Angus Reid Poll: Canadians Twice as Likely to Prefer Private to Public Sector
[VANCOUVER – Aug. 5, 2008] – Canadians are twice as likely to think that employment with private companies is more honourable than working for the government, a new Angus Reid Strategies poll reveals.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, one-third of Canadians (33%) say a career with a private company is more respectable, while 15 per cent feel the same way about a government job. Almost two-in-five (37%) think neither occupation is more admirable than the other.
In addition, 43 per cent of Canadians say that if they were given a choice, they would prefer to work in the private sector. One-third (32%) would choose the public sector.
Notably, the level of respect for jobs with private companies drops with education—41 per cent of respondents with a high school degree or less think working for a private company is admirable, compared to 31 per cent of those with a college or technical school diploma and only one-in-four (24%) of those with a university degree.
Male respondents s (41%) are also much more likely than female respondents (25%) to find careers within private companies honourable, while those living in Alberta are especially reluctant to choose between either job (46%).
When discussing career choices, British Columbians are especially keen on working in the private sector (51%), while those living in the Atlantic Provinces are much more inclined towards the public sector (42%) than the rest of the regions.
Interestingly, males (53%), respondents aged 55 and over (49%) and those with a household income of $100,000 or more (50%) are more prone to choose a career in the private sector, while women (35%), those living in households earning between $50,000 and $99,000 (39%) and those with at least one university degree (36%) are more disposed towards public service.
The survey also asked Canadians which features of the private and public sectors they find more appealing.
Among respondents who expressed an inclination to private sector jobs, 42 per cent mention creativity as an attractive trait, followed by the salaries offered (36%) and the ability to change careers swiftly (16%).
Younger adults (48%) are especially drawn to the salaries offered by private organizations, while older adults (21%) and Atlantic Canadians (25%) like having the ability to switch occupations.
Among respondents who would prefer to work in the public sector, almost half (46%) believe the benefits packages are appealing, while about one-in-four are drawn by both job safety (26%) and the chance to fulfill a vocation of service (24%).
Quebecers (57%) and respondents with a high school degree or less (55%) are especially fond of the benefits packages offered in the public sector, while Albertans (39%) and those with at least one university degree (41%) are more likely to cite a vocation of service as an appealing trait. Job safety is particularly attractive to those living in Manitoba and Saskatchewan (48%).
Full Report, Detailes Tables and Methodology (PDF)