Gap between Mayor
John Tory and Doug Ford Narrows
Would still win re-election, but the race is tightening
Toronto, February 10th
– In a random sampling of public opinion taken by The Forum Poll™ among
1,090 Toronto voters, the gap between Mayor John Tory and Doug Ford, his
perceived main rival, has narrowed considerably since November (29%: Nov 8 – 19%:
Feb 6), but Tory remains the primary choice amongst decided and leaning voters
(49%) over Doug Ford (30%), with (21%) saying someone else would be their
choice for mayor.
Those most likely to
cast a ballot for John Tory include those over the age of 65 (58%), the
wealthiest (66%), and those with a post-graduate university degree (55%).
Those who have voted
(provincially) Liberal (65%), NDP (42%), or Green (60%) in the past also
overwhelmingly support the mayor.
Those most likely to
support Doug Ford include the least wealthy (42%), those with a secondary
school education or less (42%), (though both fall within the margin of error),
and those who identified themselves as past (provincial) Progressive Conservative
voters (54%).
More than two years
into his first mandate, while Mayor Tory’s approval has dropped below half, he
still has the approval (46%) of the public. Almost a third (29%) disapprove of
the job he is doing as mayor, with (25%) saying that they don’t know.
“Despite dropping
approval numbers, John Tory remains popular amongst Toronto voters at present
and would see himself re-elected if an election were held today. However, with
the next election more than one and a half years away, there’s still plenty of
time for a rival’s profile to grow and make the 2018 race a contest,” 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.
