CANADIANS CHOOSE The favourite travel companion among candidates

Posted on 10/08/2015

We won’t know until October 19 whom Canadians want as their next Prime Minister, but they’ve clearly chosen Justin Trudeau as their preferred travel buddy, according to a new survey conducted by Travelzoo, a global Internet media company.  
When asked who they’d like to go on a road trip with, 42% of Canadian respondents named the Liberal leader compared with 25% who chose Prime Minister Stephen Harper, 20% who chose Green Party leader Elizabeth May and 10% who chose NDP leader Thomas Mulcair. And while most respondents voted along party lines, 22% of Conservatives and 36% of New Democrats opted for Trudeau over their own party’s leader. In fact, New Democrats preferred Trudeau over Mulcair by 10%.

Harper voted least desirable airplane companion Trudeau also beat the pack when respondents were asked whom they’d rather sit next to on an airplane, with 41% of votes compared to 29% for Prime Minister Harper, 17% for May and 10% for Mulcair. Respondents were equally vocal about whom they didn’t want as their seatmate, with 41% choosing Harper as opposed to 13% who voted for Trudeau and 12% who did not want to sit next to Mulcair.

New Democrats love Trudeau The preferences remained consistent for more adventurous travel options. When respondents were asked whom they would go snorkelling with, Trudeau came out on top with 49% of the vote, including 27% of the Conservative vote and 52% of votes from New Democrats.

Harper came in second with 20% of the total vote, followed by May at 14%. Mulcair trailed at 11 %. Similarly, when asked who they would travel through Europe with, respondents overwhelmingly chose Trudeau with 43% of the vote, followed by Harper at 25%, May at 13% and Mulcair at 11%. Trudeau and May are winners

While Trudeau may be the undeniable favourite for Canadian travel companion, May’s appeal is also worth noting. Even with only 6% of respondents identifying as Green Party supporters, May managed to secure anywhere between 13% and 17% of the popularity vote across all questions. Green Party members more adventurous Green Party members were also more likely (50%) to choose adventure holidays over those focusing on history or relaxation while Tories were the least likely (26%) to choose thrill trips.

Canadians love to save Regardless of respondents’ travel or political tastes, they all had one thing in common. Seventy-four percent of respondents said they would rather save than splash out on vacations. Who would you choose to sit beside or travel with?   Source: 862 adults in Canada, age 18+ surveyed online on September 5-14, 2015.