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.
Overall, these surveys do show that Canadians’ satisfaction with the way democracy works in their country, and their preference for democracy as a system of government, have both declined since the middle of the last decade. This decline coincides with a worsening outlook on the country’s economy, particularly among supporters of the official opposition, and in regions of the country outside of Quebec. It may therefore be a function of the regular ups and downs of the economic cycle. The key question that remains is whether satisfaction with democracy will rebound once there is an improvement in the economic environment.
Survey Details
The 2023 AmericasBarometer Canadian survey was conducted by the Environics Institute for Survey Research, in partnership with LAPOP at Vanderbilt University. It was conducted online with a representative sample of 2,500 Canadians (aged 18 and over) between July 20 and August 4, 2023.
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 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.
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.
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.