This report explores the current state of public trust in democratic institutions and actors in Canada, and how this may have changed over time. The data are drawn from the 2021 AmericasBarometer survey in Canada.
The survey finds that Canadians are generally satisfied with the country’s democracy and political system, and are becoming more likely to trust its key political institutions and actors. While part of the most recent increases in trust may have been prompted by the government response to the pandemic, they also represent a continuation of a broader trend that existed prior to the arrival of COVID-19 in Canada in early 2020.
A negative trend is evident, however, in the case of two additional measures related to national pride and national unity, pointing to the ongoing challenges that the country faces in terms of finding appropriate accommodations between its different nations, cultures and regions.
Survey Details
The AmericasBarometer 2021 survey in Canada was conducted by the Environics Institute for Survey Research, in partnership with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and LAPOP at Vanderbilt University. The survey was conducted online with a representative sample of 2,201 Canadians (aged 18 and over) between July 2 and July 7, 2021. The sample was weighted by region, age and gender to match the country’s population, based on the 2016 Census. Results from 2021 are compared with those from previous AmericasBarometer online surveys beginning in 2010.
The AmericasBarometer surveys measure trust in a range of political institutions and actors on a seven-point scale. Here is a summary of the most recent results for Canada, showing the trend since 2010.
Related reading
Support for Democracy in Canada
This report focuses on the extent of public support for democracy in Canada, and examines whether this support has been weakening over time. The analysis is based on the results of the Canadian portion of the AmericasBarometer surveys, which track opinions on a consistent set of questions about democracy and its alternatives.
Democracy and the fairness of elections in Canada
Satisfaction with democracy, trust in elections, and the sense that votes are always counted fairly, have all declined steadily and significantly among Conservative Party supporters since the party lost power a decade ago – and in the context of four consecutive election losses.
Democracy and Political Polarization in Canada and the U.S.
This presentation compares the results in Canada and the United Sates. It shows that American politics remains highly polarized in several senses; for instance, there are significant gaps in trust in the political system between those who identify as liberals and those who identify as conservatives.