War in Ukraine Cited by Canadians as Top International News Story of 2022 (71%)

Toronto, ON, December 28, 2022 – As 2022 draws to a close, many Canadians have been reflecting on the major national and international events that have shaped this historic year. A new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News finds that Canadians cite some of the major conflicts occurring this year as the most memorable news stories which shaped 2022.

Overwhelmingly, Canadians point to the war in Ukraine as the top international news story of 2022 (71%). Following this, rising interest rates and inflation around the world this year (40%) have been deemed most noteworthy, perhaps only exacerbated by current concerns about the potential for a recession in 2023.[i]

Two international stories are tied for third place: the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, in September (34%), and COVID-19 (34%), the latter of which may still be on Canadians’ radars in light of the lifting of restrictions and the availability of the bivalent vaccine this fall. One in five Canadians (19%) say the overturn of Roe v. Wade and abortion rights in the United States was among the top news stories of the year, with no significant differences across age or gender.

Although significant cultural events, in light of such major international conflicts and threats to daily life for many around the world, Canadians are less likely to cite the first James Webb space telescope images as a top international news story (3%), nor were the Winter Olympics particularly memorable (3%).

Canadians of different demographic groups have varying perspectives on what was most noteworthy in 2022. Older Canadians age 55+ are significantly more likely to say the war in Ukraine was a top news story of 2022 (83% vs. 64% 35-54 and 65% 18-34), while Canadians in their prime working and family-formation years are more likely to cite rising interest rates and inflation (50% 35-54 vs. 41% 55+ and 26% 18-34). Younger Canadians are more likely to say billionaire Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter was a top news story this year (19% 18-34 vs. 8% 35-54 and 5% 55+). By gender, women are significantly more likely than men to cite the death of Queen Elizabeth II (38% vs. 30%), and the children’s medication shortage currently worrying parents in many parts of the world (14% vs. 9% men).  By contrast, men are more likely to cite ongoing protests in Iran (10% vs. 3% women).

Freedom Convoy Top News Story of 2022 in Canada

Closer to home, six in ten (62%) Canadians say the disruptive Freedom Convoy protests of January and February constitutes the top news story shaping the country this year. Closely aligned in second and third place are the Rogers Communications major service outage of July, which impacted millions of Canadians, including businesses and government offices (37%), and Charles III becoming King of Canada at Rideau Hall in September (35%).

Storm chips at the ready,[ii] one-quarter (23%) of Canadians say post-tropical storm Fiona hitting the east coast in September was a top news story in the country. Mention of Fiona, a storm which left thousands of Atlantic Canadians without power in its wake, is highest in Atlantic Canada in particular (58%) and outranks the Freedom Convoy (56%) as top Canadian news story of 2022 in this region.

Nationally, not far behind ranks Pierre Poilievre’s win of the 2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election in September (22%). Erin O’Toole’s removal as Conservative Party leader, however, is comparatively not as memorable (7%).

In terms of demographic differences, older Canadians are more likely to have found the Freedom Convoy protest notable (73% 55+ vs. 56% 35-54 and 55% 18-34), as well as post-tropical storm Fiona (31% 55+ vs. 19% 35-54 and 16% 18-34) and Pierre Poilievre’s leadership win (29% 55+ vs. 20% 35-54 and 16% 18-34). Younger Canadians are more likely to have found conversion therapy becoming illegal in the country in January 2022 significant (14% 18-34 vs. 6% 35-54 and 3% 55+). Women (43%) are more likely than men (30%) to cite the Rogers Communications outage, while men are more likely than women to cite Poilievre’s win (27% men vs. 18% women) and O’Toole’s removal as party leader (9% men vs. 4% women).

Regionally, Ontarians are most likely to say Canada’s qualification for the FIFA World Cup this year is a top news story (28% ON vs. 23% BC, 20% AB, 15% QC, 13% SKMB, 10% ATL). Given her roots in Nova Scotia, it is unsurprising that Atlantic Canadians are more likely than those in other regions to cite Mattea Roach’s winning streak in Jeopardy! this past spring as notable (14% ATL vs. 10% BC, 5% AB, 5% ON, 4% QC, 3% SK/MB).

Significant national and international events have marked 2022 as one for the history books. As the year enters its final days, Canadians will be looking ahead to see what 2023 might have in store, and whether it will bring just as many newsworthy developments and surprises as previous years.

About the Study

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between December 14 and 16, 2022, on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,004 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed. 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:

Sean Simpson

Senior Vice President, Ipsos Public Affairs

+1 416 324 2002

[email protected]

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[i] https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/most-canadians-concerned-canada-will-face-recession-next-year

[ii] https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/how-storm-chips-became-a-bad-weather-staple-in-atlantic-canada-1.5117674