Fee Range for David Coletto
$10,001 - $15,000 CAD
David Coletto
Keynote Speaker, Founder - Abacus Data;
Expert on Generational Change, Politics & Public Opinion Trends
About David Coletto
David Coletto is one of Canada's best-known pollsters and the founder and CEO of Abacus Data. His keynotes take audiences inside what Canadians are actually thinking and feeling, drawn from surveys of thousands of people every week, and turn it into strategic advice for the leaders, brands and institutions that serve them.
He has overseen research involving hundreds of thousands of respondents across politics, workplace culture, consumer behaviour, and generational change.
He's the official pollster of the Toronto Star, a graduate faculty member at Carleton University's Political Management program, and the voice behind the "inFocus with David Coletto" newsletter and podcast, read and heard by thousands of business and political leaders each week.
His presentations pair national-level polling with plain-language analysis, giving audiences a data-grounded read on where public opinion, politics, and generational attitudes are actually heading, rather than where conventional wisdom assumes they are.
David Coletto's Expertise
- Generational Change & Workplace Attitudes — How Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers differ in what they expect from leadership, flexibility, and each other at work
- Political Polling & Public Opinion Analysis — Real-time reads on Canadian political sentiment, drawn from weekly national survey data
- Consumer Behaviour & Market Research — How consumer expectations are shifting across generational and demographic lines
- Public Affairs & Policy Research — Research design that informs corporate, association, and government decision-making
- Survey Research Methodology — Building and interpreting large-scale survey data with statistical rigor
- Corporate Reputation & Brand Perception — Measuring how organizations are actually perceived, not just how they assume they're perceived
- Voting Behaviour & Electoral Trends — What drives Canadian voters at the ballot box, election after election
David Coletto's Bio
David Coletto founded Abacus Data in 2010, shortly after completing a PhD in Political Science at the University of Calgary. Since then, he has built the firm into one of Canada's most respected market research and strategy companies, running weekly surveys that track how Canadians think and feel about politics, work, and the issues shaping public life.
He has advised some of the country's largest brands, associations, and political organizations, and is frequently called on by national media to interpret polling numbers as news breaks. In January 2024 and again in March 2026, The Hill Times named him one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Canadian Politics.
Beyond Abacus, Coletto teaches in the Graduate Program of Political Management at Carleton University, sits on the boards of the Ottawa Board of Trade and Ottawa Riverkeeper, and writes and produces "inFocus with David Coletto," a newsletter and podcast exploring public opinion, politics, and consumer behaviour.
In his keynotes, Coletto brings the same rigor he applies to client research: real numbers, drawn from real Canadians, translated into a clear-eyed read on generational change, political trends, and where public sentiment is headed next.
Contact Us for David Coletto's speaker fees, and date availability.
David Coletto's Presentation Topics
Traveling from his home base in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, David Coletto presents in a variety of formats beyond the traditional keynote, including workshops, fireside chats, and moderated Q&A sessions. He can also present virtually. No two presentations are the same — with each one is shaped around the specific audience, industry, and event he's speaking at.
SIGNATURE PRESENTATION:
The Age of Reassurance: Leading When Canadians Feel Precarious +
Canadians are not just short of things. Many feel that what they have could disappear, that planning is pointless, and that the institutions meant to protect them will not. That feeling is the Precarity Mindset, and it now shapes how people shop, work, vote and decide whom to trust.
Drawing on Abacus Data's ongoing Precarity Mindset Index, David explains where the mindset comes from, who feels it most (the answer is not what most leaders expect), and why the old playbook of optimism and aspiration is falling flat. He then lays out the Age of Reassurance: what customers, employees and citizens now need from the organizations they depend on, and how leaders can deliver it.
Audiences leave with:
- The difference between scarcity and precarity, and why scarcity makes people want more while precarity makes people want reassurance
- The six domains of security that drive the mindset, and how to spot them in your own customers, members and teams
- Practical principles for communicating, marketing and leading in a way that lowers the temperature and earns trust
Tailored versions have been delivered for financial services, retail, health care, post-secondary education, associations, construction, real estate and the public sector. --
POLITICS & PUBLIC AFFAIRS::
What Canadians Are Really Thinking: The Political and Public Opinion Landscape +
A data-rich briefing on the mood of the country. David walks through the latest Abacus Data tracking on the Carney government and the opposition, the issues driving public opinion, Canada's relationship with the United States, and the shift in national identity that has followed the trade war. He then connects the numbers to what they mean for the audience: where the political risk sits, what the public expects, and which arguments will land in the year ahead.
Audiences leave with:
- A clear read on where public opinion sits today and the forces most likely to move it
- What Canadians now expect from governments, and from business, in a more uncertain world
- Strategic implications for advocacy, reputation and planning, tailored to the audience's sector
Always non-partisan. Updated with the newest data before every event. --
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Leading Through a Generational Revolution
Custom keynotes, briefings and fireside chats
Book David Coletto to speak at your next conference or corporate event.
What Clients are Saying About David Coletto
David's presentation at the NLCSA's Conference was fabulous. It exceeded our expectations and was easily one of the best of the day. David presented a lot of useful information, while keeping things very engaging and humorous. The time just flew by. Not to mention that David was extremely professional and selfsufficient.
–Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Safety Association
David was a keynote speaker at a recent strategy workshop with our Board and executive team. He was a big hit with the group. We appreciated his skill at framing the current beliefs and emotions of Canadians (the precarity mindset), and the opportunity for our credit union to meet the moment. As we finalize our strategy, his advice and insights continue to resonate and guide our decision making.
–Conexus Credit Union, Saskatchewan
David presented at our 2025 fall educational symposium and was a big hit! His content was relevant and highly informative, and gave us much to think about regarding consumer confidence and, the changing Canadian political landscape. We would not hesitate to recommend him.
–ORAC (Ontario Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Contractors Association)