Most aware of F-35 controversy
Most don’t think we need
stealth jets
TORONTO September 30th, 2015 - In a random
sampling of public opinion taken by the Forum Poll™ among 1499 Canadian voters,
three quarters are aware of the controversy surrounding the proposed purchase
of the advanced F-35 stealth fighter jet (74%), and these are the oldest (86%),
males (84%), the wealthiest ($100K to $250K - 81%), in Alberta (85%),
Conservatives (81%) and the best educated (85%).
Half disagree we need stealth
jets
Close to one half of voters disagree Canada needs advanced
stealth fighter jets to meet its national defense goals (47%), while just fewer
than 4-in-10 think they are necessary (38%). One seventh don’t have an opinion
(14%). Believing these planes are necessary is common to the oldest (43%),
males (46%), mid income groups ($40K to $60K - 44%), in the prairies (48%) and
Alberta (57%) but not Quebec (30%), among Conservatives (74%), but much less so
among Liberals (27%) or New Democrats (19%), among Anglophones (42%) more than
Francophones (26%) and among the least educated (secondary school or less - 45%).
Close to half approve Trudeau
promise to kill F-35
Close to one half of voters approve of Justin Trudeau’s plan
to cancel the purchase of the F-35 (46%), and this view is especially common to
the youngest (53%), the least wealthy (less than $20K - 50%) and mid income
groups ($60K to $80K - 51%), in Quebec (52%) and BC (51%) but not in Alberta
(30%), among Liberals, unsurprisingly (70%), among fewer New Democrats (61%)
and almost no Conservatives (9%), but among the best educated (53%) and more so
among those with no children (48%) than mothers of children under 18 (38%).
Four-in-ten disapprove of Trudeau’s promise (40%), and one seventh are unsure
(14%). Those who oppose the cancellation of the F-35 are the oldest, males,
Conservatives in the prairies and Alberta and among the least educated.
Jet promise moves New
Democrat votes both ways
In total, one fifth of voters say they are more likely to
vote Liberal because of this promise (21%), while one third say they are less
likely to vote for the Liberals (33%). The plurality (43%) say this promise
will have no effect on their vote, and these are most likely to be NDP voters
(56%). One fifth of New Democrat voters say they are more likely to vote
Liberal because of the promise to cancel the F-35 (22%), while an identical
proportion are more likely to vote Conservative as a result (22%). meanwhile,
one fifth of Liberal voters are less likely to vote for their party because of
this promise (18%). Thus, it appears this policy announcement may prove
inconclusive in terms of votes.
“It’s a very close result, but it appears Canadians don’t
see the need for these expensive, top-of-the-line jets, and Trudeau’s
unequivocal promise to scrap the program has struck a chord in the taxpayer. It
is an ideological decision, this approval, though, and as few as one tenth of
Conservative voters don’t agree we need
the hardware, compared to as many as two thirds of New Democrats and more than
one half of Liberals," said Forum Research President, Dr. Lorne Bozinoff.
Lorne Bozinoff, Ph.D. is
the president and founder of Forum Research. He can be reached at lbozinoff@forumresearch.com
or at (416) 960-9603.
