A majority also think transgender Canadians should be allowed to use the public bathroom of their choice.
Vancouver, BC [July 26, 2019] – More than half of Canadians would abolish the practice of trying to modify a person’s sexual orientation, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 58% of Canadians would ban “conversion therapy”, which purports to “convert” individuals who identify themselves as LGBTQ2+ into heterosexuals through psychological or spiritual intervention.
Support for a nationwide ban on “conversion therapy” is highest among women (62%), British Columbians (65%) and Canadians aged 18-to-34 (61%).
Across the country, more than half of Canadians (55%) believe the notion of “converting” individuals who identify themselves as LGBTQ2+ is “impossible”, while 25% think it is “possible.”
“There are some striking ethnic differences on this question,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “While only 20% of Canadians of European descent think transforming a person’s sexual orientation is possible, the proportion rises to 34% among those of South Asian descent and 36% among those of East Asian descent.”
There have been some discussions across Canada on establishing policies for the use of public bathrooms by transgender Canadians.
A majority of Canadians (52%) believe transgender Canadians should “definitely” or “probably” use the public bathroom of their choice, while one third (33%) think they should “definitely” or “probably” use the public bathroom based on biological sex.
Canadians who voted for the Liberal Party or the New Democratic Party (NDP) in the 2015 federal election are more likely to agree with the notion of transgender Canadians using the public bathroom of their choice (63% and 60% respectively).
Conversely. a majority of Canadians who supported the Conservative Party in the last federal ballot (52%) believe transgender Canadians should use the public bathroom based on biological sex.
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from July 15 to July 17, 2019, among 1,000 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in Canada. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our full data set here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca