As Canadians reflect on the 2025 election results that delivered Mark Carney’s Liberals a minority government, polls show Canadian voters over the age of 60 voted on the question of dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump, not making Canada a better place to live.
A pre-election poll published by Abacus Data shows that the most important factor for voters age 60+ in determining their voting preference was the ability of the parties in dealing with Trump.
All of the other age demographics measured primarily voted to reduce the cost of living, a secondary priority for the 60+ demographic.
In contrast, the 18-29 year old demographic’s primary concern is reducing the cost of living, followed by making housing more affordable, making Canada a better place to live, and growing the economy. Dealing with Trump only ranked as the fourth most important factor in voting.
Abacus’ poll found that Canadians say Carney and the Liberal party is best positioned to handle Trump and the impact of his decisions, with 45 per cent indicating support for the Liberals while Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives reach 34 per cent.
Poilievre’s Conservatives held a ten point margin over the Liberals on the issue of reducing the cost of living and making housing more affordable, while holding a significant lead on running an ethical and scandal-free government and making Canada a better place to live.
Carney’s primary message on the campaign trail was facing the threat of Trump while Poilievre delivered a message of putting Canadian interests first and on change. While each leader dominated in support with voters primarily voting on Trump or change, dealing with Trump ended up as the more important issue.
While Abacus’ headline polling estimates were not spot-on, the firm did successfully predict the election would result in a two-point lead in the popular vote for the Liberals. The poll mainly overestimated support for the NDP and the People’s Party of Canada.
Nearly 900,000 Canadian students participated in a mock election where the Conservatives won 36.4 per cent of the popular vote compared to the Liberals’ 31.7 per cent. This would have given the Conservatives a minority government of 165 seats in the mock vote.