Most residents support helping agri-food companies, individual municipalities, retailers and news organizations.
Vancouver, BC [June 11, 2020] – British Columbians have a clear idea of which businesses and corporations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic should receive financial assistance from governments, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, almost three-in-four British Columbians (73%) think agri-food companies should “definitely” or “probably” be eligible for a government bailout.
A bailout entails providing financial assistance to a corporation that otherwise would fail or become bankrupt.
Most of the province’s residents are also supportive of providing financial assistance to individual municipalities (70%), retailers (67%) and news organizations (57%).
“A government bailout for individual municipalities is more popular among British Columbians aged 35-to-54 (78%),” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “However, majorities of residents aged 18-to-34 (65%) and aged 55 and over (67%) also favour this course of action.”
While 63% of men are in favour of providing financial assistance to news organizations, the proportion drops to 53% among women.
More than two-in-five British Columbians are in favour of allowing airlines (49%), taxi companies (also 49%) and film and entertainment companies (45%) to be eligible for government bailouts.
The level of support for governmental financial assistance is lower for ride-hailing companies (39%), individual sports franchises (38%) and professional sports leagues (34%).
Across British Columbia, men are more likely to endorse the notion of bailing out individual sports franchises (46%) and professional sports leagues than women (29% and 26% respectively.
Residents of Metro Vancouver are more likely than those in other areas of the province to endorse financial assistance for news organizations (63%), airlines (56%) and film and entertainment companies (50%).
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from June 5 to June 7, 2020, among 800 adults in British Columbia. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in British Columbia. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 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