Canada Day 2018
Toronto, June
29th, 2018 – Once again Forum
Research is pleased to provide a fun look at Canada in celebration of Canada
Day 2018, on Canadiana, trivia, and the most Canadian symbol. Enjoy.
Taken in a
random sampling of public opinion taken by The Forum Poll™ among 1547 Canadian
voters.
Canadian Trivia: Head of Government
Two-thirds (67%) of Canadians were able to name the Prime Minister as
Canada’s head of government, a far better result than last year when we asked
who Canada’s head of state is. (June 30, 2017: only 28% identified Her Majesty
The Queen). One-sixth (14%) said Head of Government is The Queen, while 1 in 10
(10%) said it was the Governor General. Few (3%) said it was the Lieutenant
Government or did not know (6%).
Canadian Trivia: Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Only about one-third (29%) were able to identify 1982 as the year the
constitution was amended to include the Charter. The plurality (39%) didn’t
even hazard a guess on the year, just saying do not know.
The same proportion, 1 in 10, said 1974 (11%), 1970 (10%), and 1986
(11%) respectively.
Canadian Trivia: The telephone
More than half (55%) were able to identify that the telephone was
invented in Canada, when presented with a list of innovations. One-sixth (16%)
said it was the telegraph, 1 in 10 (8%) thought it was the microchip, while few
(4%) thought it was the automobile. About one-fifth (18%) did not guess, saying
do not know.
Canadian Trivia: Officially bilingual
Just slightly more than a third (37%) were able to correctly identify
New Brunswick as Canada’s only officially bilingual province. The plurality
said it was Québec (42%). 1 in 10 (11%) thought it was Ontario. Few thought it
was either BC (3%), Nunavut (3%), or chose not to offer an answer (Don’t know:
4%).
The Maple Leaf seen as the most Canadian symbol
Two-thirds (66%) say that the Maple Leaf is the most Canadian symbol,
with 1 in 10 (12%) saying it is the Beaver and (10%) the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police, respectively. Few said it was the Canada Goose (3%), Maple Syrup (4%),
a Hockey Stick (3%), or something else (1%).
Atwood seen as most famous author, chosen amongst titans
Margaret Atwood is seen as Canada’s most famous author by a third (36%)
of Canadians. Robert Munsch (18%) and Lucy Maud Montgomery (17%) were each
chosen by about one-fifth.
Pierre Berton (10%) and Mordecai Richler (7%) were each chosen by about
1 in 10.
Margaret Laurence (5%), Alice Munro (5%), and Michael Ondaatje (3%) were
each selected by few respondents.
Amongst Timbits, chocolate-glazed reigns
Almost 9 in 10 (86%) Canadians have eaten a Timbit, and amongst those,
chocolate glazed is the favourite flavour of one-quarter (24%). Honey dip (18%)
and sour-cream glazed (17%) are the favourite of about one-fifth each.
1 in 10 (13%) say that old fashioned plain is the best, while a similar
proportion (10%) prefers jelly filled.
Fewer than one in ten say coconut (6%), dutchie (6%), or birthday cake
(5%) are the best flavour.
Canadians still apologize. A lot.
When asked how often they say sorry, 4 in 10 Canadians (39%) do so at
least daily, unchanged from last year (June 30, 2017: 38%). One-fifth (18%) say
they apologize hourly, similar to last year (June 30, 2017: 17%). Another fifth
(19%) say they apologize 3-5 times per week, (June 30, 2017: 22%). About
one-sixth (17%) say they apologize a few times per month (June 30, 2017: 17%),
with a stubborn few (6%) saying they never apologize (June 30, 2017: 5%).
We even apologize when it’s not our fault.
When asked how often they apologize when someone else bumps into them on
the street, one-third (the plurality) (30%) said they apologize often, while
one-quarter (23%) said they always apologize. Another quarter (26%) said they
apologize to someone else sometimes.
About 1 in 10 (9%) said they apologize for this rarely, while 1 in 10
(11%) say they never apologize to someone who bumps into them.
Half think the United States is Canada’s closest ally
Despite the negative attention paid to the relationship of late, half
(49%) of Canadians still see the United States as Canada’s closest ally, while
just over a third (37%) see the United Kingdom as our closest ally. Few (6%)
see France as Canada’s closest ally, but almost no one sees Italy (1%), Japan
(1%), Germany (1%), the Netherlands (2%), or China (2%) as our closest ally.
Almost half excited for Canada to host 10 World Cup Games in
2026
One quarter (23%) says they are very excited for Canada to host World Cup
games, while another quarter (23%) says they are somewhat excited.
One-fifth (21%) say they are not very excited, and a third (30%) says
they are not at all excited.
Only one-quarter will try for tickets in 2026
Only about one-sixth (14%) say they are very likely to try and get
tickets for a World Cup game hosted in Canada. 1 in 10 (12%) say they are
somewhat likely.
The majority, almost two-thirds (61%), say they are not at all likely to
try for tickets. 1 in 10 (9%) say they are not very likely.
“Canada Day is an exciting reminder that we live in the best country in
the world,” said Dr. Lorne Bozinoff, President of Forum Research. “So grab a
maple leaf, eat a chocolate glaze, and apologize to someone you love for no
particular reason, but one thing’s for sure…we never have to apologize for
being Canadian.”
Lorne Bozinoff,
Ph.D. is the president and founder of Forum Research. He can be reached at
lbozinoff@forumresearch.com or at (416) 960-9603.
