NATIONAL PULSE – Most say leaders’ debates helped them to decide

September 15, 2021 – With only one English language and two French language debates during the 44th federal election campaign, the leaders of the federal parties had limited opportunity to impress Canadians on the same national stage as their opponents.

New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds that among those who watched last week’s English and French debates, Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole and Green Party leader Annamie Paul impressed the most. Approximately three-in-ten viewers say they were impressed with each. One-in-five viewers were not impressed with any of the candidates (21%).

Overall, a majority say that they not only found the debates engaging (54%), but that they also learned new information that will help them in their decision-making on Election Day (63%). Notably, this proportion is identical among both English and French speakers.

More Key Findings:

• Green Party leader Annamie Paul punched above her weight, with 30 per cent of Conservatives, 26 per cent of Liberals, and 37 per cent of New Democrats qualifying her debate performance as impressive.

• Three-quarters of CPC voters were impressed by Erin O’Toole – an advantage over his competitors within their own parties. Three-in-five NDP voters (62%) were impressed with Jagmeet Singh, and 54 per cent of Liberal voters were impressed with Justin Trudeau

• Those who watched the debates closely were more impressed with O’Toole and Paul, while those who watched only portions were more likely to say that no one was impressive.

Link to the poll here: www.angusreid.org/