Just over a third of Canadians are in favour of keeping animals in zoos or aquariums.
Vancouver, BC [July 26, 2024] – More than four-in-five Canadians are against the practice of hunting animals for sport, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 84% of Canadians are opposed to trophy hunting (+3 since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in August 2023), while 11% (-3) are in favour of the practice.
“Fewer than one-in-ten residents of British Columbia (7%) and Alberta (8%) are in favour of hunting animals for sport,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “The numbers are slightly higher in Quebec (11%), Ontario (13%), Atlantic Canada (15%) and Manitoba and Saskatchewan (17%).”
Three-in-five Canadians (60%, -3) are in favour of hunting animals for meat, and just under seven-in-ten (69%, -6) are in favour of eating animals.
Canadians of Indigenous descent are more likely to say they are supportive of hunting animals for meat (78%) than those whose heritage is European (66%), East Asian (58%) and South Asian (29%).
At least two thirds of Canadians are opposed to two other practices: killing animals for their fur (78%, +1) and using animals in rodeos (67%, =).
Support for killing animals for their fur is highest in Atlantic Canada (26%). While 23% of men have no problem with this practice, only 11% of women feel the same way.
Using animals in rodeos is more accepted in Alberta (37%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (also 37%). The practice is also viewed more favourably by Conservative Party voters in the last federal election (40%) than among those who voted for the Liberal Party (23%) or the New Democratic Party (NDP) (21%) in 2021.
Keeping animals in zoos or aquariums remains a contentious issue. Just over a third of Canadians (36%, +1) are in favour of this practice, while fewer than three-in-five (57%, +1) are opposed.
Support for zoos and aquariums is highest among Canadians aged 55 and over (42%), but drops among those aged 35-to-54 (37%) and those aged 18-to-34 (29%).
Methodology: Results are based on an online study conducted from July 5 to July 7, 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 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