The Angus Reid poll, conducted last week, found that three in five Canadians (58 per cent) described the ad as "deceiving," 32 per cent called it "unfair" and 32 per cent called it "offensive."
In the United States, meanwhile, 68 per cent of respondents called the ad "informative," 44 per cent said it was "honest" and 35 per cent believed it was "true."
While respondents in both Canada and the U.S. agreed that health care can be delayed in Canada (77 per cent in Canada; 68 per cent in the U.S.), almost half of Americans agreed with the ad's assertion that health care can be "denied" in Canada. In contrast, only 21 per cent of Canadians agreed.
And while only seven per cent of Canadians agreed with the ad's statement that "The Canadian government says patients aren't worth it," more than a quarter of Americans (27 per cent) said they thought that statement was true.
The poll surveyed 1,010 randomly selected Canadians and 1,005 Americans using an online questionnaire. Jaideep Mukerji of Angus Reid says the online format worked well for this survey since it allowed respondents to view the entire clip of the Holmes ad online before they offered their responses.
He says the poll elicited a number of interesting findings. For example, it found that two-thirds of Canadians have a "very" or "moderately positive" impression of their own health system. About 43 per cent of Americans also have a positive view of Canada's system.
In contrast, a full 65 per cent of Americans have a "moderately" or "very negative" view of the American system. Canadians agree; a full 79 per cent of respondents on this side of the border had a negative impression of American-style health care.
Maybe her rightwingnut paymasters will reward her with a bonus.
Many good Canadian -- and American -- bloggers have been all over this. Drs. Pale and Prole have been outstanding. Go read the latest from Dr. Prole.
And if you're one of the three or four people in Canada who haven't seen the ad, it's here.
