EDMONTON — As Canadians get ready to head to the polls, how they decide who to vote for has seen a dramatic change.
“In the past, your cues came from your parents while you were sitting around the kitchen table,” said Sean Simpson with Ipsos, whose firm found less than half of Canadians plan to vote the same way as their parents.
“Those kinds of discussions don’t take place as much any more because people don’t eat at their dinner tables.”
This change is clearly evident in different generations of voters.
Lorette Amyotte is a senior who has voted in several federal elections. Her political views were formed in part by her family, and staying loyal to one party is nothing unusual.
“It was just a natural thing to vote the same thing every time,” she said while having lunch with a friend at a west Edmonton seniors centre.
Compare that to University of Alberta student Renee Ouellette.
“I actually sassed multiple uncles because of who they were voting,” said Ouellette. Her political views were formed outside the household.
“I actually go through the websites, and also a lot of social media.”
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Simpson said that makes it a challenge for political parties to identify, and reach, their core supporters.
“As media election coverage expands into social media, into 24 hour news cycles, there’s all kinds of information coming to Canadians.”
Simpson added that constant flow of information has created tremendous volatility, and has caused huge swings in public opinion throughout the campaign.
“All three major political parties have been in first place at one particular point.”
Via Twitter Canada, a map of usage of the hashtag #elxn42 from Sept. 8-Oct. 6, during which time four leaders debates took place. Zoom in or type the name of the city to see a detailed view.
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