News Release

October 22, 2008

Chinese Canadians Comment on Election Results

Vancouver, BC – Over half of the S.U.C.C.E.S.S.’ online polling participants voted on the election day and many believe that the new Conservative government is able to handle the recent economic crisis. 

219 Chinese residents in the Lower Mainland participated in a post-election poll on S.U.C.C.E.S.S.’ website between October 15 and October 20. The poll results show that Chinese Canadians in general are taking keen interest in Canadian’s federal politics.  142 or 64.8% of the participants said they voted on the election day.  Among the 77 respondents who did not vote, over 60% indicated that they were non-citizens, and 10 said they were not interested in voting or did not have particular political orientation.  Only a few expressed that they did not vote because of language barrier or having limited access to election information.  The results indicate that many Chinese Canadians are engaged in political issues and have received adequate information about the election.                

Many participants voted for the party.  44.8% of the survey respondents said the party and its past performance were the major factors they considered when voting.  About 28% of the respondents mainly considered individual candidates’ background and their past performance.  22% of them considered the campaign platform and only about 3% said campaign advertising had a significant impact on their votes.

Many participants felt positive about Canada’s future under the leadership of the new Conservative government.  45.8% of the respondents said they are confident that Stephen Harper and his Conservative government can lead the country to go through the current economic crisis.  However, some 23.6% of them think the opposite.  Some respondents said that they feel that Conservative is a better choice, even though they are not sure if they would necessarily do a good job especially during the hard economic times.  In addition, a dozen of respondents mentioned that they feel this election is a waste of time and money.  They think the election has brought about no change and it has no meaning to the country.  They do not wish to see another federal election happening in near future.    

S.U.C.C.E.S.S. conducts public opinion polling in Chinese language on its website on a regular basis.  The upcoming topic is on the recent economic problems.  The poll will start on October 24.  Participants will have the opportunity to discuss how the economy has affected their daily lives.  

Founded in 1973, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is one of the largest social service providers in British Columbia with over 20 locations and 2 overseas offices. For more details, please visit: www.success.bc.ca.

 Innovatively Integrating New Canadians for 35 Years

-30-

For more information, please contact:

Thomas Tam

Program Director

Business & Economic Development

Tel: 604-639-5588

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Eileen Lao

Public Affairs Manager

Tel: 604-408-7243

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it