Nanos Leadership Poll

A quick post about a Nanos leadership poll released today. It was taken between September 3 and September 11, so it is a little out of date.

Canadians were asked which leader was best suited to manage...

Economy

Stephen Harper - 41%
Michael Ignatieff - 27%
Jack Layton - 10%

Environment

Stephen Harper - 22%
Jack Layton - 21%
Elizabeth May - 18%
Michael Ignatieff - 17%

National Unity

Stephen Harper - 30%
Michael Ignatieff - 28%
Jack Layton - 15%

Taxes

Stephen Harper - 40%
Michael Ignatieff - 24%
Jack Layton - 12%

Health Care

Stephen Harper - 29%
Michael Ignatieff - 22%
Jack Layton - 22%

These kinds of polls are difficult to figure out, though. Aside from the economy, which we can assume everyone wants to do better, the motivation behind people's choices are unknown. If you're not concerned with the state of the environment, your choice of who is best suited to manage it is motivated by different reasons than an environmentalist. If you want Quebec to leave the country (whether you're a Quebecer or not) or if you're upset with Canada's centralisation, that skews how you choose who is best to manage national unity. If you want taxes to go down, go up, or stay the same, that also influences who you would choose. And if you want privatised healthcare or not makes a difference as well.

So take these kinds of polls with a grain of salt.