Seven-in-ten Canadians are in favour of eating animals, and just over three-in-five approve of hunting animals for meat.
Vancouver, BC [October 22, 2026] – Fewer than a third of Canadians are supportive of three practices that involve animals, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 16% of Canadians (+4 since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in November 2025) are in favour of hunting animals for sport or “trophy hunting”.
Only one-in-five Canadians (20%, +4) are supportive of killing animals for their fur, while three-in-ten (30%, +5) favour using animals in rodeos.
“Acceptance for trophy hunting, furriers and rodeos has increased in Canada over the past year,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Still, majorities of Canadians remain opposed to each of them.”
There is a strong gender divide when Canadians assess trophy hunting. While 22% of men see no problem with hunting animals for sport, only 9% of women concur.
The gender gap is also sizeable on furriers (29% of Canadian men are in favour, compared to 11% of Canadian women) and rodeos (37% of Canadian men are in favour, compared to 23% of Canadian women)
On a regional basis, the use of animals in rodeos is favoured by 43% of Albertans. The proportions are decidedly lower in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (33%), British Columbia (28%), Atlantic Canada (27%), Ontario (also 27%) and Quebec (25%).
More than two-in-five Canadians (42%, +8) are in favor of keeping animals in zoos or aquariums. Canadians aged 18-to-34 are less likely to agree with this practice (37%) than their counterparts aged 55 and over (43%) and aged 35-to-54 (46%).
More than three-in-five Canadians (62%, +2) are in favor of hunting animals for meat. This practice is acceptable for sizeable proportions of Canadians of Indigenous or European descent (78% and 71% respectively) but not by majorities of those whose origins are East Asian or South Asian (48% and 43% respectively).
Seven-in-ten Canadians (70%, +1) are in favor of eating animals. This practice is endorsed by 74% of Canadians aged 55 and over, 70% of Canadians aged 35-to-54 and 66% of Canadians aged 18-to-34.
Methodology: Results are based on an online survey conducted from October 4 to October 6, 2026, among 1,001 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 +/- 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