OTTAWA—After five years of Conservative rule, Canadians are feeling safe in their homes, uncertain about their financial situation and undecided whether they’re truly better off thanks to Stephen Harper’s time in government, a poll reveals.

The data suggest that the sharp economic downturn and slow recovery has left Canadians in a funk, with a “sense of lethargy” and not feeling very optimistic about the future.

Harper will mark his five years in power Sunday with a speech, rally and party faithful at an Ottawa hotel.

But Canadians in general aren’t so sure they’re better off than they were in 2006, when Harper took power, according to the Angus Reid survey.

Asked how they felt compared to five years ago, just 30 per cent of those polled said they were much better or moderately off, 29 per cent said they were about the same and 38 per cent felt they were worse off.

“Canadians are fairly evenly divided on whether or not they sort of happy the way things are going. I think the economy plays a large role in that,” said Jaideep Mukerji, vice-president of public affairs for Angus Reid Public Opinion.

“The mood of the country isn’t particularly upbeat right now but I don’t think it’s created a desire for people to become agitated and clamouring for change,” he said Wednesday.

But neither does there seem to be enthusiastic endorsement of the Conservatives’ time in office.

Just 12 per cent of those polled think Harper has performed “better than expected” as prime minister. Most (43 per cent) say he’s about the same as they expected while 34 per cent say his time as the country’s leader has been worse than expected.

The effects of the recession appear to weigh heavy on the national psyche with 32 per cent describing their own financial situation as poor or awful. Another 40 per cent said it was average while just 24 per cent rated their own circumstances as good.

And 36 per cent were pessimistic about their financial future, compared to 27 per cent who optimistic.

Canadians are feeling secure in their communities, with 57 per cent rating their safety as excellent or good. Yet Canadians don’t appear willing to give credit to the Conservatives and their law-and-order agenda.

Just 14 per cent say they feel safer than they did five years ago while the majority (62 per cent) said they didn’t see a difference.

For that reason, Harper needs to temper his boasts about the Conservatives’ stewardship of the economy and recognize that 1.4 million Canadians remain out of work.

“He doesn’t want to sound triumphant because that would strike the wrong chord,” Mukerji said.

Despite questions — and controversies — about Ottawa’s role on the world stage lately, most Canadians think Canada is doing a good job on the foreign file.

Thirty-eight per cent rate Canada’s role as excellent or good while 36 per cent say the country is doing an average job on foreign affairs. The results split sharply along party lines with Conservative supporters giving overwhelming good grades to Ottawa’s foreign performance. Backers of the opposition parties take a critical view, charging that Canada’s has been a less constructive role on the global arena since Harper took charge.

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“He’s obviously taken certain stands on the world stage that have played relatively well with his base,” Mukerji said.

Not surprisingly, the question of whether Ottawa has become more partisan under the Conservatives splits along party lines. While Conservative supporters are split on whether federal politics have become more partisan since 2006, there’s no doubt among opposition supporters that the mood in Ottawa is too partisan, topping out among Liberals at 47 per cent.

The poll was carried out on Jan. 13 and Jan. 14 among 1,008 randomly selected adults. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

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