Canadians Assess Key Social-Values Questions Facing the Country

Toronto, ON - Reflecting on some of the key social-values questions facing Canadians individually and the country as a whole, a new poll - the 7th in a series of polls examining Canadian values, icons and culture conducted on behalf of Global Television and Postmedia News - finds that Canadians' defence of abortion rights and same-sex marriage has grown, while at the same time Canadians are once again becoming more favourable to the idea of capital punishment.

• Support for the right to have an abortion is strong, with 49% of Canadians saying it should be permitted whenever a woman decides to have one and 45% saying it should be permitted in certain circumstances. Support has increased since 2010, when 43% supported the right to have an abortion in any circumstance and 31% supported it in certain circumstances. This compares to a 1988 poll when 36% supported unrestricted abortion rights and 39% supported the right to have an abortion but with restrictions.
• Same-sex marriage has strong support in Canada (62%), 23 points higher than it was in 2004 (39%), which was only a marginal increase in support from a 1993 poll (37%).
• Two thirds (65%) of Canadians would support the return of the death penalty. While this is less support than what was measured in a 1987 poll (73% support), support is currently well above the 49% witnessed in 2004, suggesting this concept is on the rebound in Canada.

Support for abortion rights...but with restrictions?

Half (49%) of Canadians support abortion rights without restriction, indicating it `should be permitted whenever a woman decides she wants one.' A similar proportion (45%) thinks it `should be permitted in certain circumstances' and 6% think abortion `should not be permitted under any circumstances.'

The right to have an abortion is not currently limited by any law in Canada, however, regulation and accessibility varies by province. While all abortions were illegal in Canada's early history, it was largely decriminalized in the 1970s and fully legalized in the 1980s.

Support for a woman to have the right to choose an abortion when she deems it necessary is highest among more affluent Canadians - those with a university degree (60%) and a household income of over $100,000 (60%) - and those from Quebec (60%). On the flip side, those most likely to think abortion should not be permitted at all are from British Columbia (12%) and have a university education (11%).

Age plays an interesting role, with younger Canadians more likely to take a stand - in both directions - and older Canadians seemingly less prone to seeing the issue as black and white. Canadians under the age of 35 are among those most likely to support the right to have an abortion when a woman decides to have it (54%) but they are also among those most likely to oppose abortion rights under any circumstances (12%). Those over the age of 55 are most likely to respond that abortions should only be permitted under certain circumstances.

Despite current legislation, Canadians do seem unsure that abortions should be permitted without restriction, and appear to support legislation governing this aspect of abortion rights. A majority of Canadians (60%) would support `the introduction of a law in Canada that places limits on when a woman can have an abortion during her pregnancy, such as during the last trimester' - 26% strongly support this and 34% somewhat support. Four in ten (40%) would oppose such restrictions - 24% strongly, 16% somewhat.

Those most likely to support some limits on abortion rights are those with only a high school education (68%) or no formal diploma (64%), are from Saskatchewan/Manitoba (66%) or Alberta (65%), and are over the age of 55 (64%). Those most likely to oppose any restriction on abortion rights in Canada have a university level education (59%), earn a household income of over $100,000 (48%) and are under the age of 35 (45%).

Same-sex marriage supported widely...

On the heels of Toronto Pride last weekend, and in anticipation of hosting World Pride in 2014, a majority of Canadians (62%) think same-sex marriage `should be fully recognized and equal to conventional heterosexual marriages.' Two in ten (20%) say `it should be allowed to exist in civil law but not have the same legal weight as a conventional marriage' while another two in ten (18%) are more likely to think `it is wrong and should never be lawful.'

Interestingly, the proportion of Canadians who support same-sex marriage as equal to heterosexual marriages has increased dramatically since 2004, when only 39% of Canadians felt this way. At that time, the federal government still had not taken a stand on the issue, waiting until 2005 to become the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.

Those most likely to think same-sex marriage should be treated equally to heterosexual ones are women (72%), those who earn a household income over $100,000 (72%), and those under the age of 35 (71%). Regionally, British Columbia (68%) and Quebec (67%) are most likely to support the issue. Those most likely to think it should never be lawful have less than a high school education (25%) and are from central Canada - Saskatchewan/Manitoba (27%) and Alberta (28%).

Canadians consider reintroducing death penalty...

Capital punishment, or the death penalty, was abolished by Canada in 1975. While 6% don't have an opinion on the subject, among those that do, two thirds (65%) of Canadians would support (28% strongly, 36% somewhat) the return of the death penalty while one third (35%) oppose (22% strongly, 13% somewhat) bringing it back. Support for capital punishment is now 13 points higher than it was in 2001 (52%).

Geography is the greatest demographic factor influencing support for the death penalty: a strong majority (80%) of those from Atlantic Canada support the punishment's return, followed by three quarters (75%) in Alberta and Saskatchewan/Manitoba. Affluence also plays a role, with high-school educated (76%) and middle income (72%) Canadians among those most likely to support it.

The only group to contain a strong majority opposing the return of the death penalty is those with a university education (63%). Otherwise, those under the age of 35 (51%), from Quebec (44%) and with a household income of less than $40,000 (40%) are most likely to oppose the return of capital punishment in Canada.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between June 20-25, 2012, on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television. For this survey, a sample of 1,101 Canadians from Ipsos' Canadian 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. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in Canada been polled. 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:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Global Public Affairs
416.324.2002
[email protected]

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