Most Canadians believe Canada still in recession: poll

Despite recent reports that the economy appears to be on the upswing, Canadians overwhelmingly believe we are still in some form of a recession, a new poll suggests.

The EKOS poll, commissioned for the CBC and released Thursday, suggests 86 per cent of Canadians think the economy is in some sort of recession or depression, with 49 per cent saying it’s in a mild recession, 25 per cent believing it’s a severe recession and 12 per cent saying it’s a depression.

Twelve per cent think Canada is experiencing a period of moderate growth, while two per cent believe it’s strong growth.

On July 23, the Bank of Canada said in its quarterly monetary policy report that the recession was essentially over. But Finance Minister Jim Flaherty came out days later to say that while the economy was showing signs of life, declaring the recession over may be premature.

The belief that Canada’s economy is in a mild recession was fairly constant among all regions, hovering at about 50 per cent.

Residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba were most optimistic, with 21 per cent believing Canada is in a period of moderate growth.

Quebecers were more likely to believe Canada is in a depression (around 18 per cent), with Ontario residents (28 per cent) more likely to say Canada is in a severe recession.

The poll also looked at Canadian attitudes toward crime rates. While statistics suggest crime is down, almost half of all Canadians (48 per cent) believe the crime rate has increased over the past 10 years.

Twenty-six per cent believe crime is dropping, with that same percentage believing the rate is the same.

As for the best way to deal with violent crime in Canada, roughly one-third of Canadians believe there should be longer jail terms for those convicted of violent crimes, an idea supported most by Conservative supporters.

Another third of Canadians said greater emphasis should be placed on programs designed to prevent crime and dealing with the social causes of crime, an idea backed most by Green Party supporters

Twenty per cent believed more police officers and tougher enforcement are needed, while nearly 10 per cent said more emphasis should be placed on rehabilitation.

The survey of 2,468  people was conducted between July 29 and Aug. 4, 2009, and has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.