A plurality of Canadians believe building infrastructure, instead of cutting taxes or paying down the national debt is the best way to boost economic growth, a new poll suggests.

The Nanos Research poll commissioned by CTV News and The Globe and Mail found 45 per cent of respondents believe building infrastructure creates the largest positive effect on the Canadian economy.

Nineteen per cent responded that investing in social programs had the largest effect, while 17 per cent said cutting taxes would achieve the best results and 16 per cent said paying down the national debt would be best. Four per cent were unsure.

Of the 1,000 Canadian adults polled, 69 per cent said it was time for a change in government, up from 66 per cent when Nanos asked the same question in July, while 26 per cent said it was not time for a change and five per cent said they were unsure, down from 10 per cent in July.

The poll found Canadians were most evenly split when it came to whether a future government should return to borrowing to stimulate the economy.

Forty-nine per cent of respondents said the government should increase spending even if it adds to the national debt, while 42 per cent said the government should focus on maintaining a balanced budget. Nine per cent of respondents were unsure of what to do.

When asked which federal leader could be trusted to manage the economy, 31 per cent of respondents picked Conservative leader Stephen Harper, 28 per cent selected NDP leader Tom Mulcair, and 26 per cent picked Liberal leader Justin Trudeau.

On a more personal level, 29 per cent of respondents said they felt better off financially than in 2011, while 37 per cent said they were worse off and 32 per cent said their wealth had not changed.

On a scale of 1 to 10, respondents gave the Harper Conservatives an average score of 4.26 out of 10 when it came to their track record on job creation, with respondents in British Columbia and the Maritimes giving lower than average scores, and respondents in the Prairies and Quebec handing the Tories higher than average scores.

The poll was conducted between Sept. 12 and Sept. 15, using live phone calls to both cell phone and landlines, along with online surveys.The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.