Generational Replacement Can be Small Part of the Story of Value Change

Not too long ago, I wrote about the dramatic change in public opinion about same-sex marriage and our natural tendency is to think of these types of changes as being a reflection, to some degree, of generational replacement. Younger people have different attitudes than the previous generations and over time they become a larger proportion of […]

The Fragile Nature of Consumer Confidence

The impression one gets from a casual following of economic news is that Canada is doing well but not outstanding. There are concerns about Europe and the U.S. but these seem divorced from the day-to-day lives of most Canadians. Nevertheless, consumer confidence has dropped quite precipitously over the past three months. According to TNS Canada, […]

An Historic Evolution of Public Opinion: A Look Back at Same-Sex Marriage in Canada

Public opinion change is not unheard of but when it comes to fundamental beliefs and values, we expect change to take place slowly, if at all. The evolution of Canadian beliefs about same-sex marriage provide an interesting example of dramatic changes that both presupposed and reacted to court decisions.  Courts played a key role in […]

Why Senate Reform is Not About Public Opinion Right Now and Not Very Likely

Senators have been having a tough time the last few weeks and the institution is looking a lot less like an institution of sober second thought and more like a frat house. But, even if Harper is now regretting his choices and even though he may want senate reform, the recent events do nothing to […]

The Stagnation Phase: Evolution of Consumer Confidence

There are no shortage of real world indicators of economic performance of an economy and its implications for everyday citizens but sometimes a public opinion measure offers us a clear alternative to hard economic stats. Since 2004, consumer sentiment about the economy has moved through four distinct phases and we are now mired in a period […]