Canadians less worried about terrorism than the rest of the world: Ipsos poll

Canadians are less concerned about the threat of terrorism than most other countries, according to a new Ipsos poll.

The poll, released Wednesday, asked respondents from all over the globe what they found most worrying about their country – from unemployment and healthcare coverage, to crime and terrorism. Only 10 per cent of Canadians polled said terrorism on home soil was their main concern, compared to 21 per cent globally.

READ MORE: Unemployment worries keeping Canadians up at night, Ipsos poll finds

Overall, Canadians rated unemployment as the most worrying issue in the country (41 per cent), followed by health care (33 per cent) and taxes (32 per cent).

Five out of the 25 countries included in the poll said terrorism was their number one concern. Those countries included Belgium, France, Israel, Turkey and the U.S. – all of which have suffered multiple terror attacks.

Germany, which has seen multiple terror attacks over the last year, rated terrorism as its third biggest concern, following poverty and social inequality and immigration control. The UK also rated terrorism as its third biggest concern, behind immigration control and healthcare.

Belgium had several attacks in March, France last November and again this summer, and Britain in 2005. The United States, of course, endured one in 2001; more recently, 49 people died in a mass shooting in a nightclub in Orlando, Fla. this year. Germany has seen a series of smaller-scale attacks; one in July killed 12 people. And that’s certainly not an exhaustive list.

France has been muscling up its security forces since two waves of ISIS-claimed attacks in 2015 left 147 dead – and after two March attacks in Belgium that killed 32. French President Francois Hollande has ordered 10,000 soldiers who have been patrolling since last year to stay in the streets, has called up reserves to bolster police and borders, and plans to use some to create a National Guard.

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Though Canadians don’t seem concerned about terrorism, we have too have experienced terror attacks.

So far, Canada has only experienced a handful of small-scale individual attacks, including the 2014 Parliament Hill shooting. However, in August, police prevented an attack from 24-year-old Aaron Driver. The suspect detonated an explosive in a taxi in Strathroy, Ont. during a standoff with police and later died from a gunshot wound.

READ MORE: What’s safe? European security changes after wave of terror attacks

The poll was based on an international sample of 18,014 adults aged 18-64 in Canada, Israel and the US, and aged 16-64 in all other countries. Interviews were conducted between August 26 and September 9.

While the poll revealed insecurities about Canada’s unemployment rate, a majority of Canadians — 54 per cent — said Canada is on the right track overall.

Canada ranked in the top five for optimism on the country’s overall state of affairs. The global average among respondents from all countries came in at 38 per cent.

China led the pack with 90 per cent of respondents agreeing their country was headed in the right direction, while France fell to last place with a measly 12 per cent of respondents agreeing.

South of the border, 36 per cent of U.S. poll respondents held an optimistic opinion their country was on the right path.

The Ipsos poll was conducted between August 26 and September 9, 2016. For this survey, a sample of 1,000 Canadian adults aged 18-64 was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The poll is accurate to within +/ – 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadian adults aged 18-64 been polled. 

– With files from Tania Kohut