Half (49%) of Canadians Say Recent Events Make Addressing Climate Change More Urgent, but are Less Willing to Pay to Help

Toronto, ON, July 28, 2021 – As Canada has been experiencing extreme weather events, from heat waves, to forest fires, to tornados, a majority (49%) of Canadians say the need is becoming more urgent to address climate change, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News. Notably, four in ten (43%) say their opinion has not changed despite the recent extreme weather events, and one in ten (8%) say they it is less urgent about climate change than in the past.

Younger Canadians are more likely to say their opinion about climate change has changed, and they feel more urgent about climate change than in the past (56% 18-34 vs.43% 35-54, 49% 55+). As well, those with a university degree are more likely to say they feel more urgent about climate change than in the past (58% univ grad, 47% post sec, 47% high school, 40% less than high school). Older Canadians (46% 55+, 46% 35-54, 34% 18-35) are more likely to say their opinion has not changed.

Surprisingly, not all regions that are experiencing climate related events feel an increased urgency towards acting on climate change. The increase in urgency about climate change is more pronounced among those residing in Quebec and BC than the other provinces (56% Quebec, 55% BC, 46% Alberta, 45% Ontario, 45% Atlantic provinces, 44% SK/MB).

Conservative voters are more likely to say their opinion on climate change has not changed compared to the other party voters (55% cons vs 35% NDP, 32% Bloc, 27% Liberal, 13% Green). As well, those who disapprove of Trudeau are more likely to say their opinion has not changed on climate change (52% vs 33% approve).

Canadians Becoming Less Willing to Pay More to Fight Climate Change

Despite the extreme weather events that Canada has experienced throughout the summer, more Canadians are unwilling to pay to help the fight: over half (52%) of Canadians say they would not be willing to spend extra (i.e. increased taxation, goods or services costing more, etc.) to help the fight against climate change, an increase of six points from 2019. Four in ten (38%) of Canadians say they are willing to spend an extra $1 to $500 dollars a year, with one in five (21%) who are willing to spend $1-$100 per year. This leaves one in ten (10%) who say they would spend $500 or more a year.

Those aged 18-34 are more likely to say they would spend an extra $100 per year to help fight against climate change (30% 18-34, 19% 35-54, 17% 55+). As well, a majority (60%) of those residing in BC say they would be willing to spend money to help fight against climate change.

Women are more likely to say they would not be willing to spend extra per year to help fight climate change (58% vs 47% men). As well, older Canadians say they would not be willing to spend extra per year (62% 55+, 56% 35-54, 35% 18-34). Moreover, those residing in the Atlantic provinces are more likely to say they would not be willing to spend extra (60% Atlantic, 58% Quebec, 55% SK/MB, 52% Ontario, 51% Alberta, 39% BC).

Those who say they feel more urgent about climate change are willing to spend an extra $100 per year (28% vs 15% opinion has not changed, 10% less urgent). On the other hand, three quarters of those who say their opinion has not changed say they would not be willing to spend extra per year (74% opinion has not changed vs 59% less urgent, 33% more urgent).

About the Study

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between July 19^th and 20^th, 2021, on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,000 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed online. Quotas and weighting were employed to ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the Canadian population according to census parameters. 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 Canadians aged 18+ 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:

Darrell Bricker
CEO, Ipsos Global Public Affairs
+1 416 324 2001
[email protected]

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