Seven in Ten (69%) Think We’ll Come Out of the Recession Stronger and Better than Before it Started
Toronto, ON – Amid a barrage of bad-news stories dealing with gloomy economic forecasts, deep deficits and job losses, even in this time of recession Canadians remain optimistic, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Canwest News Service and Global National.
In fact, eight in ten (83%) are ‘optimistic’ (36% very/47% somewhat) about ‘Canada as a nation’, and an equal proportion is ‘optimistic’ (26% very/57% somewhat) about their ‘standard of living compared to others’. It seems that even in tough times, most Canadians believe they’re relatively well-off.
Further, eight in ten (84%) ‘agree’ (35% strongly/49% somewhat) that they are ‘always an optimist’ and that they ‘see the glass as half full’, an attitude that appears to be in stark contrast to the prevailing mood in the news media – one of impending doom and gloom.
Focusing on the economy, seven in ten (69%) ‘agree’ (23% strongly/46% somewhat) that ‘we’ll come out of this economic recession stronger and better than before it started’. Just three in ten (30%) ‘disagree’ (8% strongly/22% somewhat). What is unclear is when that will be, as only 44% are ‘optimistic’ (11% very/34% somewhat) that it will be this year. The majority (55%) is ‘not optimistic’ (20% not at all/35% not very) that we’ll get out of recession this year.
Still, nine in ten (87%) ‘agree’ (40% strongly/47% somewhat) that ‘despite everything that’s going on in the world, they’re still optimistic for a better tomorrow’. However, only a slim majority ‘agrees’ (15% strongly/37% somewhat) that ‘they’re confident that when they grow up, today’s children will be better off than their own generation is today’, while nearly one half (47%) ‘disagrees’ (15% strongly/32% somewhat) with this sentiment.
Health, Arts, Science and Technology…
Setting aside economic issues for now, Canadians appear to be optimistic about a wide-variety of things ranging from their own health to advancements in science and technology. More specifically, nine in ten (90%) are ‘optimistic’ (44% strongly/46% somewhat) about their ‘personal health’ situation, perhaps driven by the fact that eight in ten (83%) are ‘optimistic’ (32% very/50% somewhat) about ‘the advancements in science and healthcare to cure future ailments’.
Moreover, eight in ten (80%) Canadians are ‘optimistic’ (29% very/50% somewhat) about ‘technological discoveries that will help make our lives better’.
One area where a majority (62%) is still ‘optimistic’ (18% very/44% somewhat), but not to the same degree as the areas above, relates to ‘the strength of arts and culture’ in their community. Fully one in three (34%) are ‘not optimistic’ (8% not at all/26% not very) about the strength of the arts in their community.
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