More Canadians would prefer to have a beer with Jack Layton than with Stephen Harper or Michael Ignatieff, a new poll suggests.

Twenty-six per cent of those surveyed in a recent EKOS poll said they would rather drink a beer with Jack Layton than Stephen Harper or Michael Ignatieff. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

In a poll conducted by EKOS for the CBC and released Thursday, 26 per cent of respondents said they would rather crack open a cold one with the NDP leader over his Liberal and Conservative counterparts.

In addition to being the preferred drinking companion of Canadians as whole, Layton was more likely to be chosen by NDP and Bloc Québécois voters, Quebeckers, and university graduates.

The telephone poll was taken between March 24 and March 30. In it, 2,162 Canadians who were at least 18 years old were asked: "Regardless of your political persuasion, which of the following political leaders would you most like to have a beer with?"

The poll is considered accurate to within plus or minus 2.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Some 23 per cent of respondents said they would rather share suds with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The Conservative leader's theoretical drinking companions were most likely to be males, other Conservatives, seniors or from Alberta or Saskatchewan.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff was the least popular option in the poll, selected by only 10 per cent of respondents. Even those who described themselves as Liberal voters were more likely to opt for a brewski with Layton. Ignatieff was, however, the preferred quaffer of respondents from British Columbia.

He was the second most popular choice among those over the age of 65 and those with university degrees.

Twenty-six per cent of those polled said they did not know who they would rather have a beer with, or offered no response, while 14 per cent listed their answer as "not applicable."

The latest numbers from EKOS. (EKOS)