TORONTO, May 12, 2021 /CNW/ - Canadians have lost
trust in the Prime Minister, the majority of Canadian premiers, and
the country's large businesses and corporations during the COVID-19
crisis, according to new research from Discover by Navigator.
Discover by Navigator surveyed 1500 adult Canadians from
April 30 to May 4 to track how their
trust in politicians, organizations or institutions has changed
over the course of the pandemic. The results were used to generate
pandemic trust progression scores, or the percentage of people who
gained trust minus the percentage who lost trust.
Political Crisis of Confidence
Canadian's trust in their political leaders declined sharply at
both the federal and provincial level with Ontario and Alberta residents reporting the biggest losses
of trust and only Quebec and
Atlantic Canada reporting
increases in trust.
Fully 44% of respondents said they trust Prime Minister Trudeau
less now than compared to the start of COVID-19 while just 19%
reported trusting the Prime Minister more giving Trudeau a pandemic
trust progression score of -25.
The Prime Minister faced his lowest pandemic progression scores
in Alberta (-43), British Columbia (-35), Ontario (-28) and Quebec (-14). Trudeau experienced a slight
gain in trust in Atlantic Canada
(+3).
Provincially, Alberta Premier
Jason Kenney experienced the most
dramatic decrease in trust with over half of Albertans (54%) saying
they trust Kenny less now while only 11% reported trusting him more
resulting in a pandemic trust progression score of -41.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford received the second biggest drop in
trust with 51% of Ontarians reporting they trust the premier less
now while 20% said their trust had increased for a pandemic trust
progression score of -31.
BC Premier John Horgan fared
slightly better with 35% of British Columbians saying they trust
him less now while 22% say they trust him more providing a pandemic
trust progression score of -13.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault, in contrast, gained trust with
43% of Quebec respondents saying
they trust Legault more now than they did when the pandemic began
compared to 20% who trust him less affording Legault a pandemic
trust progression score of +23.
"While voting intentions tend to be positive for incumbents
right now, this erosion in trust suggests that Canadians may be
running out of patience and may soon be shopping around for
alternatives. Apart from Premier Legault, incumbents should be a
little nervous right now" says André Turcotte, Associate
Principal at Discover by Navigator.
Trust Boom or Bust for Business and Institutions
Large business and corporations experienced a significant loss
in trust with 32% of Canadians saying they have less trust compared
to 14% having more trust for a score of -18. Small and medium
businesses fared far better with 31 percent of respondents saying
their trust had increased while only 9 percent reported having less
trust resulting in a pandemic progression score of +22.
Canadians reported the largest overall rise in trust for doctors
and healthcare workers during the pandemic. Almost half (49%) said
they trust doctors and healthcare workers more now while only 11%
said they trust them less for a total pandemic trust progression
score of +38. The scientific community gained the second most trust
with a score of +34.
Discover is Navigator's full-service, in-house research offering
that delivers state-of-the-art research solutions and truly
stakeholder-focused insights, while leveraging access to the
strength of Navigator's public affairs offering.
Discover by Navigator is an accredited member of
the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC), an advocacy
organization that represents the research profession in
Canada. Its members include many
of the country's top research agencies, research-guided companies
and other industry partners. CRIC members are held to the
highest world-class standards, ethics and best practices in
research, analytics, and insights.
https://navltd.com/discover
SOURCE Navigator Limited