How Canadians Rate their National Capital: NCC and ACS Release New National Survey
Today the National Capital Commission and the Association for Canadian Studies released survey data which found that a plurality of Canadians feel that the most important roles for the Capital is to represent Canada to the world and to the country. Canada’s Capital also ranked highest among international capital cities according to respondents in 4 countries surveyed.
ACS Executive Director Jack Jedwab said “our research collaboration with the NCC reveals Canadians rate their Capital more positively than other international leading capitals are rated by their own citizens”. When asked about overall perceptions of their own national capital, almost 9 out of 10 (89%) Canadians ranked Canada’s Capital as positive or very positive. This was higher than the ratings provided by the citizens surveyed in the United States (76%), United Kingdom (82%) and France (80%) about perceptions of their respective national capitals.
Some 82% of Canadians ranked the Capital Region positively (somewhat + very) when asked to rate some of the country’s major metropolitan areas.
The surveys were conducted as part of the NCC’s review of the Plan for Canada’s Capital, the 50-year plan that sets out the future vision for the nation’s Capital.
“As part of the review of the plan for Canada’s Capital, this is the first time the NCC is engaging Canadians directly and asking them how their Capital can better inspire them and tell their story,” said Marie Lemay, Chief Executive Officer of the National Capital Commission. In a ranked multi-choice question, nearly 2 in 3 respondents picked “representing Canada to the world” as the role the Capital Region should prioritize. “This survey clearly shows that Canadians want their Capital to represent them within Canada but also to the world.”
This fall, the National Capital Commission (NCC) is inviting Canadians to take part in a national conversation about the future of Canada’s Capital. In collaboration with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, the NCC is hosting a series of Capital Conversations. Ideas gathered during these conversations as well as online at www.horizon2067.ca will help shape the future vision for the nation’s Capital.
The Capital Conversations series launched in Ottawa and continued in Québec City Halifax, Victoria, Vancouver and Edmonton. Summaries, photos and videos of those conversations are available at www.horizon2067.ca. Upcoming Capital Conversations include Toronto on November 17th and Montreal on November 28th as well as other events.
Further details about the national survey are available online here. The national poll conducted for the Association of Canadian Studies and the National Capital Commission was conducted online by Leger Marketing in all regions of Canada with a representative sample of 2,345 Canadians, between September 20th and October 3rd 2011. A probabilistic sample of 2,345 respondents would yield a margin of error of 2%, 19 times out of 20.
Additional information about Horizon 2067, the review of the Plan for Canada’s Capital, as well as the schedule of activities is available online at www.horizon2067. Follow us on Twitter at @horizon2067 (#cc2067).
Media Information:
Julie Perrone
Director of Communications
Association for Canadian Studies
514-925-3096
julie.perrone@acs-aec.ca
Mario Tremblay
NCC Media Relations
613-239-5665 (office)
613-859-9596 (cellular)
mario.tremblay@ncc-ccn.ca
Photos on Flickr
