NEWS RELEASE
May 18, 2006 - The Canada West Foundation today released Consistent Priorities: An Analysis of the Looking West 2006 Survey.
Consistent Priorities presents an analysis of the battery of questions in the Looking West 2006 Survey that pertain to the public policy priorities of western Canadians. Future reports will present analyses of other survey topics including a major report in the fall of 2006 that will compare the responses of western Canadians under 35 years of age and those 35 and over.
Key public policy priority findings of the Looking West 2006 Survey include:
A number of policy issues are consistently rated as high priorities across the West: health care and patient wait times; government accountability; and protecting the environment.
Although reducing poverty is not a top issue of political debate nationally or provincially, it continues to be a top concern for western Canadians, with roughly two-thirds of respondents rating this issue as a high priority.
Many of the policy areas that dominate public debate—such as lowering taxes, improving the military, improving Canada-US relations, and childcare (be it daycare or funding for parents)—are specified as a “high priority” by less than a majority of western Canadians.
While terrorism may be a top policy issue in the United States, it is clearly less of a concern in western Canada. Almost 6 in 10 western Canadians feel it is unlikely that Canada will experience a major terrorist attack in the next 5 years, and less than a majority rate “protecting Canada from terrorist attacks” as a high priority.
While providing funding to parents receives a larger number of “high priority” ratings than does developing a national daycare program, the gap between the two is small (less than 3 percentage points). A positive correlation is seen between responses to these two childcare options: individuals who rate one option highly are also likely to rate the other highly.
The vast majority of western Canadians feel it is likely that Canada will remain united in 20 years.
About 1 in 10 western Canadians feel that their province should separate from Canada, with these respondents overwhelmingly preferring their province to separate and form a confederation with the other western provinces over separating and becoming an independent country. In other words, the limited support that exists for separatism is western separatism, rather than BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba separatism.
About 1 in 10 western Canadians feel Quebec should separate—the same number that stated their own province should separate. Almost 1 in 4 stated that they don’t care if Quebec separates.
The Looking West 2006 Survey examined five of Prime Minister Harper’s six policy priority areas. The data indicate considerable support in western Canada for Prime Minister Harper’s agenda.
May 18, 2006 - The Canada West Foundation today released Consistent Priorities: An Analysis of the Looking West 2006 Survey.
Consistent Priorities presents an analysis of the battery of questions in the Looking West 2006 Survey that pertain to the public policy priorities of western Canadians. Future reports will present analyses of other survey topics including a major report in the fall of 2006 that will compare the responses of western Canadians under 35 years of age and those 35 and over.
Key public policy priority findings of the Looking West 2006 Survey include:
A number of policy issues are consistently rated as high priorities across the West: health care and patient wait times; government accountability; and protecting the environment.
Although reducing poverty is not a top issue of political debate nationally or provincially, it continues to be a top concern for western Canadians, with roughly two-thirds of respondents rating this issue as a high priority.
Many of the policy areas that dominate public debate—such as lowering taxes, improving the military, improving Canada-US relations, and childcare (be it daycare or funding for parents)—are specified as a “high priority” by less than a majority of western Canadians.
While terrorism may be a top policy issue in the United States, it is clearly less of a concern in western Canada. Almost 6 in 10 western Canadians feel it is unlikely that Canada will experience a major terrorist attack in the next 5 years, and less than a majority rate “protecting Canada from terrorist attacks” as a high priority.
While providing funding to parents receives a larger number of “high priority” ratings than does developing a national daycare program, the gap between the two is small (less than 3 percentage points). A positive correlation is seen between responses to these two childcare options: individuals who rate one option highly are also likely to rate the other highly.
The vast majority of western Canadians feel it is likely that Canada will remain united in 20 years.
About 1 in 10 western Canadians feel that their province should separate from Canada, with these respondents overwhelmingly preferring their province to separate and form a confederation with the other western provinces over separating and becoming an independent country. In other words, the limited support that exists for separatism is western separatism, rather than BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba separatism.
About 1 in 10 western Canadians feel Quebec should separate—the same number that stated their own province should separate. Almost 1 in 4 stated that they don’t care if Quebec separates.
The Looking West 2006 Survey examined five of Prime Minister Harper’s six policy priority areas. The data indicate considerable support in western Canada for Prime Minister Harper’s agenda.