Poll suggests Canadians appear pessimistic about their economic futures

OTTAWA – A new poll suggests the political battle constantly being waged for the support of Canada's middle class is being fought over increasingly shrinking territory.

An Ekos-Canadian Press survey of 4,839 Canadians suggests the number of people who self-identify as working class or poor is on the rise.

Pollster Frank Graves says that while the middle class itself may be comfortable with the direction of the current Liberal government, the growing ranks of working class and poor aren't.

Graves says the question becomes where those increasingly disconnected Canadians park their votes and if they represent the groundwork for either a right-wing or progressive populism taking hold in the coming years.

The poll, conducted between Sept. 15 and Oct. 1, suggests people are feeling more pessimistic about their own futures not just over the next year, but over the next five.

The overall survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 per cent, 19 times out of 20.