October 30, 2018
A decade after the financial crisis of 2008, many Ontarians remain somewhat uncertain about the future, expressing concerns about job security and opportunities for economic mobility, and mixed views about their social safety net. This is the main finding from a new Mowat report analyzing our Portraits 2017 survey data.
Moreover, while many Ontarians remain confident in being covered by a public pension or Employment Insurance, confidence is lower when it comes to support for child care, drug costs or postsecondary education. And expectations of receiving support are not always higher among those to whom these means-tested benefits are targeted.
Finally, the report finds that, as in other Western democracies, many Ontarians are generally feeling wary of government as an institution. This, we conclude, is a potential challenge to governments seeking to advance policy initiatives designed to help citizens face the future with optimism and confidence.
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Jordann Thirgood
Andrew Parkin
Release Date
October 30, 2018
ISBN
978-1-77259-074-6
Mowat Research
No. 175
The Portraits 2017 series analyzes survey data from a comprehensive study of public opinion in Ontario and Quebec. The survey focused on a wide range of subjects, including federalism, the economy, social programs, international trade, immigration and diversity, and relations with Indigenous peoples. The data provides valuable new evidence about whether and how citizens’ attitudes towards one another, to the federation and to Canada are evolving at a time of considerable change and uncertainty in the wider global political context.
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