Nearly One in Four (23%) Canadians Believe Syrian Refugee Crisis Will Be Biggest Humanitarian Challenge in 2017

Toronto, ON - Nearly one in four (23%) Canadians believe the Syrian refugee crisis will be the biggest humanitarian challenge the world will be facing in 2017, only exceeded by the 27% saying climate change will most likely be our major challenge. With the holiday season fast approaching, Canadians appear to not only want to help address these global issues but are in the mindset to embrace the true meaning of giving back this holiday season, according to a new Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of UNICEF.

Canadians believe climate change and the Syrian refugee crisis will most likely be the two toughest issues the world will need to tackle in the new year, there are several other prominent issues at hand: two in ten (18%) say it will most likely be food security and water scarcity, 12% say child poverty, 11% say disease and one in ten (8%) say education will also be issues that will put the world's efforts to the test in 2017.

Reflecting on the challenges facing the world, two in five (44%) Canadians `agree' (9% strongly/35% somewhat) that they still feel hopeful about the current state of the world, although 56% `disagree' (18% strongly/38% somewhat) that they're hopeful, showing a profound skepticism among Canadians about the direction of the world.

Syrian Refugee Crisis

The federal government has made resettling Syrian refugees in Canada a priority on their political agenda and many Canadians appear to be motivated to do their part in addressing the crisis this holiday season. Though many Canadians acknowledge the challenge of the Syrian refugee crisis globally, the personal priorities of Canadians and where they want to help are slightly different. If Canadians could personally help address a global issue this holiday season, one in three (34%) say it would be child poverty, followed by climate change (19%), food security and water scarcity (18%), diseases (12%) and lastly the Syrian Refugee Crisis (8%).

More women (39%) than men (29%) say they will want to help address child poverty this holiday season. Meanwhile, Baby Boomers (37%) and Gen X'ers (37%) are more likely than Millennials (27%) to want to help address child poverty, while Millennials (15%) are more interested in education as a global issued compared to Gen X'ers (8%) and Baby Boomers (5%).

Regionally, Quebecers (20%) are more likely to say the global issue of disease is important to them and would want to contribute to helping address it this holiday season, followed by those in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (16%), Atlantic provinces (11%), Ontario (10%), Alberta (9%) and British Columbia (5%).

Regardless of other global issues being more top-of-mind, a majority of Canadians are eager to bring refugees some cheer this holiday season. To help out, two in three (65%) `agree' (22% strongly/43% somewhat) that this holiday season they would like to buy a holiday gift for a child living in a refugee camp.

More women (70%) than men (61%) express interest in buying a gift for a child living in a refugee camp this holiday season. Moreover, Millennials (71%) are more likely to want to buy a holiday gift for a child living in a refugee camp compared to Gen X'ers (65%) and Baby Boomers (60%).

The True Meaning of the Holiday Season

Eight in ten (81%) `agree' (42% strongly/40% somewhat) Canadians are forgetting the true meaning of the holiday season, however this general skepticism about Canadians does not seem to match personal attitudes and intentions towards giving back this holiday season.

With many Canadians looking to contribute their time, money and efforts to global issues, it is no surprise that a majority (85%) `agree' (37% strongly/49% somewhat) that the holiday season is about helping those in need. Canadian parents are looking to spread the spirit of giving back, with eight in ten (82%) agreeing (42% strongly/40% somewhat) that this holiday season, they are going to teach their children about other children who are less fortunate.

When it comes to gift giving, many Canadians `agree' (80%; 29% strongly/51% somewhat) that it is important that their holiday gift purchases should help children in need. Three in four (77%) `agree' (33% strongly/44% somewhat) they would prefer to have a charitable gift given in their name to children living in poverty instead of getting more stuff they don't need.

When purchasing holiday gifts, three in four (75%) `agree' (32% strongly/43% somewhat) that many of the people they buy for don't actually need anything, and seven in ten (71%) `agree' (34% strongly/37% somewhat) there's always someone on their list who is impossible to buy for.

While it might be nice to receive a gift, two in five (41%) `agree' (15% strongly/26% somewhat) gift giving among their family and friends is getting out of control. Moreover, two in ten (23%) agree (7% strongly/16% somewhat) that they usually end up throwing out some of the holiday gifts they receive every year.

Women (83%) are more likely to agree that it is important to help children in need with their holiday gift purchases compared to men (76%). Baby Boomers (81%) are more likely to prefer to have a charitable gift given in their name to children living in poverty instead of getting more stuff they do not need, compared to Gen X'ers (78%) and Millennials (71%). Canadians living in British Columbia and the Atlantic provinces are more likely to agree that this holiday season is about charitable giving.

Bringing Joy to the Season

When thinking about what brings joy during the holiday season, a majority say, acts of charity are among the top the list: spending time with family (94%), eating holiday meals and treats (91%) and giving gifts (91%) bring joy to most Canadians, and eight in ten (82%) say that donating to charity to help children in need also bring them joy. Seven in ten (71%) say it is volunteering for a local charity that brings them joy, well ahead of the 45% who indicate that attending religious services brings them joy during the holiday season.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between November 18 and November 20, 2016, on behalf of UNICEF. For this survey, a sample of 1019 Canadians 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 Canadian 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
(416) 324-2002
Ipsos Public Affairs
[email protected]

About Ipsos

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