(TORONTO, 23 August 2023) – Against a backdrop of deep pessimism about the Canadian economy, over a third of Canadians blame the current housing crisis on the federal government – significantly more than the provinces, municipal governments, and the Bank of Canada, a Pallas Data poll has found.
Pallas Data surveyed 1021 Canadian adults 18 years or older eligible to vote through Interactive Voice Recording (IVR) technology on August 16th-17th, 2023. The margin of error is +/- 3.1% at the 95% confidence level.
When asked who was the most to blame for the current housing crisis, 37.2% of respondents said that the federal government, followed by the provincial government (18.5%), and the Bank of Canada and its handling of interest rates (9 %).
7.3% said municipal governments and/or regional councils were most to blame, while 7.1% cited banks and their mortgage policies.
“The old truism that perception is reality applies here,” said Dr. Joseph Angolano, Founder and CEO of Pallas Data. “Housing is indeed a provincial responsibility, but Canadians think that the federal government is responsible for the crisis.”
“So the Trudeau government is faced with two options,” continued Angolano. “They could dismiss these results as a product of a disinformation campaign where the federal government is wrongly held responsible for a problem that is not under their control.”
“Or the Liberals could interpret these results as a cry for help from Canadians. They expect leadership from their federal government on a difficult challenge facing the country.”
Respondents from every demographic were more likely to say that the federal government was the main cause of the current housing crisis except for three groups – Quebecers, Liberal voters, and Bloc voters.
The survey also asked Canadians whether they thought the economy was getting worse or better. 55.9% said that they thought the economy was getting much worse, with a further 22% saying that the economy was getting slightly worse.
Just under 3% said the economy was doing much better and 7.6% said it was doing slightly better.
“A majority of all demographic groups think the economy is doing much worse,” continued Angolano. “This certainly has been a summer of discontent for the Trudeau Liberals. What the future holds remains to be seen.”
Methodology:
The analysis in this report is based on results of a survey conducted from August 16-17th, 2023, among a sample of 1021 adults, 18 years of age or older, living in Canada and eligible to vote in federal elections. The survey was conducted using automated telephone interviews using Interactive Voice Recording technology (IVR). Respondents were interviewed on landlines and cellular phones. The sample was weighted by age, gender, and region according to the 2021 Census. The survey is intended to represent the adult population in Canada.
The margin of error for the poll is +/- 3.1% at the 95% confidence level. Margins of error are higher in each subsample.
Totals may not add up 100% due to rounding.
