A majority of respondents also want local candidates to participate in at least one debate in their constituency.
Vancouver, BC [October 10, 2019] – A significant proportion of Canadians would like to have an entire day to cast ballots in a federal election without having to show up for school or work, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, almost three-in-five Canadians (58%) agree with declaring election day a public holiday in Canada.
A third of Canadians (32%) are not in favour of this idea, and 11% are undecided.
“Canadians aged 18-to-34 (72%) are significantly more likely to concur with the notion of making election day a holiday,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Canadians aged 35-to-54 (57%) and those over the age of 55 (48%) are not as enthusiastic.”
Majorities of Canadians who voted for the New Democratic Party (NDP) (66%), the Liberal Party (61%) and the Conservative Party (53%) would welcome this change.
A majority of Canadians (62%) believe voting should be mandatory in federal elections, while 29% disagree and 9% are undecided.
Residents aged 55 and over (68%) and Quebecers (67%) are more likely to be in favour of compulsory voting in elections to the House of Commons.
Almost seven-in-ten Canadians (69%) believe it should be mandatory for candidates to attend at least one public debate in their riding with the candidates from other parties, while 18% disagree and 13% are undecided.
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from September 24 to September 26, 2019, among 1,000 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in Canada. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our full data set here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca