A Public Opinion Survey Of Canadians And Americans About China

Anxiety about China's emergence as a superpower is unsettling to many in North America. Fifty-four percent of Americans and 40% of Canadians agree "the emergence of China as a superpower is a threat to world peace". And most Americans (54%) and many Canadians (45%) are concerned about the level of Chinese investment in their country.

More specifically, two in three Americans (66%) and half of Canadians (51%) feel "China is a serious threat to jobs in the United States". Substantial proportions in both countries believe that "China will soon dominate the world" (42% among Canadians, 31% among Americans).

According to majorities in both countries an increased global role for China does not necessarily mean China's government will introduce democratic reforms: Seventy-one percent of Americans and 61% of Canadians disagree with the statement "China will soon be a true democracy".

But while most Americans (58%) and half of Canadians (52%) do not think we should reward China for its record of human rights abuses by pursuing expanded trade and closer relations, six in ten Canadians (61%) and 50% of Americans describe China's economic growth as an "opportunity".

Seven in ten Canadians (68%) think expanding Canada's trade relations with China is a good idea because it will help reduce dependence on trading with the United States.

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid Poll conducted for the Canada Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and The Canada Institute on North American Issues conducted from April 5th to April 7th, 2005. For the telephone survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1000 adult Canadians and 1000 adult Americans were interviewed by telephone. With samples of this size, the results for both countries are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire populations of both countries been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian and American population. The Canada Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

The Woodrow Wilson Center established the Canada Institute to explore one of America's most important bilateral relationships. The aim of the Canada Institute is to increase knowledge about Canada in Washington, to focus on current U.S.-Canada issues and common challenges, and to keep an eye on the future, looking ahead to long-term policy issues facing the two countries in a variety of areas.

The Canada Institute brings together top academics, government officials, and corporate leaders to explore key policy issues. The Institute has formed a partnership with the Toronto-based Canada Institute on North American Issues, to among other things, help disseminate its programming and research findings. The Institute sponsors seminars, conferences, and research projects and works regularly with Canadian universities and research institutions. The Institute has set up an annual Fulbright Chair for a distinguished Canadian scholar-in-residence at the Wilson Center. Please open the attached PDF to view the factum and detailed tables.

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For more information on this news release, please contact:

Dr. Darrell Bricker
President & COO
Ipsos-Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2900