How tall is Scheer — and other things Islanders have been Googling as election nears

The answer, for all those Islanders asking, is six feet, four inches.

According to Google Canada, the most common searched question on the search engine from P.E.I. about political leaders was, How tall is Andrew Scheer?

No. 2? How old is Justin Trudeau? (He'll be 48 on Christmas Day).

Aaron Brindle, a Google trends expert with Google Canada, says while those questions may seem trivial when it comes to policy, it shows Islanders are curious about the leaders.

"People in P.E.I. are not necessarily searching for a specific controversy. They're often searching for information that's closer to what you might find on the back of a hockey card," he said. 

Canadians are engaging on this stuff.— Aaron Brindle

"It is a way of better understanding the leaders who you're seeing on TV or in the newspaper every day."

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Brindle used the data from the period from Oct. 9-16. Google Canada does not provide specific numbers on how many times a certain keyword or question has been put into Google, Brindle said. 

Google's top three most searched questions from P.E.I. in general about the election during that period were: When is the Canadian election, where do I vote in the federal election and who is winning the Canadian election?

Health was top-searched issue

The top searched political issues were health, cannabis and tax.

"Some of that feels like really straightforward information, and it is when you type that into Google," he said.

"That also tells you that Canadians care and I think that is affirming given the current climate around anxieties of misinformation or foreign interference. Canadians are engaging on this stuff."

P.E.I.'s results are similar to searches performed Canada-wide, Brindle said, especially when it comes to issues and the top three searched leaders — Trudeau, the Liberal leader, Jagmeet Singh, the NDP leader and Scheer, the Conservative leader. 

And searches for them have spiked since the election call, Brindle said. In Canada and P.E.I., for example, searches on Google for Trudeau outnumber searches for Justin Bieber six to one.

"Searches for Andrew Scheer, they're outpacing Sidney Crosby. Searches for Justin Trudeau are outpacing Justin Bieber. Jagmeet Singh is outpacing Drake. This never happens but it's happening right now and because Canadians are paying attention."

That said, Brindle noted that searches on Google for the National Hockey League outnumber searches for the election by two to one.

'Other stuff out there'

And Donald Trump? He outpaces all the leaders by at least five to one when it comes to Google searches on P.E.I., Brindle said.

"Canadians are engaging but there's also other stuff out there."

Here are the top election-related searches on Google from P.E.I. from Oct. 9-16:

Top questions on elections

1. When is the Canadian election?

2. Where do I vote in federal election?

3. Who is winning the Canadian election?

4. Who is leading in the federal election polls?

5. How many seats for majority in Canada?

6. Who will be Canada's next PM?

7. How is Jody Wilson-Raybould doing in the election campaign?

8. How many people are registered to vote in this election?

9. Who is the attorney general of Canada?

10. When do polls close on election day?

Top searched political issues:

1. Health.

2. Cannabis.

3. Tax.

4. Education.

5. Trade.

6. Health care.

7. Crime.

8. Immigration.

9. Climate change.

10. Housing.

Top searched leaders:

1. Justin Trudeau.

2. Jagmeet Singh.

3. Andrew Scheer.

4. Elizabeth May.

5. Maxime Bernier.

Top questions about political leaders:

1. How tall is Andrew Scheer?

2. How old is Justin Trudeau?

3. How old is Andrew Scheer?

4. Where was Andrew Scheer born?

5. Where is Jagmeet Singh from?

6. What was Andrew Scheer's profession?

7. Is Andrew Scheer American?

8. Did Scheer say he is pro life?

9. What will happen to Justin Trudeau if he loses?

10. Is Jagmeet Singh allowed in India in 2019?

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