Canadians Want More Action on the Environment

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in Canada believe their federal administration is not dealing properly with environment, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 66 per cent of respondents think the government is paying too little attention to this issue.

In the United States, 53 per cent of respondents think the federal administration is not paying enough attention to the environment. In Britain, 40 per cent of respondents feel the same way about their government.

The G8 was created after the 1998 Birmingham summit. Russia had attended previous meetings of the G7, but had been excluded from specific discussions on financial and economic matters. The group holds annual summits where the heads of government of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States discuss economic and political affairs. The European Union (EU) also attends these meetings as an observer. The G20, which incorporates finance ministers and central bank governors from 19 countries and the EU, meets twice a year.

The latest G8 summit took place on Jun. 25 and Jun. 26 in Huntsville, Ontario (Canada), and the G20 meeting was held in Toronto on Jun. 26 and Jun. 27.

Late last month, executive director of Greenpeace USA Phil Radford expressed dismay at the way the G20 countries dealt with the environment, saying, “It is like a meal where you ask your friends to come and bring a dish. Some countries came with things that were half-baked. Some countries like Canada came with food that was rotten and then others showed up with nothing at all.”

Polling Data

Canada – Overall, do you think the federal government is paying too much attention, the right amount of attention, or too little attention to the environment?

United States – Overall, do you think the federal government is paying too much attention, the right amount of attention, or too little attention to the environment?

Britian – Overall, do you think the Government is paying too much attention, the right amount of attention, or too little attention to the environment?

CAN USA BRI
The government is paying too much attention to the environment 5% 15% 11%
The government is paying the right amount of attention to the environment 21% 19% 34%
The government is paying too little attention to the environment 66% 53% 40%
None of these 8% 13% 5%

 

Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,009 Canadian adults, 1,002 American adults and 2,011 British adults, conducted from Jul. 1 to Jul. 9, 2010. Margins of error are 3.1 per cent (CAN and USA) and 2.2 per cent (BRI).

 

Complete Poll (PDF)

 

 

 


Tags assigned to this article:
Climate ChangeEnergyenvironmentGlobal Warming

Want advance notice for our latest polls? Sign up here!