Mayor John Tory is beginning his term with a sparkling approval rating of 74 per cent, according to the first opinion poll since his inauguration.

It is common for political leaders to receive an approval bump as soon as they begin governing. Tory’s approval rating was in the mid-to-high 60s for most of the election campaign, but it fell sharply, to the low 50s, as he weathered an assault on his character and policies in the final weeks of the race.

Tory’s rating was 53 per cent in late November, a month after the election. During a highly visible blitz of appearances and announcements since his inaugural address on Dec. 2, he has toured the city, met with the premier and prime minister, appeared in the Nutcracker ballet, taken calls on CP24, and breezed through two council meetings.

Tory was elected with 40 per cent of the vote. The Forum Research poll of 1,001 residents, conducted Wednesday and Thursday, suggests he has earned the early approval of many voters who chose Doug Ford or Olivia Chow.

Tory’s predecessor, Rob Ford, enjoyed a similar honeymoon spike following his election in 2010. Ford had an approval rating of 60 per cent four months after he was elected with 47 per cent of the vote, according to Forum, and 70 per cent six months after he was elected, according to Ipsos. It eventually fell as low as 28 per cent.

Ford is now the city councillor for Ward 2, Etobicoke North. His approval rating in the new poll was 45 per cent.

The poll suggests Tory is currently popular with residents of all ages, in all regions, of all levels of income and education.

As during the campaign, Tory did best with older residents. His approval rating was 82 per cent among people aged 65 and above, 83 per cent among people aged 55 to 64, 73 per cent among people aged 45 to 54, 71 per cent among people aged 35 to 44, and 67 per cent among people aged 18 to 34.

Tory’s approval rating was nearly identical in all four corners of the city: 76 per cent in Etobicoke and York, 74 per cent in the former Toronto and East York, 72 per cent in North York, 72 per cent in Scarborough.

The poll was conducted using interactive voice response automated telephone calls. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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