Americans Talk Policy amid Trudeau State Visit to Washington:
Half (50%) of Americans Concerned that Syrian Refugees Admitted to Canada Could Pose Security Threat to United States

Toronto, ON - Amid Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's official State Visit to Washington D.C. to meet with President Barack Obama, a new Ipsos poll conducted for Global News has gauged where Americans stand on key policy issues impacting Canada and the United States, from security to trade and bilateral relations. The meeting comes as most (83%) Americans agree (36% strongly/46% somewhat) that they "view Canada as an equal partner with the U.S. on North American matters", while two in ten (17%) disagree (4% strongly/13% somewhat) that Canada is an equal partner.

Half Concerned Syrian Refugees in Canada pose Security Threat to U.S.

Canada has recently met its target of accepting 25,000 Syrian refugees into the country, but nearly half of Americans are concerned that this poses a security threat to the United States. While one half (50%) agrees (23% strongly/27% somewhat) that they're "not concerned about the 25,000 Syrian refugees that Canada has accepting posing a security threat to the United states", the other half (50%) disagrees (21% strongly/29% somewhat) that they're not concerned.

Americans Split on future of NAFTA

Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump has suggested that the North American Free Trade Agreement costs America jobs, and that he would revoke the treaty if he becomes president. On Trump's assertion that NAFTA damages the U.S. economy, a majority (63%) of Americans disagree (17% strongly/46% somewhat) that "Free Trade with Canada and Mexico is damaging the U.S. economy", while four in ten (37%) Americans agree (11% strongly/26% somewhat) with his position.

Despite a majority disagreeing with Trump's position, Americans are nearly equally split on whether or not they agree (48% -- 15% strongly/33% somewhat) or disagree (52% -- 14% strongly/38% somewhat) that they would "support the United States pulling out of the North American Free Trade Agreement".

Americans Want more Canadian Oil

Oil has been a hot topic between Canada and the U.S. over the past few years, with Obama's reluctance to endorse the Keystone XL Pipeline being a major source of disagreement between the former Harper Government and the Obama Administration. While not waging into the contentious issue of how the oil is transported to the United States, eight in ten (80%) Americans agree (28% strongly/52% somewhat) that "The United States should import more of its oil from Canada rather than from other markets". Two in ten (20%) disagree (5% strongly/15% somewhat) with this point of view.

Potential Outcome of U.S. Election Causing Americans to Consider Moving to Canada

The search term "how to move to Canada" has reportedly gained in frequency following Donald Trump's wins on Super Tuesday. However, it appears that Donald Trump detractors aren't the only ones who might consider a move to Canada should a certain candidate win the presidency:

• 19% of Americans strongly agree that if Donald Trump becomes U.S. President, they "will consider moving to Canada", including 28% of those aged 18 to 34.
• 15% of Americans strongly agree that if Hillary Clinton becomes U.S. President, they will "consider moving to Canada", including 19% of men compared to 11% of women.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between March 4 and 7, 2016, on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,006 Americans from Ipsos' online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/ - 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all American adults been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among 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.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Sean Simpson
Vice President
Ipsos Public Affairs (Toronto)
416.324.2002
[email protected]

Julia Clark
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Public Affairs (Chicago)
312.526.4919
[email protected]

About Ipsos in Canada

Ipsos is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos' marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit ipsos.ca.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry.

With offices in 86 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,669.5 ($2,218.4 million) in 2014.

Visit ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos' offerings and capabilities.