On the heels of last fall's federal election, Canadian's appetite for holding a referendum on electoral reform remains high.
A new Canada-wide Insights West poll has found that public backing for a new federal electoral system has actually increased since the last election, especially over the past five months.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 50 per cent of Canadians agree with Canada electing all members of the House of Commons through Party-List Proportional Representation, up five points since an Insights West survey conducted in January.
Party-List Proportional Representation would see parties make lists of candidates to be elected, and seats get allocated to each party in accordance with the number of total votes the party receives.
Canadians aged 18-34 are more likely to support a change to Party-List Proportional Representation, at 62 per cent, than those aged 35-54, at 45 per cent, and those aged 55 and over, at 44 per cent.
In addition, those who voted for the Liberal Party in last year’s federal election are more supportive of this move, at 59 per cent, than those who voted for the New Democratic Party, 49 per cent, or the Conservative Party, 40 per cent.
The support of the other two systems did not fluctuate from previous poll results. Forty-five per cent of Canadians questioned were willing to adopt the Single Transferable Vote system, where votes are initially allocated to a voter’s most preferred candidate, and as the count proceeds and candidates are either elected or eliminated, it is transferred to other candidates in accordance to the voter's stated preferences.
Forty per cent favoured the Mixed Member Proportional Representation system, a hybrid method that would use Party-List Proportional Representation for a portion of the legislature, and First-Past-The-Post for another portion.
Three-in-five Canadians say they are “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with the First-Past-The-Post system that is currently used in federal elections – including 64 per cent of those aged 55 and over and 72 per cent of Conservative voters.
“Two camps are clearly emerging in the discussions related to electoral reform,” says Mario Canseco, vice president of public affairs at Insights West.
“Younger, more Liberal voters seem willing to give Proportional Representation a try, while older, more Conservative voters are definitely happy with First-Past-The-Post.”
As was the case in January, a majority of Canadians, 68 per cent, believe a change in the current electoral system should be put to a nationwide referendum, while 18 per cent think a vote in the House of Commons is enough to settle the issue.
Conservative supporters in last year’s federal election are more likely to support holding a referendum, at 82 per cent, but most NDP, 66 per cent, and Liberal voters, 62 per cent, also endorse this course of action.
Results from the above poll are based on an online study conducted from May 30 to June 2, 2016, among a representative sample of 1,001 Canadian adults.
The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error, which measures sample variability, is +/- 3.1 percentage points.
For more information on the poll click here.