On September 17, a new Ipsos poll revealed that barely 50 per cent of Canadians are certain of whom they are voting for, with 47 per cent apparently being apathetic towards every federal party.
Moreover, of those who are sure of whom they are voting for, several said that it is “either because they say there is no chance that they could change their mind, or that they’ve already voted for this party.”
Bloc Quebecois voters are the most certain of their vote at 61 per cent, followed by Conservative, Liberal, and PPC voters at 58 per cent, 55 per cent, and 53 per cent, respectively. Conversely, the Green and NDP garner the least confidence, with 45 per cent of Green Party voters and 44 per cent of NDP voters being sure of their votes.
Despite a great deal of apathy for their options, voters are still eager to show up on Election Day.
The poll found that roughly six in ten, 62 per cent, of Canadians who are yet to vote say they are “completely certain” that they will show up to vote. Again, Conservatives and Bloc supporters are the most insistent on showing up, with 74 per cent of both Conservative and Bloc supporters saying as much. The Liberals and PPC lag just behind in terms of enthusiasm, with 68 per cent of Liberals saying they will definitely show up and 66 per cent of PPC voters saying they will, too.
The poll also revealed that discontent with PM Justin Trudeau is relatively high. According to researchers, 57 per cent agree that if “Justin Trudeau and the Liberals don’t win a majority government, Trudeau should resign as party leader. However, only 33 per cent of Liberal voters feel this way.”
Considering all of this, the sample size used in this poll was relatively small, with only 2,000 voters asked.
Additionally, despite Conservative enthusiasm polling higher than Liberal enthusiasm, voters still believe that the Liberals will win the election.
According to Ipsos researchers, “… nearly four in ten (36%) believe the Liberals will win the election, while one in four (25%) believe the Conservatives will win. A further three in ten (29%) say the election outcome is not certain either way – in which case it’s all about the get-out-the-vote effort.”
However, as researchers note, due to this extra boost of enthusiasm, Conservatives may surge ahead on election day.
Overall, it remains a tight race all around.
