Economy on everyone's mind in Saskatchewan

February 27th, 2009 (Saskatoon, SK).  One third of Saskatchewan residents say the economy is the most important issue facing the province today (33.6%). Health care comes in at a distant second (13.5%) followed by jobs and unemployment issues (12.8%).
 
Meanwhile, confidence in the national economy continues to slide; presently the majority of Saskatchewan residents believe the Canadian economy will get worse over the next 6 months (55.0%), up from 49.7% in January 2009 and more than double the percentage in May 2008 (22.6%). By contrast, 16.2% believe Canada's economy will get better within the next six months, the lowest proportion seen since Insightrix began tracking economic outlooks in May 2008. In January 2009, 20.6% believed the country’s economy would get better and 29.5% did so in May 2008.
 
Confidence in the provincial economy has also slipped; one third of Saskatchewan residents now believe it will get worse over the next 6 months (33.5%) compared to 22.9% in January 2009 and well above the 9.3% in May 2008. Currently, two in ten believe the provincial economy will get better (21.9%), down from 29.7% in January and two thirds in May 2008 (67.8%). Remaining respondents thought it would either stay the same or were unsure.
 
All three polls were conducted by Insightrix research by telephone to a random and representative selection of Saskatchewan residents. The most recent poll ran between February 10th and 16th, 2009. All polls include 800 completed surveys. The results are considered accurate to within ±3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
 
Presently, concern about personal finances is relatively high.  The majority are somewhat or very concerned (52.9%). Concern about job stability is lower, yet still prevalent: 24.3% are somewhat or very concerned about their personal job security and 27.9% about their employer downsizing or laying off staff. These percentages exclude those who are not employed.
 

About Insightrix
Founded in 2001, Insightrix Research Inc. is a full service market research firm that helps clients develop, administer and manage data collection and information strategies. From their office in Saskatoon, Insightrix offers a comprehensive range of research services.

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