Majority of Canadians Have
Positive Opinions of Socialism, But Americans Hold a Different Opinion
Toronto, August 16th, 2019 – In a
random sampling of public opinion taken by The Forum Poll™ among 1733 Canadian voters, when asked about
their opinions on capitalism, and socialism, the majority (TOP2: 58%) say they
have a positive opinion of socialism, with nearly a fifth (18%) saying they have
a very positive opinion.
In comparison to the United States, a Pew Research study found that about 4-in-10 (TOP2: 42%) have positive
opinions of socialism, with less than a tenth (9%) saying they have very positive
opinions.
About 4-in-10 Canadians (BTM2: 42%) say they have
a negative opinion of socialism, with a fifth (20%) saying they have a very
negative opinion. The majority of Americans (BTM2: 55%) have negative opinions
of socialism, with nearly a third (32%) saying they have very negative
opinions.
Respondents most likely to say they hold
positive opinions include those aged 18 to 34 (63%) and 35 to 44 (65%), females
(62%) earning $40,000 to $60,000 (64%) and $60,000 to $80,000 (63%), the most
educated (65%), those living in the Atlantic provinces (67%), and those
supporting the NDP (85%). Liberal supporters also hold positive opinions (74%),
as do the majority of American Democrat supporters (65%).
Respondents most likely to say they hold
negative opinions include those aged 45 and older (48% aged 45 to 54, 47% aged
55 to 64, and 50% aged 65 and over), males (47%), the lowest earners (48%) and
those earning $80,000 to $100,000 (45%), the least educated (52%), those living
in Alberta (56%), and those supporting the Conservatives (72%). Likewise, American
Republican supporters also hold negative opinions on socialism (84%).
Both
Canadians and Americans Hold Positive Opinions on Capitalism
The majority of Canadians (TOP2: 58%) also have
a positive opinion of capitalism, with just over a fifth (21%) saying they have
a very positive opinion.
The same Pew research study suggests the majority (TOP2: 65%) of US
residents also have positive opinions of capitalism, with nearly a quarter
(24%) saying they have very positive opinions.
About 4-in-10 Canadians (BTM2: 42%) say they
have a negative opinion of capitalism, with about a sixth (16%) saying they
have a very negative opinion. A third of Americans (BTM2: 33%) have negative
opinions of capitalism, with a tenth (10%) saying they have very negative
opinions.
Respondents most likely to say they hold
positive opinions include those aged 45 and older (65% aged 45 to 54, 64% aged
55 to 64, and 65% aged 65 and over), males (68%), those earning $80,000 to $100,000
(63%) and the most wealthy (68%), those who have completed college or
university (59%) and the most educated (62%), those living in Alberta (76%),
and those supporting the Conservatives (77%). Those supporting the Republicans
(78%) also hold a positive opinion on capitalism.
Respondents most likely to say they hold
negative opinions include those aged 18 to 34 (51%) and 35 to 44 (48%), females
(52%), the lowest earners (55%) and those earning $20,000 to $40,000 (57%), the
least educated (50%), those living in the Atlantic (50%), Quebéc (51%), or the Prairies (50%), and those
supporting the NDP (64%). Those supporting the Liberals hold fewer negative
opinions of capitalism (45%), as do those supporting the Democrats (44%).
“Unlike our neighbours to the south, Canadians
hold overall positive opinions of both socialism and capitalism, but see
socialism far more favourably than do our American friends,” said Dr. Lorne
Bozinoff, President of Forum Research. “Both Canadians and Americans alike see
capitalism favourably. While Canadian support for socialism and capitalism are
divided along party lines, it is not nearly as drastic as shown in the United
States.”
*Data reviewed with comparable study conducted
by Pew Research on June 29th. Click here to read that study.
