While 66% of Canadians claim to never lie to their children, only 52% say they are always truthful when talking with their parents.
Vancouver, BC [April 5, 2023] – Many Canadians acknowledge being loose with the truth when dealing with family members, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 66% of parents in Canada say they never lie to their children over the course of an average week.
Just over three-in-five fathers in Canada (61%) claim to always tell the truth when chatting with their offspring, compared to 45% among mothers.
More than half of Canadians who have parents (52%) say they never lie to their mother or father—a proportion that falls to 36% among those aged 18-to-34.
“Canada’s youngest adults are not particularly truthful when talking to their mons or dads,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “While 15% of sons and daughters aged 18-to-34 say they lie to their parents all or most of the time, the proportion drops to 7% among those aged 35-to-54.”
More than three-in-five Canadians who are in a relationship (64%) say they never lie to their wife, husband, girlfriend or boyfriend—including 72% of those aged 55 and over.
Fewer Canadians say they are always truthful to people on social media (62%) or to friends (60%).
Two thirds of employed Canadians (66%) say they never lie to their clients or customers, while fewer say they are always truthful when dealing with their boss (62%) or their co-workers (57%).
The proportion of employed Canadians who never lie to their boss is highest in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (69%) and lowest in British Columbia (57%).
Respondents to this survey were also asked how truthful they think people employed in 16 different professions are. More than a third (35%) believe federal politicians lie all of the time. The numbers are slightly lower for provincial politicians (31%) and municipal politicians (28%).
Almost one-in-four Canadians (23%) think lobbyists are never truthful. Slightly fewer feel the same way about religious leaders (21%), advertisers (20%), lawyers (18%), business executives (17%), real estate agents (16%) and union leaders (also 16%).
Fewer Canadians believe people involved in six other professions lie all the time: television journalists (15%), online journalists (also 15%), print journalists (14%), radio journalists (also 14%), building contractors (also 14%) and pollsters (13%).
This is the last of three releases exploring the relationship of Canadians with the truth. Read the first release and the second release.
Methodology: Results are based on an online study conducted from March 10 to March 12, 2023, among 1,000 Canadian adults. 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, nineteen times out of twenty.
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