Sizeable majorities of the country’s residents support solutions that address mental health and housing.
Vancouver, BC [March 18, 2024] – A large proportion of Canadians regard homelessness as a national concern, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, two thirds of Canadians (66%) describe the current situation related to homelessness in the country as a “major problem”.
More than three-in-five Canadians think homelessness is a “major problem” in their province (61%), while fewer feel the same way about the issue in their municipality (42%) and their neighbourhood (26%).
Just over seven-in-ten Canadians (71%) say homelessness has increased in the country over the past three years. Majorities also feel homelessness has grown in their province (67%) and in their municipality (51%), while fewer perceive an escalation in their neighbourhood (37%).
“More than two thirds of Ontarians (73%), Atlantic Canadians (71%), British Columbians (70%) and Albertans (69%) think homelessness has become a bigger issue in their province over the past three years,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “The proportions are lower in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (61%) and Quebec (57%).”
About four-in-five Canadians support two ideas to reduce homelessness in their province: increasing mental health support for residents who require assistance (81%) and increasing temporary housing options for people experiencing homelessness (79%).
Majorities of Canadians also endorse three proposals that focus on construction: offering incentives to developers if they focus on building affordable housing units (75%), devoting tax money to build units to house homeless residents (70%) and changing zoning laws to allow property owners to build more units on standard lots (65%).
Canadians are divided on whether municipal governments should immediately dismantle any encampment or “tent city” located within their municipality, with 46% supporting this course of action and 42% opposing it.
Only 31% of Canadians think the federal government has done a “very good” or “good” job to come up with solutions to deal with homelessness, while more than half (56%) deem its performance as “bad” or “very bad”.
Municipal governments fare better overall, with 39% of Canadians saying their performance on this file has been “very good” or “good”.
The nationwide rating for the way provincial governments are addressing homelessness is 35%. Among the four most populous provinces, Quebec posts the best numbers (39%), followed by Alberta (34%), British Columbia (33%) and Ontario (29%).
Respondents to this survey were asked about specific factors that might be to blame for the current situation regarding homelessness in Canada.
At least two-in-five Canadians think three factors are to blame “a great deal” for homelessness: lack of affordable housing (50%), addiction and mental health issues (46%) and poverty and inequality (40%).
Fewer residents place “a great deal” of the blame for the apparent rise of homelessness on a bad economy and unemployment (33%), personal actions and decisions (26%) and family and emotional trauma (24%).
Just over three-in-five Canadians (61%) believe that, with the proper funding and policies, homelessness can “definitely” or “probably” be eradicated in Canada. More than a third (35%) think that homelessness will “definitely” or “probably” always be a problem in Canada, even with the proper funding and policies.
While only 50% of Canadians aged 55 and over are more convinced that an end to homelessness can be attained, the proportions are higher among their counterparts 35-to-54 (64%) and aged 18-to-34 (68%).
Methodology: Results are based on an online study conducted from February 25 to February 27, 2024, among 1,001 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, 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