Six in Ten (58%) Canadians More Concerned About a Terrorist Attack on Canada Now Than Before 9/11

Toronto, ON - Six in ten (58%) Canadians `agree' (14% strongly/44% somewhat) that they are more concerned about a terrorist attack in Canada now than they were before the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television. Conversely, four in ten (42%) `disagree' (11% strongly/31%) that they're more concerned about a terrorist attack in Canada.

The fact a majority of Canadians are more concerned about an attack is notable, considering Canadians in general feel that the Canadian government's overall response to 9/11 has been appropriate and has made them feel safer. All in all, three quarters (74%) believe the Canadian government's response has been `appropriate', compared to just 12% who think it has been `excessive' and 14% who believe it has been `insufficient'. In fact, a majority (62%) `agrees' (10% strongly/52% somewhat) that they `trust the Canadian government to keep us safe from terrorist attacks', while a minority (38%) `disagrees' (9% strongly/29% somewhat).

Furthermore, one in three (35%) Canadians say that the military actions taken by the Canadian government have made Canada `more safe' than it was ten years ago, while just 15% believe Canada is `less safe' as a result. Half (50%) say there has been `no change'. Similarly, nearly half (48%) maintain that Canada is `more safe' as a result of the domestic security actions taken by the Canadian government, while just 6% feel `less safe' and 46% think there has been `no change'.

In contrast, fewer Canadians believe the American government's response has been appropriate and has made Canada safer. A slim majority (53%) of Canadians believe the American government's overall response has been `appropriate', while four in ten (38%) believe it has been `excessive' and one in ten (8%) believe it has been `insufficient'.

Four in ten (37%) believe the military actions taken by the U.S. government have made Canada `more safe' than it was ten years ago, compared to one quarter (22%) who believe Canada is now `less safe', and four in ten (41%) who say there has been `no change'. Nearly half (48%) believe that the domestic security actions taken by the U.S. government have made Canada `more safe', while 11% say Canada is `less safe' as a result, and four in ten (41%) believe there is `no change'.

Just one quarter (23%) of Canadians `agree' (4% strongly/19% somewhat) that `Canada and the U.S. can relax security measures now that there hasn't been an attack on North American soil in ten years'. In contrast, most (77%) `disagree' (38% strongly/40% somewhat) that security measures can be relaxed.

In an effort to create a tighter, North-American security perimeter, Canada and the United States have harmonized many of their border-security policies. As a result, three in ten (30%) believe that `Canada is needlessly losing its sovereignty by harmonizing its security and border policies with the United States and by sharing information on travellers with the American government'. However, most (70%) more closely believe that `this is a necessary and prudent course of action for Canada to be taking in order to increase security on a North American level'.

There is one area, in particular, where Canadian attitudes are split straight down the middle. One half (52%) `agree' (13% strongly/40% somewhat) that `the media overplays the potential for a terrorist attack in Canada', while the other half (48%) of Canadians `disagree' (10% strongly/38% somewhat) with this notion.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television between August 26 and 30, 2011. For this survey, a national sample of 1,012 adults from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and political composition 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. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100 per cent response rate would have an estimated margin of error of 1773.1 percentage points 19 times out of 20 of what the results would have been had the entire population of Canada 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 Public Affairs
416.324.2002
[email protected]

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