When Canadians want to know what the country is thinking, they turn to Nik Nanos, Artsci’88, EMBA’10.
The pollster and chief data scientist at is a familiar face on TV news. He’s known for taking the pulse of Canadians, explaining how they plan to vote and how they feel about the economy, environment, health care and a host of other issues.
But what many people don’t know is that Nanos’s polling career started at Queen’s.
While studying politics at Queen’s he did his first public survey, which showed that Progressive Conservative Flora MacDonald would lose to Liberal upstart Peter Milliken in the 1988 federal election in Kingston and the Islands. At the time, Nanos planned to become a lawyer. However, he soon realized that he had a knack for delving into data and helping people understand what the numbers meant.
Today, Nanos is one of Canada’s most trusted voices. His firm is the pollster of record for CTV, the Globe and Mail and Bloomberg News Canada. He’s also a Member of the Order of Canada.
Nanos is passionate about the role universities can play in shaping Canada’s future.
That’s why he says he’s honoured to be named the next chancellor of Carleton University, a role he will begin July 1.
“It’s an opportunity to serve,” he says, adding that: “I look at this as I’m not just serving Carleton but the broader university community in Canada, too.”
Nanos, who lives in Ottawa, has a long history with Carleton. He served as a member and chair of the university’s board of governors; he’s an adjunct research professor at its ; and he is on the advisory board of the Carleton-based Canadian Defence and Security Network.
Nanos says he wants to keep reminding Canadians of universities’ vital societal roles and how they are much more than places of academic learning – they are key to protecting society from misinformation and disinformation. They also create space for challenging but necessary conversations about justice, equality, the economy and democracy – and they do so in thoughtful, evidence-based ways.
His work in polling has shown him how dangerous polarized debates and false information can be, especially when they spread quickly on social media. In this environment, Nanos believes universities are more important than ever.
He’s also concerned about the Trump administration’s dealings with universities in the U.S. where, he says, “there are forces trying to undermine the mission and independence of universities.”
Nanos pushes back on that idea: “I think we need to make universities stronger and do a better job of telling their story. It’s more than just a degree. It’s a transformational experience that creates the citizens, entrepreneurs, professionals, and the leaders we’re going to need.”
After more than 35 years of surveying Canadians, Nanos says he’s still sometimes surprised by the results he gets. Case in point, polling last December showed the federal Liberals facing a historic election defeat under then prime minister Justin Trudeau – only to quickly climb the polls in March under new leader Mark Carney and then win the election.
“I’m like a walking-talking repository of thousands of studies and the voices of millions of Canadians on everything from what are your aspirations, how do you feel about the economy or climate change, to who are you going to vote for,” he says. “And you have to accept what the studies tell you. So, it’s a very humbling profession.”
