Canadians aged 18-to-34 are more likely to believe in the concept than their older counterparts.
Vancouver, BC [January 1, 2020] – A majority of Canadians question the concept of studying the movements and relative positions of celestial objects to make observations about human affairs and terrestrial events, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, more than a third of Canadians (36%) say they “definitely” or “probably” believe in astrology, while more than half (55%) “probably” or “definitely” do not.
Women (40%) are more likely to lend credence to astrology than men (30%). While only 27% of Canadians aged 55 and over believe in the concept, the proportion increases to 37% among those aged 35-to-54 and 49% among those aged 18-to-34.
“Across Canada, Ontario has the largest proportion of residents who express a belief in astrology at 42%,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Alberta has the lowest at 27%.”
When asked about their current attitude towards the concept, one-in-five Canadians (20%) acknowledge currently paying attention to astrology—including 30% of those aged 18-to-34, 25% of Ontarians and 25% of Atlantic Canadians.
More than one-in-four Canadians (27%) say they used to pay attention to astrology, but don’t anymore. A majority (54%) claim to have never paid attention to the concept, including 62% of those aged 55 and over.
Belief in other concepts was slightly lower across the country. One third of Canadians (33%) believe in haunted houses, or buildings being inhabited by spirits of dead people, while 58% do not.
Just over three-in-ten Canadians (31%) believe in mediumship, or mediating communication between living human beings and spirits of dead people, while 60% do not.
The same proportion (31%) believe in clairvoyance, or gaining information about an object, person, location or physical event through extrasensory perception, while 58% do not.
On these three concepts, there is a sizeable gender gap, with more women in Canada believing in haunted houses (40%), mediumship (39%), clairvoyance (36%) than men (25%, 22% and 26% respectively).
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from December 2 to December 6, 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