More than half of residents disagree with taking the five-cent coin out of circulation in Canada.
Vancouver, BC [December 6, 2019] – After almost seven years of life without the penny, most Canadians appear satisfied with the decree to abolish the one-cent coin, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, three-in-four Canadians (75%) agree with the federal government’s decision to take the penny out of circulation in February 2013.
Canadians aged 18-to-34 are more likely to welcome the decision to abolish the penny (81%) than those aged 35-to-54 (74%) and those aged 55 and over (72%).
“On a regional basis, one-in-five residents of Atlantic Canada (21%), British Columbia (20%) and Ontario (also 20%) seem more nostalgic about the penny,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “The proportion is lower in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (18%), Alberta (15%) and Quebec (14%).”
The notion of taking the nickel out of circulation is definitely not as popular. Across the country, more than a third of Canadians (36%) agree with abandoning the five-cent coin, while more than half (55%) disagree.
Once again, the views on this issue vary by age. Canadians aged 18-to-34 are slightly more likely to suggest that the nickel should be abandoned (41%) than those aged 35-to-54 (39%) and those aged 55 and over (29%).
The regions with the highest level of rejection for the idea of not having a five-cent coin in Canada are Saskatchewan and Manitoba (63%), Atlantic Canada (59%), Ontario (58%) and British Columbia (55%). The proportion is lower in Alberta (50%) and Quebec (47%).
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from November 25 to November 27, 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 plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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