A new poll suggests 57 per cent of Canadians want Ottawa to lower its gas tax -- even if that would result in the federal government running a deficit.

The Strategic Counsel survey, conducted for CTV and The Globe and Mail, came out the same week that the average price of gas at the pumps rose 3.9 cents to $1.29 per litre.

"For all the talk out there about a carbon tax, people have a limit when it comes to taxes they're willing to pay for energy," the Strategic Counsel's Peter Donolo told CTV's Mike Duffy Live on Tuesday.

Respondents were asked whether they agreed or disagreed the gas tax should be cut, keeping in mind the risk of a deficit:

  • Total agree: 57 per cent
  • Strongly agree: 35 per cent
  • Somewhat agree: 22 per cent
  • Neither agree nor disagree: 5 per cent
  • Somewhat disagree: 18 per cent 
  • Strongly disagree: 18 per cent.
  • Total disagree: 36 per cent 

Despite those results, the same poll found that few Canadians attributed the high price of gas to government taxes. Instead, most felt that oil companies were behind the rise:

  • Oil companies making excessive profits: 50 per cent
  • Increasing demand from countries like India and China: 29 per cent
  • High government taxes: 14 per cent

"Fairly or unfairly, oil companies perennially wear black hats with most consumers," said Donolo.

Along with high gas prices, the poll also touched on another issue troubling many Canadians, especially in Ontario -- the future of Canada's economy.

Sixty-one per cent of respondents felt that Ontario is becoming a "have-not" province because of a declining manufacturing sector in the province, and the growth of the energy sector in Western Canada. And 75 per cent of respondents thought that if Ontario hits an economic downturn, it would hurt the entire country.

Meanwhile, 51 per cent of Canadians felt they were better off financially than they were a decade ago. But when respondents were asked if teenagers will be better off when they turn 30 than someone who is 30 now, less than a quarter thought their economic situation would improve:

  • Better off: 22 per cent
  • About the same: 25 per cent
  • Not as well: 47 per cent

Technical notes

  • The poll was conducted between May 8-1 by The Strategic Counsel for CTV and The Globe and Mail.
  • The national sample size is 1,000 people and the margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
  • Results are based on tracking among a proportionate national sample of Canadians 18 years of age or older.