Quebec voters are preoccupied by the economy and job creation, an exclusive CTV Ipsos Reid study reveals, as 28 percent identified those concerns as their top priority in the election Monday.
The next most pressing issue chosen was healthcare, which 17 percent of voters put at the top of their lists. Others were: debt repayment and budget balancing (12%) lowering taxes (11%) insuring integrity (9%) and fighting corruption (6%).
Just four percent of Quebecers identified the Charter of Values as the issue that should be the next government’s number one priority.
And while that might sound like a small total, it towers over the one percent of Quebecers who replied that holding a referendum should be the top priority of the next government.
Other issues identified as priorities were environment (3%), education funding and support (2%), bringing energy costs down (2%), ensuring maintenance of road infrastructure (2%) and investing in public transportation (1%). Four percent (4%) say some other issue should be the top priority for the next government.
When the top two voters’ priorities are combined, "creating a better economy and jobs" was cited as the priority of 41 percent of voters, followed by improving healthcare, which ranked at 36 percent. Ensuring debt repayment and balancing the budget (24%) and lowering taxes (23%) rounded out the list.
Ipsos Reid notes that in spite of the peccadilloes of Quebec politics, the list of priorities was “almost identical to any other provincial priority list in the country.”
The Ipsos Reid online poll of 1,012 Quebecers was conducted between March 28 and April 1 and is considered accurate to within 3.5 percentage points.
providing better healthcare (36
|
|
% Top Priority |
% Second Priority |
Total* |
|
Create a better economy and jobs |
28% |
14% |
41% |
|
Provide better healthcare |
17% |
19% |
36% |
|
Ensure debt repayment and balancing budget |
12% |
12% |
24% |
|
Lower taxes |
11% |
12% |
23% |
|
Ensure integrity in government and its leaders |
9% |
7% |
17% |
|
Fight corruption |
6% |
7% |
13% |
|
Implement the Charter of Values |
4% |
4% |
7% |
|
Protecting the environment |
3% |
3% |
6% |
|
Education funding and support |
2% |
3% |
6% |
|
Bring energy costs down |
2% |
4% |
6% |
|
Ensure maintenance of road infrastructure |
2% |
5% |
7% |
|
Invest in public transportation |
1% |
1% |
3% |
|
A referendum for independence/sovereignty |
1% |
1% |
2% |
|
Other |
3% |
0% |
4% |
