One in Five (18%) Canadians Don't Know What Vimy Ridge Is

Toronto, ON - The Battle of Vimy Ridge marked an important stepping stone in the development of Canada's identity and is known by many as one of the nation's most notable events. While Vimy Ridge has a top place in Canadian history, a new poll conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of the Vimy Foundation reveals that there are some Canadians who are unaware of one of Canada's most important battles and its importance for Canada's identity.

What is Vimy Ridge?

While four in five (82%) know that Vimy Ridge is a famous battle in which Canadian troops fought bravely, one in five (18%) did not know that Vimy Ridge was one of Canada's most notorious battles. One in ten Canadians state that Vimy Ridge is a Canadian mountain range (9%) or a ski slope that was used for practice for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games (9%). Handfuls (3%) think Vimy Ridge is a famous Canadian racehorse.

• Quebecers (55%) are least likely to know that Vimy Ridge was a famous Canadian battle and are much more likely to think it's a mountain range (16%) or a ski slope for the Sochi Olympic Games (24%). Ontarians (93%) are most likely to know what Vimy Ridge is.
• Men (86%) are more likely than women (77%) to know that Vimy Ridge was a battle where Canadian soldiers fought.
• The older Canadians are, the more likely they are to correctly identify what Vimy Ridge is (55+ years of age - 92%, 35-54 years of age - 81%, and 18-34 years of age - 69%).

Vimy Ridge was a Battle During Which Conflict?

Perhaps another surprise is that only one in two Canadians can correctly identify what war Vimy Ridge was fought in. Only half (47%) of Canadians know that the Battle of Vimy Ridge was fought in the First World War. Two in five (37%) erroneously believe that Vimy Ridge was a battle in the Second World War, while others believe it was part of either the Northwestern Rebellion (8%), the Korea War (4%), the Boer War (2%), or the Afghanistan War (2%).

• Men (52%) are more likely than women (43%) to know that Vimy Ridge was fought in the First World War.
• Seniors (55+, 52%) are most likely to know this as well, although they are also most likely to believe it was fought during the Second World War (42%).
• Quebecers (37%) are least likely to be able to correctly identify the conflict during which Vimy Ridge took place.

What happened at Vimy Ridge?

Similarly to those who can correctly answer what war the Battle of Vimy Ridge was a part of, only half (52%) of Canadians know that at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Canadian soldiers won a significant battle against the German Army in France. Three in ten (30%) Canadians think that Vimy Ridge was where Canadian soldiers suffered major losses in the Second World War on the beaches of Normandy, while one in ten think the battle was where soldiers captured a hill in the Korean War that was a turning point for UN Forces (8%) or where Canadian soldiers fought and captured Louis Riel in the Northwest Rebellion (7%). Only a few (3%) think Vimy Ridge was where Canadian soldiers repelled an attack at a South African town in the Boer War.

• Women (46%) are less likely than men (58%) to know that the Battle of Vimy Ridge was where Canadian soldiers won a significant First World War Battle against the German Army in France.
• Seniors (59%) are most knowledgeable of this, ahead of young (50%) and middle-aged (47%) Canadians.
• Albertans (64%) are most aware of what happened at Vimy Ridge, while Quebecers (36%) are least aware.

What did Vimy Ridge Accomplish?

Most (60%) Canadians can correctly identify that the Canadian military actions at Vimy Ridge helped Allies in the First World War achieve their first significant victory, although four in ten (40%) could not. One in five (18%) believe that Canada's actions at Vimy Ridge helped ensure the liberation of the prisoners in Nazi death camps in the Second World War, while one in ten think Canadian action led to the surrender of Japanese forces in the Pacific in the Second World War (12%) or putting down the Northwest Rebellion and creating a new province.

• Two thirds (66%) of men are aware of the results of the Canadian military`s actions at Vimy Ridge compared to just over half (55%) of women.
• The older Canadians are the more likely they are to know how Canadian military actions helped at Vimy Ridge (55+ - 68%/18-34 -55%).
• Albertans (69%) trump all other regions when it comes to knowing how Canadian military actions helped at the battle, while Quebecers (49%) trail.

What was the Impact of Vimy Ridge?

When reflecting on the results of Vimy Ridge, two-thirds (66%) of Canadians know that Canada's victory led Canadians to feel greater confidence in themselves as a united fighting force and as a nation, although one in three (34%) didn't know this. One in five (18%) think that the result of Vimy Ridge led to Canada deciding to join the United Nations, while one in ten believe it led to the penning of Canada's national anthem `O' Canada' (11%) or the construction of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa (6%).

• Seven in ten (71%) men know that Vimy Ridge resulted in Canadians feeling greater confidence in themselves as a united fighting force and as a nation compared to six in ten (61%) women.
• Eight in ten (81%) seniors know of Vimy's result, ahead of middle-aged (61%) and younger (53%) Canadians.
• Ontarians (76%) are most aware of the result of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, while Quebecers (47%) are least aware.

The Most Important Outcome of Vimy Ridge?

While The Battle of Vimy Ridge led to many important outcomes for Canada, half (49%) of Canadians state that the most important outcomes was that Canadian historians say the country came of age and found its voice. A quarter (25%) believe that it led to Canada becoming world-renowned for international peacekeeping. One in ten incorrectly think that the most important outcome of Vimy Ridge was Canada being able to liberate Paris from Nazi Germany (13%) or Canada being able to liberate Holland from Nazi Germany (10%). A few (4%) believe the most notable outcome of Vimy Ridge was Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invoking the War Measures Act (4%).

• Men (52%) slightly edge women (46%) when it comes to knowing the most important outcome of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
• Younger (42%) and middle-aged (44%) Canadians are less likely than seniors (59%) to know the most important outcome.
• British Columbians (60%) mostly know of this outcome, while Quebecers (29%) are least likely to know.

Who Will Attend Vimy Ridge in France in 2017?

In 2017, The Battle of Vimy Ridge will have its centennial celebration observances and an unveiling of a new Vimy Education Centre with a handful (3%) of Canadians stating that they or a member of their family plan to travel to France for these celebrations.

• Men (4%) are more likely than women (1%) to say someone in their family plans on heading to Vimy Ridge.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between March 14th to 18th, 2014 on behalf of The Vimy Foundation. For this survey, a sample of 1,015 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. 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 had all Canadians adults 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]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

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 third in the global research industry.

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