Canadians' relationships with governments improve during COVID-19 crisis

Relationships improve everywhere; Quebec leads, Alberta lags, Trudeau government in between

TORONTO, April 7, 2020 /CNW/ - The COVID-19 crisis is bringing Canadians closer to their governments, with Quebec's provincial government leading, Alberta's lagging, and Justin Trudeau's federal government in between, according to a new national study.

A special edition of the Argyle Public Relationships Indextm, a national survey conducted by Leger for the Argyle Group from March 27-30, 2020, shows an improvement in Canadians' perceived relationships with all orders of government ? provincial, federal and municipal.

The Quebec government leads with 74 per cent of respondents reporting improvement in their relationships with the province. Alberta has seen the least improvement at 44 per cent. Justin Trudeau's federal government is making gains in relationships with Canadians everywhere, but the spectrum of opinion is wide ? with bigger improvements in Atlantic Canada, Ontario and B.C., modest gains in the Prairie provinces, and a smaller improvement in Quebec.

"At times of crisis, Canadians look to governments and their leaders as sources of information, services, direction and reassurance. The stronger the relationship, the more likely people are to believe their leaders and comply with their instructions," says Daniel Tisch, CEO of the Argyle Group. "What leaders say and do now matters more than ever ? and Argyle's research shows they are rising to the challenge so far."

Argyle's research has found that measuring relationships is particularly relevant during a crisis, because this combines rational assessments of competence and satisfaction with emotional dimensions such as empathy, affinity, influence and trust.

Ratings of the federal government, by region: Gains everywhere ? but a wide spectrum of opinion

At the national level, 46 per cent of respondents report improvement in their relationships with the federal government (including 10 per cent citing a significant improvement), while 26 per cent report a decline (significant decline: 8 per cent).

"Justin Trudeau's federal government is making gains in its relationships everywhere in Canada, with the most dramatic gains in Atlantic Canada, Ontario and British Columbia, smaller gains on the Prairies, and a split decision in Quebec," Tisch says.

Ratings of provincial governments: Quebec leads, Alberta lags

55 per cent of respondents report an improvement in their relationships with their provincial government (including 15 per cent reporting a significant improvement), while 18 per cent report a decline (significant decline: 4 per cent).

74 per cent of Quebecers report that their relationship with their government has improved. The next strongest performances come from the Atlantic provinces (59 per cent) and Ontario (51 per cent). The Alberta government has seen the smallest improvement in relationships with its residents, with 44 per cent citing improvement and 32 per cent citing decline.

"While all provincial governments are improving relationships with their citizens, Quebecers are both the most positive about their provincial government, and the least positive about the federal government." Tisch says. "At the other end, Albertans are giving less credit to all governments, as the economic crisis hits the province hardest."

Relationships with local governments: Municipalities lag behind other levels

Perhaps because of the heavy media focus on national- and provincial-level announcements, relationships with municipal governments have changed the least, with 41 per cent of respondents reporting improvement (significant improvement: 6 per cent) and 20 per cent reporting decline.

Residents in urban settings (46 per cent) are more likely than those in suburban (38 per cent) or rural settings (37 per cent) to say that their relationship with their municipal government has improved during the pandemic. Residents with a post-secondary education are more likely to report a decline.

There is also an east-west split in Canada, with more significant improvement in relationships with municipalities among residents of the Atlantic provinces (46 per cent), Quebec (44 per cent) and Ontario (43 per cent) than among residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan (37 per cent), Alberta (36 per cent) and B.C. (33 per cent).

Canadians' relationships are thriving ? both professional and personal

Argyle's research shows this improvement in relationships extends through Canadians' personal and professional spheres. 69 per cent of respondents say the crisis has improved their relationships with their families, versus only 15 per cent who report a decline.

While it is not surprising that Canadians feel closer to their health care providers (42 per cent report improvement, 19 per cent decline), they also report improvement in their relationships with the businesses they frequent (40%/26%), notwithstanding the increased difficulties of doing business in recent weeks. Finally, respondents have improved relationships with their co-workers (52%/25%) and employers (49%/29%).

About the study

This edition of the Argyle Public Relationships Indextm is based on a survey of 1,590 Canadians, completed between March 27-30, 2020, using Leger's online panel, LEO. The margin of error for the study was +/-2.5%, 19 times out of 20. Leger's online panel has approximately 400,000 members nationally and has a retention rate of 90%.

About Argyle (www.argylepr.com)

For 40 years, Argyle has been chosen by the world's biggest brands, put big ideas onto the public agenda, and grown to become one of Canada's largest and most acclaimed communications and public engagement firms. Argyle's clients span many sectors, including finance, technology, health care, agri-food, travel, professional services, infrastructure, government, non-profits and many more.

Argyle has more than 100 full-time employees in Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Victoria and Ottawa, with affiliates in Montreal and Quebec City, and in 17 countries around the world.

Visual assets are available for download here.

SOURCE Argyle Public Relationships