Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Crime is top issue for Winnipeggers: poll
People in other cities not as concerned
Winnipeggers are more concerned about crime than are residents of other larger Canadian cities.
A new survey by Probe Research Inc. found 43 per cent of Winnipeggers believe crime, violence and gangs are the most important public concerns facing the city.
What was asked
THE Probe Research Inc. poll was conducted by telephone between Sept. 13-27 among 600 Winnipeg adults. It is considered accurate to within four percentage points.
Respondents were asked: "I would like you to tell me what you consider to be the most important issue or concern facing your community today. And what other issues or concerns do you think are important for your community today?"
The Ipsos/Reid survey was conducted by telephone between Aug. 14-18 of 4,393 adults. The margin of error for each city is 4.7 percentage points.
The level of the public's concern reflects Winnipeg's high crime rate, a Probe spokesman said Monday.
"Winnipeg has a higher crime rate compared to other Canadian cities and this gets a lot of media attention," said Curtis Brown, a research associate with Probe.
Brown said Statistics Canada recently found Winnipeg has the highest homicide rate among the country's major urban centres, once again earning the title of Murder Capital of Canada.
Brown said a similar survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid/Global TV of other Canadian cities, found crime isn't as a high a priority for the citizens of those communities as it is for Winnipeggers.
The Probe Research found that 43 per cent of Winnipeggers cited crime as the most important issue, a far higher percentage than residents of Saskatoon (30 per cent), Edmonton (27 per cent), Regina (25 per cent), Halifax (23 per cent), Toronto (21 per cent), Calgary (14 per cent), Montreal (13 per cent) and Vancouver (10 per cent).
The Probe survey found Winnipeggers' concern for infrastructure dropped off dramatically. It was ranked the top issue by 20 per cent of residents in June but fell to just four per cent in the September survey. Conversely, in June crime was cited by 28 per cent of respondents as the most pressing issue.
Probe found that no other issue grabbed Winnipeggers's attention as much as crime: Health care was cited by nine per cent of respondents, the economy and environment by six per cent, poverty/homelessness by five per cent, and infrastructure by four per cent.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 3, 2009 B3
-
WFP Hockey
Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
-
Editor's Bulletin
Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
-
Winnipeg Jets
All things NHL on our Jets landing page
-
Twitter
Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
-
News Cafe
Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
-
Facebook Fanpage
Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events
Ads by Google
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
Poll
Most Popular
- Juror dismissed in second-degree murder trial of Mark Stobbe
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Steinbach booms to No. 3 city in province
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife dead
- Should infants be allowed in the House of Commons?
- US teen gets life in prison for killing 9-year-old; called the murder "pretty enjoyable"
- No comfort in trade talk: Veteran Thorburn says closely knit club well worth keeping together
- Father of man charged in Mountie shootings pleads with him to come home
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Three winning tickets sold for Friday's $50 million Lotto Max jackpot
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- Eleven people killed after truck hits van in southwestern Ontario
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Tactical squad storms St. Vital house
- Restaurant Dubrovnik may be closed for good
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- Do you smoke marijuana?
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- George Clooney's prank could end Pitt's career
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Tina Maze strips down to her sports bra to send out underwear message: 'Not your business'
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Two children, two women die in fire
- Kate Beckinsale's weight fears over Underworld catsuit
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Fighting fire with knowledge
- New appointees named to Manitoba Hydro board
- Spain mourns death of Catalan painter, sculptor Antoni Tapies, top contemporary art figure
- Steinbach booms to No. 3 city in province
- Juror dismissed in second-degree murder trial of Mark Stobbe
- Our 'true champion'
- Pardon application fee to quadruple later this month despite complaints
- Flood reviews launched
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Northern fishing lodge destroyed by fire
- Police target drivers talking on cellphones, texting
- Obama torn by conflicting allies
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Fighting fire with knowledge
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Paddler Starkell was modern-day voyageur
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Canadian woman 'badly injured' in Mexico, local media report apparent beating
- Winnipeg mother watches as car stolen with child inside
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site


You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.