Winnipeg – If you know what Farmville is, or if you have ever decided to “unfriend” someone you are not particularly fond of, chances are you’re one out of every two Winnipeg residents (49%) with a profile on the social networking website Facebook.

A Probe Research poll conducted for the Winnipeg Free Press finds that nearly as many Winnipeg residents (49%) have a Facebook profile compared to 50 percent who have resisted signing up for this website (1% did not say if they had a Facebook profile). Not surprisingly, the vast majority of young adults (78% of those aged 18-34 years) have established a presence on this website, but they are joined online by one-half (50%) of those aged 35-54 years. And there’s a good chance their parents – and maybe even their grandparents – are joining this virtual community, as more than one in five adults aged 55 years and over (21%) have signed up for Facebook.

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Labels: Facebook, Probe Research, social networking

Winnipeg – A new Winnipeg Free Press-Jory Capital poll conducted by Probe Research Inc. finds that Manitobans remain exceptionally confident in the economic future of their respective communities. Four out of five Manitobans (80%) remain very confident (30%) or somewhat confident (50%) in their community’s economic future. Though this represents a slight decrease (-4%) since September, the vast majority of Manitobans throughout the province remain relatively bullish about their region’s future economic prospects, with Winnipeg residents (82%, -5%) slightly more likely than non-Winnipeg residents (79%, -4%) to believe that the future is bright for their local economy.

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Labels: economic confidence, Jory Capital, Manitoba economy, Probe Research

Winnipeg – After a year of bank bailouts and financial catastrophe throughout the world, financial institutions may not inspire the level of confidence they once did. Here in Manitoba, however, most residents express continued faith in banks and credit unions despite the financial troubles that have challenged financial institutions elsewhere

A Winnipeg Free Press/Jory Capital survey of 1,000 Manitobans conducted by Probe Research finds that more than two-thirds of the province’s adults (68%) have the same level of confidence in banks as they did one year ago, with a similar proportion (66%) noting that their confidence in credit unions has remained unchanged during the past 12 months.

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Labels: banks, credit unions, economic confidence, Jory Capital, Probe Research

Winnipeg – There may be a new face in the premier’s chair, but the governing New Democratic Party has maintained its familiar place in front of its rivals as Manitoba most-popular political party.

A new Probe Research Inc./Winnipeg Free Press survey finds that new Premier Greg Selinger and his NDP government would be re-elected by nearly one-half (47%) of decided Manitoba voters if a provincial election were held today. The NDP now enjoys a 10-percentage point advantage over its nearest rivals, the Progressive Conservative party, which is the first choice of 37 percent of decided voters. The Manitoba Liberal Party, meanwhile, remains a distant third with the support of 11 percent of decided voters. Four percent of decided voters would cast ballots for parties not represented in the Legislature. Nearly in five voters (19%) are undecided.

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Labels: Greg Selinger, Manitoba Liberal Party, NDP, Probe Research, Progressive Conservative Party

Winnipeg – Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the governing Conservative Party have rebounded from a slight mid-year dip and now enjoy the support of one out of every two decided Manitoba voters.

A new poll conducted exclusively for the Winnipeg Free Press by Probe Research Inc. shows that the Conservatives have surpassed the same level of support that they enjoyed in the most recent election held in October 2008. As the graph on the following page shows, the Conservatives now have the backing of one-half (50%) of decided voters. The Conservative Party’s current level of support represents an increase of two percentage points since September 2009 and a six-point increase since June 2009.

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Labels: Conservative Party, federal standings, Liberal Party, Manitoba politics, NDP, Probe Research

Winnipeg – There should be more Santas and fewer Scrooges in Manitoba this holiday season, as a new Probe Research Inc. poll conducted for Jory Capital and the Winnipeg Free Press finds that fewer Manitobans plan to reduce their spending on gifts this holiday season.

With just two weeks to go until Christmas, just three in ten Manitobans (29%) say they plan to spend less money on gifts and entertainment this holiday season. This represents a seven percentage point drop since last December, when 36 percent of Manitobans said they would cut back on their holiday spending.

The percentage of Manitobans who plan to spend more money this year remains unchanged from one year ago (11%), while the proportion of Manitobans who plan to shell out the same amount they spent last Christmas has increased slightly (from 53% in December 2008 to 58%).

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Labels: holiday spending, Jory Capital, Manitoba economy