--- title: "David Coletto" description: "Book David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, for conference keynotes on generational change, political polling, and shifting public opinion in Canada." canonical: https://www.kmprod.com/speakers/david-coletto updated: 2026-09-21 18:32:57 --- # David Coletto *Political Pollster & Generational Trends Speaker* ## Biography 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. ## 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.  **CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR & MARKETING:** ### The Precarity Consumer: How Canadians Are Spending, Deciding and Choosing Now  Canadian consumers are doing two things at once: cutting back on the routine and splurging on the exceptional. Everyday purchases are scrutinized like never before, while experiences and selective indulgences hold up. David explains the psychology behind this split, what it means for pricing, loyalty and value communication, and why friction, surprise fees and uncertainty now do more damage to a brand than a higher price. ***Audiences leave with:*** - How the precarity mindset is reshaping household budgets, brand loyalty and the definition of value - Why reassurance is becoming the most valuable thing a brand can offer - What winning brands, retailers and service providers are doing differently Built from Abacus Data's consumer tracking and tailored to the audience's category.  **WORKPLACE & LEADERSHIP:** ### Leading Through a Generational Revolution  Gen Z and Millennials now make up the majority of Canada's workforce and a growing share of its consumers and voters. David goes beyond the stereotypes to what the data actually says about what younger Canadians want from work, from brands and from institutions, where they differ from older generations, and where they surprisingly agree. Grounded in more than 15 years of Abacus Data's generational research. ***Audiences leave with:*** - The values, motivators and anxieties that shape younger Canadians - How to recruit, retain and lead across a multigenerational team - Where the generational divides are real, and where they are overstated  **CUSTOMIZED PRESENTATIONS:** ### Custom keynotes, briefings and fireside chats  Because Abacus Data is in the field every week, David can bring fresh, sector-specific data to almost any audience, from association conferences and executive retreats to board strategy sessions. He is also available to moderate panels and conversations, to sit for a fireside interview, and to run a post-event Q&A. For clients who want their own numbers on stage, Abacus Data can field a short survey of the audience, its members or its customers ahead of the event.  ## About 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. ## 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 ## What Clients Say > 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) ---