Ford government’s 2026 Budget survey’s leading questions and missing options will create “junk data”

The Ford government’s 2026 Budget Consultation survey opened on November 21, 2025 and will run until January 30, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. (ET).

The following is a review of the quality of the survey’s design quality using Harvard University’s Program on Survey Research Tip Sheet on Question Wording.

The survey generally avoids technical jargon and uses simple language. However, it frequently suffers from:

• leading language (biasing the respondent to view the government favorably), and
• double-barreled questions (asking two things at once).

A good survey question is neutral and does not assume a positive premise. This survey repeatedly frames the government’s current actions as successful, forcing the respondent to agree with that premise to answer the question.

While it mimics the format of a survey, its primary function seems to be validating pre-existing government priorities or messaging, rather taking advantage of an opportunity for informative, standardized data collection.

For the reasons below, Open Council does not recommend completing this survey. Instead, consider making a written submission to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.

Leading language

In Questions 2, 4, and 8, the survey asks what the government should “continue to” protect, invest in, or address. This wording implies the government is already successfully protecting or investing in these areas. It denies the respondent the ability to say, “You aren’t doing this well at all.”

Double-barreled questions and options

The survey frequently combines two different goals/topics into a single question or response option, making it impossible to know which part the respondent is actually answering.

• Q1: Lowering business and personal taxes and providing tax benefits and credits.
• Q3: address unemployment and support laid-off workers
• Q6: creating child welfare services and special education programs

What if I support lowering personal taxes but oppose business tax credits? This option bundles them, making the vote ambiguous.

Vague and imprecise terms

Question 6: “Building safer and more inclusive communities.”

Almost no one disagrees with this. It is vague and doesn’t offer a specific policy action (like “increasing police presence” or “funding youth centers”), so the data derived from it will be essentially useless.

Framing bias

Question 8’s preamble (“The government recognizes that Ontario is facing challenges due to global economic uncertainty”) primes the user to believe economic issues are the fault of “global” forces, not local policy.

Options’ exhaustiveness inconsistent

Questions 1, 8, 9, and 10 include an “Other.” option, while Questions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 lack an “Other” option. Questions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 include “No opinion”, but it is missing for Question 1.

To ensure answer options are exhaustive, surveys should include an “Other, please specify” category whenever the provided choices do not “anticipate all possible choices”.

For example, for Question 5 (keeping costs down), the options are limited to housing, taxes, child care, electricity, and social services. A respondent might prioritize “gas prices” or “food/alcohol costs,” but without an “other” option, they cannot express this key priority.

The demographics questions are the strongest in the survey. They are clear and mutually exclusive. Placing them at the end is a best practice, especially for personal questions.

Survey questions

1. What should the government prioritize to protect Ontario’s economy from U.S. tariffs and make the province a more favourable place to live, work, invest and raise a family? Choose your top 3 priorities:

• Lowering business and personal taxes and providing tax benefits and credits
• Investing, building and maintaining critical infrastructure faster
• Increasing incentives for purchasing and promoting Ontario-made products
• Providing training and upskilling opportunities for workers
• Expanding access to primary and home care
• Creating more support for affordable housing
• Other

2. How can the Ontario government continue to protect businesses in the province? Choose your top 3 priorities:

• Supporting sectors through financing programs
• Helping communities navigate trade disruptions
• Allowing businesses to defer select provincial taxes
• Assisting businesses through rebates
• No opinion

3. What should the government support to address unemployment and support laid-off workers? Choose your top 3 priorities:

• Investing in more supports for business impacted by tariffs
• Investing in specialized centres for workers impacted by layoffs
• Supporting employment programs
• Investing in new programs to support youth facing unemployment
• Incentivizing people to work in Northern and rural areas
• No opinion

4. What should the government continue to invest in for critical infrastructure and transit options? Choose your top 3 priorities:

• Improving roads and highways
• Building better transit options
• Expanding hospitals and long-term care homes
• Building affordable housing
• Refurbishing nuclear energy plants
• Expanding educational institutions
• No opinion

5. What should the government focus on to keep costs down? Choose your top 3 priorities:

• Expanding supports for affordable housing
• Lowering taxes through tax benefits and credits
• Improving affordable child care services
• Reducing electricity costs
• Increasing social services and supports
• Increasing financial supports
• No opinion

6. What services and resources could use more government support to make your community a safer place? Choose your top 3 priorities:

• Protecting Ontario’s borders
• Increasing broadband and high-speed internet services
• Building safer and more inclusive communities
• Creating child welfare services and special education programs
• Preventing auto theft
• No opinion

7. What is most important to Ontario’s health care system? Choose your top 3 priorities:

• Building and expanding hospitals and other health care facilities
• Improving home care and long-term care services
• Employing skilled workers
• Investing in mental health care and addiction supports
• Expanding services and activities for seniors
• No opinion

8. The government recognizes that Ontario is facing challenges due to global economic uncertainty. What should the government continue to address? Choose your top 3 priorities:

• Managing debt burden
• Keeping taxes and costs low
• Providing supports to families, seniors, post secondary students and workers
• Increasing support for affordable housing
• No opinion
• Other

9. To better understand the priorities of specific regions in Ontario, what region of Ontario do you live in?

• Southwestern Ontario (for example: Windsor, London)
• Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (for example: Markham, Brampton)
• Central Ontario (for example: Peterborough, Barrie)
• Eastern Ontario (for example: Ottawa, Kingston)
• Northern Ontario (for example: Timmins, Thunder Bay)
• Other

10. Which of the following best describes the community where you live?

• Rural community (for example: Temagami, Mattawan)
• Urban community (for example: Toronto, Ottawa)
• Suburban community (for example: Whitby, Richmond Hill)
• Other