While honesty is considered the most important quality in the Prime Minister of Canada, it is not readily associated with any of the Party leaders.

• Honesty was mentioned most often among Canadians when asked which qualities they consider most important in the next Prime Minister of Canada.
• Qualities most associated with each of the Party leaders vary, with a notable minority unable to cite any qualities for each of the leaders.

September 9, 2021

With the upcoming federal election scheduled for later this month, we wanted to understand which issues are most important to Canadians this election. When asked to identify the most important issue to them personally in the federal election (unaided), With the federal election scheduled for later this month, we wanted to understand what qualities are most important to Canadians in the Prime Minister of Canada, and which quality is most associated with each leader. When asked which of six qualities Canadians consider most important, the top quality was honesty ,mentioned by over eight in ten residents. Six in ten residents consider openness  to be most important, while fewer than one-half mention decisiveness , being fiscally responsible, willing to try new approaches , or being progressive.

While honesty is deemed most important across the country, a few regional differences are evident. In particular, those in Quebec place greater importance on openness than other regions, while Ontario residents are slight more likely to consider progressiveness an important quality in a Prime Minister.  Residents between the ages of 18 and 34 are more likely to consider progressiveness an important quality than their older counterparts.

When asked which one quality is most associated with each of the main Party leaders, findings show that no single quality is clearly aligned with any leader, though it is clear that the various leaders are seen as distinct from each other in their strengths. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau was most associated with being progressive, while Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole was most associated with being fiscally responsible. By contrast, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was most associated with being willing to try new approaches, being progressive, being open, or being honest.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet was most associated with being decisive, while Green Party of Canada Leader Annamie Paul was most associated with her willingness to try new approaches.

Results highlight that the quality deemed most important to Canadians, honesty, is not readily identified with any of the current leaders. More so, findings suggest that for each leader, top mentions align with traditional party platforms.

Findings also suggest that familiarity may present a challenge for some leaders, with a notable minority being unable to cite any qualities of each of the three main party leaders: Justin Trudeau (28%); Erin O’Toole (42%); Jagmeet Singh (28%). By contrast, a majority are unable to attribute any qualities with either Yves-François Blanchet (60%) or Annamie Paul (58%).


Results are from an online survey conducted August 24 – 26 2021, with 1,233 Canadians 18 years of age or older from the Logit Group’s Canadian Omnibus. Fielding every month, the Logit Group’s COVID-19 Omnibus surveys Canadians to ask their opinions and behaviours related to topical issues. Results were analyzed by Narrative Research. Data was weighted based on the 2016 Census, by gender, age, and region to reflect population characteristics in each province. As a non-probability sample (i.e., a panel sample where residents have joined a panel to share their opinions), and in accordance with CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards, a margin of error is not applied.

The questions included in this press release were the following:

  • Please rank which qualities are most important to you in the prime minister of Canada?
  • Which one quality do you most associate with each of these leaders?

For more information, contact: Margaret Chapman, COO, Narrative Research – 902.493.3834, mchapman@narrativeresearch.ca
OR
Sam Pisani, Managing Partner, Logit Group – 416.629.4116, sam.pisani@logitgroup.com

Narrative Research (www.narrativeresearch.ca), is a leading public opinion and market research company headquartered in Canada. The company is certified as a WBE (Women Business Enterprise). As a non-partisan, 100% Canadian-owned research company, Narrative Research is dedicated to providing clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services.  Follow us on Twitter at @EveryNarrative

The Logit Group (https://logitgroup.com/) is a leading North American data collection and market research execution company headquartered in Toronto, conducting large-scale projects for a variety of well-known research agencies and brands. Logit employs industry-best technologies across an array of methodologies, and is independent, experienced and quality-oriented.  Follow us on Twitter at @LogitGroup

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