Seven out of 10 Canadians would vote for a party led by a Sikh, said a recent survey by the independent research firm the Angus Reid Institute.
However, half of respondents said that “most” or “some” of their friends and family could not vote for someone who has Jagmeet Singh’s demographic profile, the institute added.
The survey came after Singh’s victory in the race to become the leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP).
-
![]()
Canadians imprisoned for pot possession is ‘offensive’: Jagmeet Singh -
![]()
NDP’s Jagmeet Singh vows to ‘grow’ party in Quebec -
![]()
One-on-one with new NDP leader Jagmeet Singh -
![]()
Jagmeet Singh to lead the NDP -
![]()
Jagmeet Singh says NDP must fight politics of ‘fear and division’ -
![]()
Jagmeet Singh to tackle equality, electoral reform as NDP leader -
![]()
Jagmeet Singh praised Tom Mulcair’s leadership as NDP leader
The survey showed that Quebecers were particularly hesitant to vote for a party led by an observant Sikh man like Singh — and that could present difficulties for the NDP in Quebec, as the party held several seats in the province after the 2011 federal election, though they later lost a number of them to the Liberals.
Sixty-nine per cent of Quebecers agreed with the statement that Singh’s religion would hurt the NDP’s electoral chances.
Younger voters were more likely than older ones to say they could vote for a party leader who wore a turban and carried a kirpan.
Seventy-seven per cent of 18- to 34-year-old respondents said they would consider voting for such a candidate if they liked their policies, compared to 61 per cent of people aged 55 and over.
-
![]()
Jagmeet Singh wins NDP leadership race, crowd goes wild -
![]()
Jagmeet Singh comments on viral video, says message should be ‘hate is wrong’ -
![]()
NDP leadership candidate Jagmeet Singh says basic income, racial profiling on his agenda -
![]()
Jagmeet Singh, NDP leadership candidate, responds to racist heckling: ‘We welcome you’ -
![]()
Jagmeet Singh treated as candidate to beat at NDP leadership debate in Newfoundland -
![]()
Jagmeet Singh says Justin Trudeau doesn’t understand Canadians -
![]()
Trudeau ‘means well’ but doesn’t get Canadian struggles: Jagmeet Singh
Those who voted for the Conservative Party in the last federal election were also less likely to support such a candidate compared to other parties.
Get daily National news
“The latter group is unlikely to be of particular concern to Singh and his team, given their position on the opposite side of the political spectrum. Rather, New Democrats may worry about the one-in-four past Liberal voters and the nearly as many past NDP voters who rule out supporting a party led by someone like Singh in the future,” said the study.
The survey also asked participants whether their family and friends would vote for a practicing Sikh candidate.
Fifty per cent said some or most of their friends and family would be likely to say they couldn’t vote for a party led by an observant Sikh man.
Despite a high-profile run, the survey showed that a large portion of Canadians are still unfamiliar with Singh.
About one-third of respondents said they hadn’t heard of him before the Angus Reid survey, while 36 per cent said they knew his name but nothing else about the politician.
Nevertheless, Singh had stronger name recognition than Andrew Scheer did after he was elected as leader of the Conservative Party.
Over 40 per cent of respondents said they hadn’t heard of Scheer when they were asked earlier this year.
“Those who know Singh, even a little, like him,” the survey said.
“Of those who know something about him other than his name, some six-in-ten (61%) say that they have a ‘very’ or ‘moderately’ favourable view of the new NDP leader.”
Canadians also largely approved of what Singh represents.
Seventy-seven per cent of respondents agreed with the statement, “ultimately, a politician’s religious or cultural identity shouldn’t matter – only their policies should.”
Singh may still have an uphill battle ahead of him — the survey said that the level of support for the NDP is weaker than what’s enjoyed by the other two parties.
In general, however, women and those who live in urban areas were more likely to support the party.
-
![]()
Should Andrew Scheer have made a formal apology for Gerry Ritz’ tweet? -
![]()
Minister urges Andrew Scheer to apologize for Conservative MP’s ‘climate barbie’ comments -
![]()
Justin Trudeau and Andrew Scheer square off over proposed changes -
![]()
Andrew Scheer delivers remarks in Regina on corporate and small business taxes -
![]()
Asylum seekers stealing opportunities from those facing ‘real persecution’: Andrew Scheer -
![]()
Conservative leader Andrew Scheer accuses Liberals of stalling Alberta’s economic recovery -
![]()
Federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer visits Edmonton
As for the party, the Angus Reid Institute said that two statements about the NDP found agreement among a majority of Canadians.
One was that the NDP “stands up for ordinary Canadians,” the other was that it should “remain committed to its principles, even if that means not getting elected.”
Canadians were more divided on other matters, such as whether the party had made major contributions to what Canada is today, or whether it shared respondents’ values about the kind of society that Canada should be.
People were less convinced that the party would form the next Government of Canada.
Only five per cent of respondents said the NDP would beat the Liberals in the next election, though more (11 per cent) said the party could do it in 2023.
Thirty-seven per cent were unsure about when the NDP would be most likely to form government.
The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from October 2 – 4, 2017 among a representative randomized sample of 1,477 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI. Detailed tables are found at the end of this release.
Comments