Two thirds see UCCB as election ploy only

3-in-10 don’t need the money

TORONTO July 29th, 2015 - In a random sampling of public opinion taken by the Forum Poll™ among 1397 Canadian voters, one fifth report having received a Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) cheque during their distribution last week (21%). Those of child-rearing age were most likely to have received the benefit, of course (35 to 44 - 59%) as were the wealthy ($80K to $100K - 29%) and Quebeckers (26%).





3-in-10 don’t need the benefit

Three-in-ten of those who receive the benefit say they don’t need the money (30%), while the wide majority do (70%). It is among the wealthiest, of course, that the need is least ($100K to $250K - 58%).





UCCB not effective at driving votes

Just one tenth of Canadian voters are more likely to vote Conservative because of the UCCB (12%), while as many as 4-in-10 are less likely to vote for the party because of this giveaway (40%). A similar proportion say the UCCB will have no effect on their vote (41%). The majority of Conservatives say the UCCB will have no effect on their vote (54%), but a significant minority will be less likely to vote their party in response to the benefit (11%). Very few Liberals or New Democrats say the UCCB will prompt them to vote Conservative (5% and 4%, respectively). In each case, the child benefit is seen to reinforce their vote for their own party (Liberals - 53%, New Democrats - 54%). Those who received the UCCB are more likely to vote Conservative as a result (17%) than are those who did not (11%).





Two thirds see UCCB as vote-buying election ploy

The wide majority of voters, two thirds, see the UCCB as an election ploy to buy votes (63%) rather than a genuine attempt to help parents with children (26%). While 6-in-10 Conservatives see it as a genuine attempt to help parents (61%), almost a quarter see it as vote buying (23%). The Liberals (75%) and, especially, the NDP (85%) are much more likely to see the UCCB as an election giveaway. Those who received the UCCB are no less likely to see it as an election ploy than those who did not.





"For a big effort, and a huge spend, it looks like the Conservative Party isn’t getting as much bang for their baby bucks as they counted on. Our polling has shown their numbers up this week since the cheques were distributed, but few ascribe their newfound enthusiasm for the Conservatives to what it appears voters think is found money, conveniently arriving just before an election," said Forum Research President, Dr. Lorne Bozinoff.

Lorne Bozinoff, Ph.D. is the president and founder of Forum Research. He can be reached at lbozinoff@forumresearch.com or at (416) 960-9603.