While the news headlines in 2020 and 2021 have been dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, several events relating to Indigenous Peoples have also attracted attention. These include disputes over land and resources on both the West and East coasts; the ongoing failure to ensure all Indigenous communities have access to clean drinking water; and, most prominently, the discovery of the unmarked graves of hundreds of children at the sites of former Indian residential schools.

The 2021 Focus Canada survey, conducted by the Environics Institute for Survey Research in partnership with Century Initiative, reveals that, in the wake of these events, attitudes in Canada have shifted. There is a growing awareness of the mistreatment of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, including through the system of residential schools, and a growing willingness to say that the policies of Canadian governments is the main obstacle to achieving economic and social equality.

Survey Details

This survey was conducted in partnership with the Century Initiative. This survey is based on telephone interviews conducted (via landline and cellphones) with 2,000 Canadians between September 7 and 23, 2021 A sample of this size drawn from the population produces results accurate to within plus or minus 2.2 percentage points in 19 out of 20 samples.

 

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Focus Canada

Focus Canada is the longest running and most comprehensive public opinion research program on public policy issues in Canada.

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Environics Institute for Survey Research

701-33 Bloor Street East
Toronto, ON M4W 3H1

info@environicsinstitute.org

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