Knowledge of First and Second World War
Lowest Among Young Canadians
In a mini quiz consisting of three questions about each of the First World War, the Second World War and the War in Afghanistan, Canadians scored an average of 64% on the questions about the Great War, 63% on the questions about the Second World War, and 69% on the questions about Afghanistan.
Regarding the questions dealing with the First World War, Canadians aged 55 and over scored an average of 72%, compared to an average of 61% among those aged 35 to 54 and 59% among those aged 18 to 34. A similar trend was found with the questions regarding the Second World War: The average among older Canadians was 71%, compared to an average of 61% among middle-aged Canadians and 57% among younger adults.
But younger Canadians appear to be more knowledgeable about the current War in Afghanistan than their older counterparts: the average score among those aged 18 to 34 was 72%, compared to an average of 69% among middle-aged Canadians and 66% among those over the age of 55.
The data also reveals a significant gender gap, with men scoring a higher average than women on the questions about the First World War (70% vs. 58%) and the Second World War (70% vs. 56%), but only narrowly when it comes to Afghanistan (71% vs. 68%).
First World War
Most (71%) Canadians know that Canada entered the First World War in 1914, however, some believe Canada entered in 1918 (16%), 1929 (7%) or 1910 (5%). Furthermore, a majority (62%) know that Vimy Ridge was the name of a decisive battle on April 9, 1917, in which Canada fought that helped turn the tide of the First World War, while others believe that it was Dieppe (23%), Passchendaele (13%) or Batoche (2%).
Six in ten (59%) Canadians know that Canada entered the First World War ahead of the United States, however, four in ten (41%) believe that America entered the war first. Women were equally split (50%/50%) on whether Canada or the United States entered first, and younger Canadians were also as confused on whether Canada (51%) or the United States (49%) entered the First World War first.
Second World War
Seven in ten (71%) Canadians know that Canada entered the Second World War in 1939, but others think that Canada entered in 1945 (19%), 1929 (7%) or 1949 (2%). Six in ten (62%) correctly identified Juno Beach as the code name of the beach that Canadian soldiers took on June 6, 1944 - D Day, but others believe that the beach was codenamed Omaha (21%), Daytona (11%) or Sword Beach (5%).
Just 56% of Canadians know that Canada entered the Second World War prior to the United States of America, while 44% believe that the United States entered the war before Canada. However, a majority (52%) of Canadians between the ages of 18 to 34 believe that the United States entered WWII before Canada, as does a majority (53%) of women.
Afghanistan
Just four in ten (38%) Canadians know that Canada entered the War in Afghanistan in 2001, while nearly an equal proportion (32%) believes Canada entered in 2003. Others believe Canada entered the War in Afghanistan in 2005 (18%) or 1999 (11%). Bucking the trend observed with regards to the questions related to the First and Second World Wars, younger Canadians were actually more likely (45%) than middle-aged (39%) or older (32%) Canadians to know that Canada entered the war in 2001.
Most (83%) Canadians, however, know that in 2005 Canadian Forces undertook a renewed combat mission in Kandahar. Few believe that the name of the region in question is called Kabul (9%), Kuwait (7%) or Kananaskis (1%).
Most (86%) Canadians also know that the United States of America entered the War in Afghanistan before Canada, while 14% believe Canada entered this theatre first. Once again, younger Canadians (90%) were more likely than middle-aged (85%) or older Canadians (83%) to know that the U.S. entered Afghanistan before Canada did.
Honouring our Veterans and Soldiers...
The results of this year's poll also reveal that while 22% of Canadians, overall, plan to attend an official Remembrance Day ceremony on November 11th, younger Canadians are much less likely to attend a ceremony than older Canadians. In fact, Canadians over the age of 55 are most likely (33%) to say they'll attend a ceremony, while those aged 35 to 54 (20%) and 18 to 34 (14%) are much less likely to say they'll attend.
Comparing the data to previous years, 22% intend to attend a ceremony this year, up from 20% last year and 16% in 2008. But not all Canadians are equally as likely to attend an official Remembrance Day ceremony this year:
- Men (25%) are more likely than women (20%) to say they'll attend an official ceremony on the 11th.
- Residents of Atlantic Canada are the most likely (38%) to say they'll attend an official ceremony this year, followed by those living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (32%), British Columbia (27%), Ontario (25%), Alberta (20%) and Quebec (10%).
Regardless of whether or not they will attend an official function, three quarters (75%) say that they'll observe two minutes of silence at 11 o'clock on the 11th, as championed by The Historica-Dominion Institute. Some Canadians are also more inclined than others to observe two minutes of silence at 11 `o clock:
- Older Canadians are significantly more likely (85%) than middle-aged (76%) or younger Canadians (62%) to indicate that they'll observe two minutes of silence.
- Women (78%) are more likely than men (71%) to say they'll observe two minutes of silence.
- Residents of Ontario (85%), Alberta (84%), and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (83%) are most likely to say they'll observe two minutes of silence, followed by those living in British Columbia (78%) and Atlantic Canada (77%). Barely a majority (51%) of Quebecers will do the same.
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between November 1 to 5, 2010, on behalf of The Historica-Dominion Institute. For this survey, a sample of 1,015 adults from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and 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 +/-3.1 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 Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[email protected]
Chantal Gagnon
Media Relations and New Media
The Historica-Dominion Institute
(416) 506-1867 x: 238
[email protected]
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