Canadians feel that Apple is the most leading-edge brand out there, a recent Ipsos Reid poll has reported. Of the 1,013 Canadian adults polled, 45 per cent named Apple as the most leading-edge brand, followed by Google with 24 per cent, and Ikea and Microsoft at 23 per cent. For this survey, the following 14 statements were used to define “leading-edge”:

• Is a trendsetter
• Is unique
• Are unconventional
• Stand-out
• Is innovative
• Is an original
• Are ahead of its time
• Leads it competitors
• Sets an example for other brands
• Is edgy
• Is sexy
• Has forever changed the consumer landscape
• Is the benchmark I compare competitive brands against
• I can’t wait to see what they will introduce next

Ekos Politics has released a new report, Beyond the Horserace, which aims to look at the deeper issues facing our country. Released in six parts, the full report is available online here.

Here is a look at the type of questions asked in this report:

Federal Vote Intention

The Conservatives are still in first place as the favoured political party, with 31.4 per cent support. The NDP remain in second place with 29.5 per cent, followed by the Liberals at 24.8 per cent, the Bloc Quebecois at 6.7 per cent and the Green Party at 6.1 per cent. Ekos then took these results one step further and weighted them based on the May 2nd vote, in which only 60 per cent of Canadians came to the polls. The weighted results are: Conservatives at 36.7 per cent, NDP at 27.8 per cent, Liberals at 21.9 per cent, Bloc Quebecois at 6.6 per cent and Green Party at 6.1 per cent.

Direction of Country/Government

Nearly half of respondents (47 per cent) said they felt the country was moving in the wrong direction. A total of 41 per cent think Canada is moving in the right direction, while 12 per cent did not know or didn’t respond.

Respondents were also asked if the government was moving in the right direction or not. Over half (55 per cent) feel that they are moving in the wrong direction, while 33 per cent think they are moving in the right direction. The remaining 12 per cent did not know or did not respond.

Personal Financial Outlook

When asked to think ahead over the next year or so, nearly half of respondents (47 per cent) believe that their personal financial situation will be the same as it is now, while 30 per cent feel that it will be better and 23 per cent thought that it will be worse. In the next question, respondents were asked to look ahead five years or so. A total of 42 per cent feel that their personal financial situation will improve in that time frame, while 31 per cent think it will be the same and 25 per cent think it will be worse.

Role of Social Media in Democracy

The majority of Canadians (62 per cent) think that social media is good for democracy, while 17 per cent feel that it is harmful to democracy. The remaining 21 per cent did not know or did not respond to this question.

For the full report, please go here.

British Columbians are generally supportive of plans to build oil and condensate pipelines for export and import purposes, a recent Ipsos Reid poll has reported. This survey, conducted online, showed survey respondents the following description of the proposed Northern Gateway Pipelines Project:

“As you may know, Enbridge is the company leading the Northern Gateways Pipeline Project, which is a proposal to build an underground pipeline system between near Edmonton, Alberta and Kitimat, in Northern B.C. One pipline will transport oil to Kitimat for export by tanker to China and other Asian markets. A second pipeline will be used to import condensate (a product used to thin oil products for pipeline transport) to Alberta.”

Of the 1,000 British Columbian adults polled, 48 per cent (48 per cent overall, 14 per cent “strongly”) are in support of the project, while 32 per cent (32 per cent overall, 13 per cent “strongly”) are opposed. “Employment/economic benefits” was the top project benefit, according to 51 per cent of respondents, while the top project concern was “general environmental concerns” (43 per cent) and “risk of spills/leaks” (21 per cent).

While many believe that workplaces in Canada have become more tolerant, instances of discrimination against the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) community still occur sometimes, a recent Angus Reid Public Opinion Poll has found.

This poll, conducted in partnership with the Toronto Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce found that 93 per cent of the 983 gay, lesbian and bisexual employed adult Canadians surveyed say that their employer’s overall attitude is tolerant (64 per cent “very tolerant”, 29 per cent “somewhat tolerant”) toward LGBT people in the workplace, while seven per cent are intolerant (six per cent “somewhat intolerant”, one per cent “very intolerant”).

When asked about their co-workers’ overall attitude, 89 per cent said that they are also tolerant (50 per cent “very tolerant”, 39 per cent “somewhat tolerant”), while 11 per cent are intolerant (nine per cent “somewhat intolerant”, two per cent “very intolerant”).

Most Canadians have heard of the Occupy Wall Street protests, a recent Nanos survey has reported. A total of 68.4 per cent of the 1,202 Canadian adults surveyed for this poll say they have heard of the demonstrations, while 31.6 per cent said they had not. Over half of the respondents say they have a “favourable” (37.1 per cent) or “somewhat favourable” (21.3 per cent) impression of the demonstrations, for a total of 58.4 per cent.

Canadians are not very aware of pancreatic cancer, a recent Ipsos Reid survey conducted for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month (November) has found. Only 37 per cent of respondents say they are knowledgeable (six per cent “very knowledgeable”, 31 per cent “somewhat knowledgeable”) about the disease, while 63 per cent say they are not knowledgeable (16 per cent “not at all knowledgeable”, 46 per cent “not very knowledgeable”). Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest form of cancer, with a five-year survival rate of just six per cent. In comparison, the five-year survival rate for prostate cancer is 96 per cent, for breast cancer the rate is 89 per cent, for colorectal cancer the rate is 63 per cent, and for lung cancer the rate is 16 per cent.

Donations to charitable organizations in Canada have increased, a recent Ipsos Reid survey has found. In the past year, 69 per cent of Canadians have made a financial contribution to a charity, up from 65 per cent in 2009.

Canadians agree that head shots should be banned from the NHL, a recent Angus Reid survey on violence in hockey has reported. A total of 80 per cent of the 2,005 Canadian adults polled believe that head shots should be banned. Respondents were less sure about banning fighting altogether, with 43 per cent thinking that hockey would be better off without fighting, while 23 per cent believe that hockey would be no better or no worse off and 25 per cent feel that hockey would be worse off if fighting was banned.

Blackberry phones remain the top brand in Smartphone market share in Canada, while the iPad dominates the tablet market and Kobo leads the eReader market, a new Ipsos Reid poll has found. Blackberry has 38 per cent of the Smartphone market, followed by Android phones at 27 per cent and the Apple iPhone at 25 per cent. In the tablet market, the iPad by Apple remains on top with 56 per cent, followed by Blackberry’s PlayBook at 10 per cent. Kobo has over one-third of the market for eReaders at 36 per cent, the Kindle by Amazon has 25 per cent and Sony’s eReader has 23 per cent.

Two-thirds (66 per cent) of Canadians believe our economy is “good”, down from 73 per cent in August 2011, a recent Ipsos Reid global poll on the economy has reported. Citizens in 24 countries were asked about their opinion on the state of their country’s economy in this poll. For more information, please go here.

Canadians have embraced the tablet, Ipsos Reid’s Mobil-ology Study of Smartphone, Tablet & eReader Users in Canada has found. The number of tablets purchased in Canada has doubled between January and August 2011, while eReader ownership increased by 75 per cent and Smartphones increased by 30 per cent.