As Earth Day Approaches, Climate Change and the Environment Cracks Top 5 Most-Concerning Issues in Canada

Toronto, ON, April 19, 2019 — Climate change and the environment has cracked its way into the top-five most-concerning issues in Canada, according to a new global poll by Ipsos provided exclusively to Global News. The research, conducted in the lead-up to Earth Day, reveals that climate change and the environment, chosen by 19% of Canadians (up 4 points in the past 6 months) is among their top issues of concern, narrowly edging out poverty and social inequality (18%, down 4 points), and unemployment and jobs (18%, up 1 point) as the 5th most concerning issues in Canada.

At the top of the list are some perennial contenders: healthcare (37%, down 2 points) continues to dominate as the top issue, followed distantly by the economy (25%, down 3 points), housing (23%, up 3 points) and taxes (20%, up 1 point). Further down the list include issues such as immigration (13%, down 2 points), corruption (10%, up 4 points), and indigenous issues (6%, up 1 point), for example.

Reflecting on what Canadians consider to be the most important environmental issues facing Canada, at the top of the list is concern about global warming and climate change (48% in Canada, 37% globally), followed by dealing with the amount of waste we generate (43% in Canada, 34% globally) and air pollution (23% in Canada, 35% globally).

Other issues of relatively higher importance to Canadians include: future energy sources and supplies (23% in Canada, 22% globally), over-packaging of consumer goods (22% in Canada, 15% globally), water pollution (21% in Canada, 25% globally), depletion of natural resources (21% in Canada, 22% globally) and wildlife conservation (20% in Canada, 13% globally). Issues of less concern to Canadians include future food sources and supplies (14%), quality of drinking water (8%), flooding (6%) and soil erosion (2%).

The perceived importance of climate change in Canada, with 48% listing it among their top-three environmental issues, is well above the global average of 37%. In fact, Canada trails only those in Japan (52%), Spain (51%) and Germany (50%) in relative importance of climate change. Canada is on par with countries such as South Korea (48%), the United States (47%), and France (46%), but ahead of Great Britain (42%), Brazil (29%), China (26%) and Russia (7%).

Focusing in on a major contributor of pollution and waste, eight in ten (82%) Canadians are concerned about the overuse of disposable, non-recyclable products, on par with the global average (81%), behind concern in South Africa (93%) and South Korea (91%), but ahead of concern in Saudi Arabia (47%), Japan (64%) or China (73%).

Interestingly, Canadians are less likely than the average global citizen to believe that certain interventions would be effective at reducing the problems caused by unnecessary use of plastic and packaging that cannot be recycled, including:

• Forcing local governments to spend more on recycling so that a wider range of items can be recycled: 44% in Canada say this would be effective vs. 46% globally
• Higher taxes on supermarkets and shops which use a lot of packaging that cannot be recycled: 25% Canada vs. 33% globally
• A tax on containers such as plastic drinks, bottles and disposable coffee cups that cannot be recycled to increase their price: 27% Canada vs. 30% globally
• A public information campaign funded by taxpayers’ money to tell people about the issue: 16% Canada vs. 27% globally
• The government “naming and shaming” supermarkets and shops which use a lot of packaging that cannot be recycled: 19% Canada vs. 26% globally
• Big fines for households who do not recycle enough of their rubbish: 20% in Canada vs. 24% globally

When it comes time to take action themselves, a majority of Canadians say they’d personally be willing to take some steps to reduce problems caused by unnecessary use of plastic and packaging that cannot be recycled, including: re-using disposable items (63%), and buying products made from recycled materials (53%).

But only a minority are willing to stop buying goods that have non-recyclable packaging (36%), stop going to shops that use a lot of non-recyclable packaging (15%), pay extra for good made without non-recyclable packaging (12%), or pay more tax so that recycling facilities can be improved (13%) – which calls into question just how committed Canadians really are to reducing their non-recyclable waste.

Thinking about who is responsible to find a way to reduce the amount of unnecessary packaging which is sold, one quarter (25%) of Canadians believes it falls to companies who produce these products. Others believe it falls to government (9%), companies that sell packaged goods (9%), or consumers themselves (5%). Nearly half (44%) of Canadians believe all of these groups have a role to play in reducing unnecessary packaging.

About the Study

In total 19,519 interviews were conducted between February 22nd to March 8th, 2019. The survey was conducted in 27 countries around the world, via the Ipsos Online Panel system in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Great Britain, and the USA. For the results of the survey presented herein, an international sample of 1,000 adults ages 19-74 in South Korea, 18-74 in the US, Israel, Canada, China, Malaysia, South Africa and Turkey, and ages 16-74 in all other countries, were interviewed. Approximately 1000+ individuals participated on a country by country basis via the Ipsos Online Panel, with the exception of Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Hungary, India, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden and Turkey, where each have a sample approximately 500+. 15 of the 27 countries surveyed online generate nationally representative samples in their countries (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and United States). Brazil, China, Chile, India, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey produce a national sample that is more urban & educated, and with higher incomes than their fellow citizens. We refer to these respondents as “Upper Deck Consumer Citizens”. They are not nationally representative of their country. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to the most recent country 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 for a sample of 1,000 and an estimated margin of error of +/- 4.5 percentage points 19 times out of 20 per country of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in that country had 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:

Sean Simpson

Vice President, Ipsos Public Affairs

+1 416 324 2002

[email protected]  

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 fourth in the global research industry. With offices in 89 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across five research specializations: brand, advertising and media; customer loyalty; marketing; 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 €1,780.5 million in 2017.