Two-in-Five Canadians Would Take Nickel Out of Circulation

Two-in-Five Canadians Would Take Nickel Out of Circulation

By Mario Canseco

Men (47%) are more likely to support getting rid of the five-cent coin than women (33%).

Vancouver, BC [June 7, 2022] – While practically half of Canadians are willing to keep the nickel, support for abandoning the five-cent coin has increased since 2019, a new Research Co. poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample, 40% of Canadians support taking the nickel out of circulation, up four points since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in November 2019.

Almost half of Canadians (49%, -6) oppose abolishing the five-cent coin, while 11% (+2) are undecided.

There is a substantial gender gap when Canadians think about the nickel. While 47% of men support its abolition, the proportion drops to 33% among women.

Across Canada, 43% of residents aged 18-to-34 are in favour of taking the five-cent coin out of circulation. The proportion is lower among their counterparts aged 35-to-54 (38%) and aged 55 and over (37%).

“More than half of residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (58%), British Columbia (52%) and Atlantic Canada (also 52%) support keeping the nickel,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “The proportion of five-cent coin fans is lower in Quebec (49%), Ontario (47%) and Alberta (46%).”

More than seven-in-ten Canadians (71%, -4) agree with the federal government’s decision to take the penny out of circulation in February 2013.

Male respondents are more likely to agree with dropping the one-cent coin (77%) than their female counterparts (66%).

The level of agreement with abolishing the penny is highest among Canadians aged 18-to-34 (74%), followed by those aged 55 and over (72%) and those aged 35-to-54 (65%).

More than seven-in-ten residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (75%), Ontario (71%) and Quebec (also 71%) agree with taking Canada’s one-cent coin out of circulation. The numbers are lower in Alberta (69%) and British Columbia (65%).

Methodology:

Results are based on an online study conducted from May 22 to May 24, 2022, among 1,000 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error – which measures sample variability – is +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
 

Find our data tables 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

Photo Credit: Motorbicycle