Affordability the Biggest Issue Facing Toronto Right
Now
Tory’s
approval unchanged
Toronto, July 5th, 2018 – In a random sampling of public
opinion taken by The Forum Poll™ among 2521 Toronto voters, one-quarter (26%)
says that overall affordability is the biggest problem facing the city right
now. One-fifth said the biggest problems are traffic gridlock (19%) or public
transit (18%), respectively.
About 1 in 10 (13%) said the biggest problem was social housing, while a
similar proportion (7%) suggested it was traffic safety.
Fewer than 1 in 10 suggested the city’s biggest problem was either
property taxes (6%), something else (6%), or privatization of services (4%).
Respondents most likely to say that affordability is the biggest problem facing
Toronto include those 34 and younger (32%), female (28%), earning
$20,000-$40,000 (32%), $40,000-$60,000 (30%), $60,000-$80,000 (31%) or $80,000-$100,000
(31%), living in North York (32%) or York (30%).
Respondents most likely to say that traffic gridlock is the biggest
problem facing Toronto include those aged 55-64 (27%), male (22%) earning
$80,000-$100,000 (22%) or the most wealthy (24%), with a college/university
(21%) or post-graduate degree (19%), and living in Etobicoke (26%).
Respondents most likely to say public transit is the biggest problem
facing Toronto include those aged 34 and younger (23%) or 35-44 (20%), male
(22%), earning $80,000-$100,000 (22%) or the most wealthy (22%), with a
college/university (20%) or post-graduate degree (21%), and living in the
former city of Toronto (23%).
Tory
approval unchanged since February
More than half (57%) say they approve of the job Tory is doing as
mayor and just about one-quarter (24%) say they disapprove. About one-fifth
(19%) say they do not know.
Tory’s approval remains virtually unchanged since February 2018
(58%), while his disapproval is down 4 points (February 2018: 28%).
Respondents most likely to approve of John Tory include those aged 65
and over (69%), the wealthiest (65%), those with a post-graduate degree (61%), those
living in the Former City of Toronto (60%), East York (60%), or Etobicoke
(58%).
Respondents most likely to disapprove of John Tory include those
aged 45 to 54 (27%), males (27%) earning $60,000-$80,000 (33%), the least
educated (27%), with a college, university, (24%) or post-graduate degree (24%)
and cyclists (43%).
“A quarter of
Torontonians, the plurality, see affordability as the city’s single biggest
problem, but movement issues, including traffic gridlock and public transit,
were identified by a combined 4 in 10,” said Dr. Lorne Bozinoff, President of
Forum Research. “Will moving around be the ballot question in the 2018
election?”
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.
