A Majority of Canadians Have a Positive View of Socialism

A recently released public opinion poll from the Toronto based marketing and polling firm, Forum Research, shows that the majority of Canadians have a positive view of socialism. In a poll of more than 1,700 Canadian voters conducted in late July 2019, 58% of respondents said that they hold a positive view of socialism, 40% said that they hold a negative view of socialism, and about 2% said that they were either unsure, held no opinion, or neutral towards socialism.

According to the poll, respondents who held positive views towards socialism where mostly younger generations between the ages of 18 and 44 years old, adult women, highly educated individuals, middle-income workers earning about $30,000 to $60,000, and those living in the country’s costal Atlantic Provinces, composed of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, as well as urbanized areas. Respondents who held negative views towards socialism included older generations who 45 years old and older, adult men, least educated individuals, upper-middle-income workers earning about $60,000 to $75,000 or more, and those living in Alberta as well as other rural inland areas.

When broken down by partisan affiliations, supporters of the social-democratic New Democratic Party and the centrist Liberal Party have increased favorable views of socialism. Supporters of the center-right Conservative Party have increased negative views of socialism.

As Canadians prepare for another federal election in October that will determine incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s fate, socialism is slowly on the rise throughout Northern America. From Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to the Democratic Socialists of America, socialism in the Global North is gradually gaining ground.