Most Canadians Think Robocalls Were Used Broadly in Last Election
Four-in-five respondents call for an independent investigation to find out who was behind the misleading robocalls made in the 2011 federal ballot.In the online survey of a representative sample of 1,001 Canadian adults, half of respondents (50%) say they have followed stories related to robocalls made during the last federal election campaign “very closely” or “moderately closely.”
Elections Canada is currently investigating telephone calls with pre-recorded messages made at or near the City of Guelph, Ontario, that may have prevented Canadians from voting in the federal election of May 2011.
Less than one-in-five Canadians (18%) believe the robocalls are “definitely” or “probably” an isolated incident limited to Guelph. Conversely, almost two thirds of Canadians (64%) think the Guelph occurrence is “probably” or “definitely” one of many that took place in the last federal campaign.
A large proportion of Canadians who voted for the Green Party (80%), the New Democratic Party (78%), the Liberal Party (77%) and the Bloc Québécois (also 77%) believe that the robocalls extend beyond Guelph, along with 47 per cent of Conservative Party voters.
Canadians were asked which of the five major federal parties are likely to provide false and misleading information to voters through telephone calls with pre-recorded messages during a political campaign. Only a third of respondents in Canada think the Green Party (32%) and the New Democratic Party (NDP) (33%) are “very likely” or “moderately likely” to rely on this tactic. In Quebec, 32 per cent of respondents think the Bloc Québécois is likely to use robocalls with misleading information.
A majority of Canadians believe the Liberal Party (55%) and the Conservative Party (63%) are likely to provide false and misleading information to voters through telephone calls with pre-recorded messages during a political campaign. In fact, two-in-five Canadians (39%) think the Tories are “very likely” to rely on this tactic.
Half of Canadians (50%)—including 61 per cent of Quebecers—believe that every riding that was the subject of misleading robocalls should have a by-election as soon as possible, and four-in-five respondents (81%) want to hold an independent investigation to find out exactly who was behind any misleading robocalls that may have been made in the May 2011 federal election.
Respondents are divided on the effect robocalls may have had on the last federal ballot, with 44 per cent agreeing that the misleading messages definitely changed the outcome of the May 2011 federal election, and 36 per cent disagreeing with that assessment.
At least three-in-five Canadians who voted for any of the four parties currently in opposition in the House of Commons want to hold by-elections in the ridings that were the subject of misleading robocalls, but only 31 per cent of Tory voters concur. Most opposition voters also believe that the robocalls definitely changed the outcome of the last federal ballot, a view shared by just 17 per cent of Conservative voters.
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)