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SUMMARY

- 71% Say Everyone Should Pay For Transportation System Improvements, Not Just Those Who Use It -

- 71% Support Dedicating 1 Cent of Gas Tax To Improving Public Transit; 59% Support Dedicated Tax of $5/Year for Improving Public Transit -

- 73% Oppose 10 Cent Fare Hike To Fund Improvements; 77% Oppose 2-Fare System for TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) -

This Angus Reid **/CFRB/Globe and Mail poll was conducted by telephone on October 25th and 26th, 1999 among a representative cross-section of 400 residents of the new city of Toronto.

These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Toronto population according to the 1996 Census data. With a sample of 400, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the overall results are within +4.9 percentage points of what they would have been had the entire adult Toronto population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.

DETAIL

This Angus Reid Group/CFRB/Globe and Mail Pulse of Toronto Poll finds that seven in ten (71%) Toronto residents feel the money for public transportation system improvements should come from everyone in society, not just those who use it. In reaction to a number of ideas on how to fund improvements to the transportation system in Toronto, setting aside 1 cent per litre of the federal and provincial gasoline taxes (71%) or an annual dedicated tax of 5 dollars (59%) receive the highest approval levels, while toll systems are much less favourably received - 84% oppose increasing the number of toll roadways in Toronto, and 83% oppose a toll system aimed at charging a fee for drivers entering Toronto via any of the major roads into the city. And, finally, four in ten (38%) who do not currently use the TTC every day say they would take the TTC more often if the service was improved.

These are the primary findings of a poll undertaken by the Angus Reid Group on behalf of CFRB and the Globe and Mail. The poll was conducted on October 25th and 26th, 1999 among a randomly selected sample of 400 residents of the new city of Toronto and has an associated margin of error of +4.9 percentage points 19 times out of 20.

Seven in Ten (71%) Say Everyone Should Pay for Transportation Improvements - Not Just Users, Seven in ten (71%) say "the money for transportation improvements should really come from everyone in society, because we all benefit from the transportation system even if we don't actually drive a car or use public transit", while one in four (27%) feel that "only the people who use the transportation system should pay for the improvements, because they benefit the most".

Women (75%) are more likely than men (66%) to say that everyone should pay for transportation improvements. Those without a high school diploma (45%) are less likely to feel that everyone should pay for improvements than university graduates (74%). Respondents with an annual household income of less than $30K (77%) are more likely to support everyone paying than those whose household income is more than $60K (71%). Respondents who only take the TTC about once a month are less supportive of everyone paying for transportation improvements than are those who take the Red Rocket at least once a week (but not every day) (65% versus 78%).

No More Tolls! More Than Eight in Ten (84%) Oppose More Tolls on Toronto's Roadways... The vast majority of Torontonians (84%) are opposed to having more tolls on roadways in the city of Toronto. The level of disagreement with this notion is consistently high among all demographic subgroups of the survey sample.

Another Eight in Ten (83%) Oppose Tolls Aimed at Drivers Entering the City ... The vast majority of Torontonians (83%) are opposed to setting up an automatic toll system aimed at vehicles entering the city of Toronto via the 427, 401, 400, 404 and the Gardiner Expressway. The level of disagreement with this notion is higher among women (89%) than men (76%), but does not otherwise vary significantly.

... And Two Thirds (68%) Oppose Tolls to Fix Major Routes Like the Gardiner Expressway, Two thirds (68%) of city residents are opposed to using tolls to fix major routes like the Gardiner Expressway. The level of disagreement with this notion is higher among women (89%) than men (76%), but otherwise does not vary significantly along demographic variables.

Improving the TTC - Special Taxes, Not Fare Hikes or 2-Zone System
Three Quarters (77%) Oppose Creation of 2-Zone Fare System for TTC... Three quarters (77%) of Torontonians disagree with the notion of splitting the city in half and having a 2-zone fare system for the TTC. Most highly opposed to this idea are those without a high school diploma (86%) and those whose annual household income is no more than $30K (88%).

... And Seven in Ten (73%) Oppose 10 Cent Fare Hike. Seven in ten (73%) are opposed to funding transit system improvements by increasing the TTC fare by 10 cents per ride. The level of disagreement with this idea is higher among women (77%) than men (68%), and at 83 percent, respondents who take the TTC every day are more strongly opposed to a fare hike than those who use the system less frequently.

Seven in Ten (71%) in Favour of Setting Aside 1 Cent/Litre of Gasoline Taxes to Dedicate to Public Transit. Seven in ten (71%) Toronto residents are in favour of setting aside 1 cent per litre of the gasoline taxes collected by the federal and provincial governments as a special transportation tax dedicated for public transit. Women (74%) are slightly more in favour of this idea than men (67%). Along education lines, support ranges from a low of 53% among those without a high school diploma to 75% of university graduates. Respondents who take the TTC every day are much more likely to support this idea than those who never "Ride the Rocket" (86% versus 50%).

Six in Ten (59%) Support Dedicated Tax of $5 per Year. Six in ten (59%) say they agree with paying a dedicated tax of $5 per year that would be for the improvement of public transit. Along education lines, support ranges from 49% among those without a high school diploma to 63% of university graduates. Respondents who take the TTC every day are more likely to support this idea than those who never "Ride the Rocket" (62% versus 47%).

56% Oppose $2 Surcharge on Parking Tickets Dedicated to Public Transit. Residents of the city are more evenly divided on the idea of adding a 2 dollar surcharge to parking tickets in Toronto that would be dedicated to public transportation - 56% disagree with the idea, while 44% agree. Most likely to oppose a $2 surcharge are those without some post secondary education (66%) and those who never take the TTC (70%).

Four in Ten (38%) Who Don't Currently Use the TTC Every Day Would Take it More if Service Improved. Three in ten Torontonians (28%) report that they take the TTC every day. Of those who don't, four in ten (38%) say they would take the TTC more often if service improved. This is particularly true among respondents aged 18 to 34 (47%) and those whose annual household income is less than $30K (62%).

** The Angus Reid Group is Canada's largest and most well known Canadian research company. Established in 1979 by Dr. Angus Reid, the company serves 1200 clients via its six offices in Canada, four offices in the United States and its European office in London, England. With a compliment of 250 full time qualitative and quantitative researchers, the company has annual revenues of $65 Million and is growing at an average rate of 30 percent per year. The employee owned company also operates its own field service entity, Direct Reid, utilizing 450 CATI telephone interviewing stations for north American calling and a 50,000 household consumer panel in Canada

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