Canada is the preferred supplier for countries that import oil

Toronto, ON, April 5, 2023 – As part of a larger study on public views on energy, Ipsos asked respondents in 28 countries around the world to complete a ranked ballot[1] of eight oil producing nations to determine which countries they prefer to import oil from. Canada’s average ranking was the highest, followed closely by Norway and the United States. 

An examination of the data reveals a clear trend favouring the geographically closest supplier being chosen first on the ballot. For example, among European respondents, Norway received 46% of the first-choice selections, and respondents from countries in the Asia-Pacific region selected the Middle East first 31% of the time. This was also evident in North America, where Canadians and Americans prefer each others’ oil, over others, with 55% of Americans picking Canada as their first choice for oil import, while 57% of Canadians chose the US first.

Aside from geographic favourability, the data show another trend toward choosing suppliers based on shared values, such as democratic practices. It was against this backdrop that Canada rose through the rankings. Canada was selected second nearly a quarter of the time (23%), more than any other supplier and six points ahead of the next supplier (the US at 17%).

The picture becomes even clearer when looking at how often each supplier was ranked in the top three.

Canada was also in the top three globally more than any other oil producing country. In North America, seven out of 10 North Americans (71%) chose Canada as one of their top three preferred oil suppliers. 

European respondents put Canada in their top three 60% of the time and the US in their top three suppliers 53% of time. Only Norway (71%) was ranked higher in Europe’s top three suppliers. Canada also performed well in the Asia-Pacific region with 58% putting Canada in their top three. 

Table 1 – Per cent of time each country ranked in the top three globally and by region

Many countries import oil and natural gas. Please rank the following countries in terms of where you'd prefer [COUNTRY] to import its oil and natural gas from, from most desirable to least desirable, with "one" being the most desirable. – Oil. NOTE:  Respondents were not asked about their own country. For example, Canadians were not asked whether they preferred imported oil from Canada.

From the data it is also clear who the least desirable suppliers of oil are. Venezuela, Russia, and China were ranked by respondents in the top three least often. They were most often selected by their neighbours, and other countries with more authoritarian leaders. Interestingly, despite its proximity, Mexico was ranked in the top three less often in South America than Canada and the US were.

Why it matters

With increasing geopolitical instability, global citizens are becoming more conscious of where their oil comes from.

A slim majority (52%) of global respondents agree that countries that import oil and natural gas should only import them from democratic countries like Canada and the U.S., rather than from countries like Russia or Saudi Arabia, while 28% disagree and 20% don’t know.  This sentiment was highest in Europe where nearly six in 10 (59%) respondents agreed, followed closely by North America (53% agreed).

Additionally, 46% of global respondents believe that an "energy transition" can include fossil fuels like oil and natural gas, provided emissions are reduced, compared to 30% who think an energy transition” can’t include fossil fuels, while 25% don’t know enough to say. Finally, six-in-ten (59%) global respondents say that oil and natural gas can be used if we reduce greenhouse gas emissions through technologies like carbon capture and storage, while 22% disagree and 19% don’t know.

The study reveals that in times of energy insecurity and transition, global citizens recognize oil is still needed, and those who do import oil want to get it from Canadian producers.

About the Study

These are some of the findings of Ipsos’s Context Energy study conducted between November 18 and December 6, 2022. For this survey, a sample of 24,014 global respondents in 28 countries were interviewed. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the global poll is accurate to within ± 0.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The credibility interval will be wider among individual countries and subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.  See the backgrounder for more information.
For more information on this news release, please contact:

Gregory Jack
Vice President (Canada)

Ipsos Public Affairs
+403 604 7804
[email protected]

About Ipsos

Ipsos is the world’s third largest market research company, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people.

Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. We serve more than 5000 clients across the world with 75 business solutions.

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[1] A ranked ballot asks respondents to rank options from most preferred to least preferred.  In this case, respondents were asked to rank oil producing countries from which they would prefer their country import oil, from most preferred to least preferred.