely you are to vote Conservative, according to this poll.
Canada’s economy has undergone a number of recent shocks, starting with falling oil prices in late 2014 and an economic contraction over the first six months of 2015 that pushed the country into a technical recession. Unsteady economic performance from China has pushed commodity prices down, which is having an effect on Canada’s oil and gas, mining and forestry sectors.
An expected boost for manufacturing from low oil prices and a low Canadian dollar has yet to materialize, although Canada is expected to benefit from a resurgent U.S. economy.
But counter to expectations, the federal government posted a $1.9 billion surplus for the 2014-2015 fiscal year, which ended March 31, 2015. The government had originally budgeted a $2.08 billion deficit for the period. The surprise surplus was due to higher tax revenues from both personal and corporate income tax, as well as lower spending on government programs.
The Angus Reid Institute poll gathered responses from an online survey of 1,583 Canadians. The poll was conducted September 2 to 7 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
@jenstden
