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Probe Research Winnipeggers positive on pandemic outlook After COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns threw millions of Canadians into employment and financial uncertainty, Probe Research Inc. conducted a public opinion poll to measure the confidence Winnipeggers had about the city and their future in the city. For more than two decades, Probe Research has undertaken quarterly omnibus surveys of random and representative samples of Manitoba adults, said the company's President, Scott MacKay. In close consultation with YES! Winnipeg, Probe Research polled 600 adult residents in September 2021—more than one year after local pandemic lockdowns began. At the time, Winnipeggers were bracing for the fourth wave of the pandemic and the results showed six in 10 adults were very or at least somewhat optimistic about the economic future of their city. The outcome was nine percentage points higher than the last time this sentiment was examined in December 2020 by YES! Winnipeg. "That's pretty strong," said MacKay. "To have 60 per cent—and this is well into the pandemic—is pretty good. It says something about the mood and the resiliency of the people of Winnipeg." On the employment front, the survey revealed that job security is strengthening with approximately one in four workers concerned about losing their job, which is down from 33 per cent of employees who were concerned in December 2020. "It's helpful to businesses to know the mood of the city," said MacKay, noting that Probe helps clients make smart, data- driven decisions. "People look at consumer sentiment to figure out where we're going. I think it is a leading indicator. It's not so much where we've come from but what people expect in the future." With a sample of 600 one can say with 95 per cent certainty that the results are within ±4 0 percentage points of what they would have been if the entire adult population of Winnipeg had been surveyed. The margin of error is higher within each of the survey's population subgroups. Courtesy of Probe Research Courtesy of Probe Research 53 YES! WINNIPEG YES! WINNIPEG INVESTORS | PROBE RESEARCH