Doug Ford may be a new face in the mayoral race but his negative public image mirrors that of his brother's, according to a new poll by Nanos Research released Tuesday morning.
The telephone poll, conducted on behalf of CTV/CP24 and The Globe and Mail, asked 1000 respondents a series of questions including what their impression was of each mayoral candidate. About 51 per cent said that they had a ‘negative’ impression of Doug Ford and 11 per cent said they had a 'somewhat negative' impression. Approximately 19 per cent said they had a 'positive' impression of Ford, 12 per cent had a 'somewhat postive' impression and seven per cent said they were 'unsure.'
By contrast, only 24 per cent of respondents said they had a 'negative' impression of Olivia Chow and 14 per cent had a 'somewhat negative' impression. About 31 per cent said they had a 'positive' impression of Chow, 26 per cent had a 'somewhat positive' impression and six per cent said they were 'unsure.'
Even fewer (10 per cent) had a 'negative' impression of John Tory, while eight per cent said they had a 'somewhat negative' impression. Just over 50 per cent of respondents said they had a 'positive' impression of Tory, 25 per cent had a 'somewhat positive' impression and eight per cent said they were 'unsure.'
The poll, which was conducted between Sept. 16 and Sept. 20, also tracked what sort of impression respondents had of Mayor Rob Ford, who dropped out of the race earlier this month after being hospitalized for what was later identified as a rare, malignant tumour.
About 54 per cent of respondents had a ‘negative’ impression of the mayor, according to the poll, and 9 per cent said they had a 'somewhat negative' impression. Only 21 per cent said they had a 'positive' impression of Rob Ford, 10 per cent said they had a 'somewhat positive' impression and seven per cent said they were 'unsure.'
When asked which one of the candidates would best represent Toronto, 54 per cent of respondents chose Tory, leaving Chow (19 per cent) and Doug Ford (19 per cent) trailing by a significant margin.
Transit and gridlock still top issues facing city
The number one issue facing the City of Toronto, according to 56 per cent of those surveyed, continues to be transit and gridlock.
Other issues identified by respondents included high taxes, jobs, the economy, city finances and a need for a new mayor.
Most of the respondents claim to have made up their minds about who to vote for in the Oct.27 election. About 70 per cent of those surveyed said they were ‘firm’ on their first choice for mayor and 20 per cent said they were ‘somewhat firm.’ Only three per cent said they were ‘somewhat not firm,’ four per cent claimed to be ‘not firm’ and four per cent were just unsure.
This poll is considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
