Marijuana, Trick-or-Treating, NHL Fandom...
Marijuana, Trick-or-Treating, NHL Fandom...
And this week's federal update, featuring a 200+ seat projection for the Conservatives
Before we get to this week’s 338Canada federal update, let us explore some polls released last week which asked Canadians their views on topics… that were a little lighter.
According to a new Léger poll, Canadians in Atlantic provinces are the most likely to be handing out candy and treats on Halloween.
To the question: "Will you or someone in the household be handing out candy and treats this Halloween?", 48%? of respondents of respondents from coast to coast answered in the affirmative — including 60% of Atlantic Canadians, 54% of Albertans and 53% of Ontarians.
I must honestly admit that I was surprised by the numbers from my home province: Only a third (32%) of Quebec respondents said they would be handing out candy to trick-or-treaters for Halloween, by the far the lowest proportion of all polling regions.
Aging population? More dental-care weary? Less candy-loving than other Canadians? Your hypothesis is as good as any to explain why that is the case.
(I grew up in the suburbs of Quebec City, where I trick-or-treated until the ripe old age of 16 — which we learn in the Léger poll that 16 is an age considered too old for trick-or-treating to most Canadians…)
The Léger poll also tells us that 45% of Canadians believe in angels, 5% in vampires and 4% in zombies.
See full report here.
Five years into the Legal Marijuana era in Canada, the Weed Apocalypse predicted by some opponents of legalization still has not occurred. As for public opinion, legalization now appears widely popular from coast to coast according to a new survey from Research Co.
To the question: “Do you agree or disagree with marijuana being legal in Canada?”, those who agree now outnumber those who disagree by a 2-to-1 proportion.
Canadians are in favour of legalization in every polling region — the highest support (pun intended) was found in Atlantic Canada (72%) and Quebec (68%).
Even in Alberta, where support for legalization is lowest (58%), those who agree lead those who disagree by 21 points.
Moreover, support for legalization is above 50% in all age groups in similar proportions. As for the partisan divide? It remains minimal: Majorities of voters of all three main national parties are in favour of legalization.
It looks like this ship has sailed. Read Research Co. poll report here.
Ok, please allow me just a little hockey talk here.
As part of its latest federal poll, Pallas Data asked its respondents their views on whether an NHL team could win the Stanley Cup this year— a championship drought that dates back to 1993 — and which NHL team was their favourite.
In short, Canadians are not optimistic.
Among the poll’s total sample, “43% of respondents do not think a Canadian team will lift the Cup this year, while 21% think a Canadian team will win the Stanley Cup. 36% said that they were unsure,” wrote Pallas Data CEO Joseph Angolano in the poll report.
Which team is currently the best position to bring a championship to Canada? “27% said the Toronto Maple Leafs, 21% said the Edmonton Oilers, and 18% said the Montreal Canadiens.”
(To the 18% who answered the Canadiens: That’s cute.)
Finally, respondents were asked which team, if any among Canadian franchises, was their favourite. Unsurprisingly, the two biggest markets come on top: Montreal with 29% of respondents, and Toronto with 22%. In third place were the Edmonton Oilers with 10%.
Read Pallas full report here. It contains some fun stats about regional and demographic fandom, such as the Leafs being the favourite team of voters aged 50+, and the Canadiens being the second favourite team in Ontario - twice as popular in the province as the Senators.
Ok, enough fun. Let’s get to this week’s federal update.
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