Majority of Canadians feel good about national economy
Posted September 20, 2011 4:51 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Canadians are feeling good about the national economy, but are less positive about the way things are going close to home.
Three-quarters of Canadians feel positive about current conditions nationally, according to findings in the Economic Pulse of the World survey, released today by Ipsos. Twenty-four countries participated, and only Saudi Arabians were more positive than Canadians, with 88 per cent of them feeling good about their economy.
But the numbers dropped sharply when Canadians were asked about the economy in the immediate area where they live. Just over half of the respondents remained upbeat. Canada was still in the top three though, behind Saudi Arabia , with 69 per cent, and Sweden at 57 per cent.
Canada leads all G8 nations in the survey’s results on satisfaction with local and national economies.
The survey also asked participants to gauge their confidence in the economy six months from now. Only 18 per cent of Canadians said they expect it to get better – good for the ninth spot on the list of 24.
People in the United States are not nearly as positive about their economy. Only 14 per cent of Americans expressed positive feelings about their national economy, with regional satisfaction numbers being slightly higher, at 17 per cent.
Only 17 per cent of Americans polled said they are confident the economy will be better six months from now.
The survey polled an international sample of 18,607 adults aged 18 to 64 in the US and Canada, and age 16 to 64 in all other countries. About 500 to 1,000 people were surveyed per country.
It was weighted to balance demographics and ensure the sample’s composition reflected the most recent country Census data available.
A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100 per cent response rate would have an estimated margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points for a sample of 1,000 and an estimated margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points for a sample of 500, 19 times out of 20.
