TORONTO -
A new poll suggests that, despite mounting job losses and warnings that the economic downturn is the worst since the Dirty Thirties, half of Canadians consider it's only a mild recession.
The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey found almost all respondents agree the country is in recession, but 50 per cent described it as mild and only 38 per cent called it severe.
Four in ten were optimistic about economic recovery in the next year, with only 26 per cent expecting things to get worse.
Even with unemployment at eight per cent and rising, two thirds of those surveyed said they aren't worried about losing their jobs in the next six months.
Pollster Jeff Walker said the results suggest the recession hasn't hit most individuals in day-to-day pocketbook issues.
The poll was part of an omnibus telephone survey which questioned just over 1,000 people between April 23 and April 26 and is considered accurate to within 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
