Canadians say no to blocking bridges, border crossings even for causes they support
May 7, 2024 – Canadians and Americans alike have been following headlines and stories of pro-Palestinian campus protests in recent weeks. While students (and faculty) demonstrate and form encampments from McGill University in Montreal to Columbia University in New York City, the Israel-Hamas War rages on.
In the final part in a three-part series canvassing Canadian opinion on protesting, data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds most Canadians believe pro-Palestinians protesters can generate attention for the plight of Gazans – two-thirds (66%) say protest movements are effective at raising awareness of an issue – there is doubt they will affect the policies and partnerships with Israel of their university administrations or governments. Two-in-five believe (42%) protests are effective at making institutions change their position, half (49%) disagree.
Even fewer believe that protests generally move people from one side of an issue to the other. Seven-in-10 (69%) say protests are ineffective at “changing the views of those who initially disagree”.
Meanwhile, as university campuses across the country deal with the fallout of these aforementioned pro-Palestinian encampments, the tactics of protesters are under intense scrutiny. Even for causes they support, Canadians say blocking major infrastructure is unacceptable. At least two-thirds say protesters should not block border crossings (69%), bridges or railways (71%), or stop traffic in major cities (64%). However, Canadians who have protested in the past six months, and Canadians who identify as Indigenous, are much more likely to believe these are acceptable tactics than others.
Earlier releases in the Protest in Canada series:
- Protest Positions: Canadians say universities are fair game for demonstrations; hospitals, schools less so
- Protests and Policing: Two-thirds say inconsistent treatment from authorities favours some groups over others
More Key Findings:
- Recent protesters – those who have been active within the past six months – are more convinced that protests can be effective at raising awareness (90%) and influence the positions of institutions (74%) but are split that they can change the minds of people not on their side (47%).
- Past NDP (51%) and Bloc (67%) voters are more likely to believe protests are effective at making governments and companies change their position than those who voted Conservative (29%) or Liberal (38%) in 2021.
About ARI
The Angus Reid Institute (ARI) was founded in October 2014 by pollster and sociologist, Dr. Angus Reid. ARI is a national, not-for-profit, non-partisan public opinion research foundation established to advance education by commissioning, conducting and disseminating to the public accessible and impartial statistical data, research and policy analysis on economics, political science, philanthropy, public administration, domestic and international affairs and other socio-economic issues of importance to Canada and its world.
INDEX
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Protests increase awareness, but do not persuade
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Tactics that don’t work: Stopping traffic, blocking bridges
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But protesters themselves think differently
Protests increase awareness, but do not persuade
Canadian post-secondary students have taken a page from the textbooks of their American peers and set-up encampments at universities across Canada. The goal of the protests, besides calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, is to get their respective institutions to sever any ties they have with Israel.
Meanwhile, south of the border, police have dismantled several encampments at American universities, which have shown no sign of changing their connections to Israel.
As these protests continue, a majority of Canadians (66%) believe protest movements are effective at raising awareness of an issue but split as to whether or not they are effective at making institutions change their position (42% say yes, 49% say no). There is much more doubt that protests can effectively change the minds of those on the opposite side (69%) as McGill University students face counter protests from pro-Israel supporters.
While Canadians who have protested recently are much more certain protest movements can awareness (90%) and make governments and companies change positions (74%) than others, there is still doubt among that group that protests can change minds (47% believe it is effective, 45% disagree).
Canadians who have never protested in their lives believe at a majority level that protests can raise awareness of an issue (56%), but are skeptical they can influence governments, companies, or the minds of individuals who are on the opposite side of the protesters.
Those who have encountered at least one protest in their community in the past six months are more likely to believe in the efficacy of protests than those who have not but are uncertain if protests have the power to influence beyond that.
Younger Canadians are more likely to believe in the efficacy of protests in general, though most Canadians under 35 say demonstrations are ineffective at influencing the minds of those who disagree with protesters. Older Canadians believe at a majority level that protests can raise awareness, but are more likely than younger ones to doubt they can influence the positions of governments or companies:
Across political lines, a majority believe protests are effective at increasing recognition of an issue. But only past NDP and Bloc voters believe rallies can change the positions of institutions at a majority level:
Tactics that don’t work: Stopping traffic, blocking bridges
The tactics of protesters can be divisive. Many Canadians who have encountered multiple protests in recent months express frustration when their day-to-day lives are disrupted by rallies and demonstrations. One-in-five Canadians in urban centres have encountered multiple disruptive protests in the past six months and have been consistently upset by these disturbances.
Major protests can also have economic consequences. The 2022 border blockades by Freedom Convoy protesters cost an estimated $3.9 billion in lost trade activity according to Transport Canada. At the time, a majority (61%) of Canadians said economic interests needed to be protected, even if it limited protest.
In 2020, railways across Canada were blockaded by protesters in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en First Nation hereditary chiefs, who were opposing the construction of the Coastal Gaslink Pipeline through their traditional territory in British Columbia. At the time, two-in-five (39%) Canadians supported the protesters while more (51%) supported the pipeline itself. These protests reportedly cost “millions of dollars” each day.
Related:
- Coastal Gaslink Chaos: Two-in-five support protesters in natural gas project dispute; half support pipeline
- Blockade Backlash: Three-in-four Canadians tell convoy protesters, ‘Go Home Now’
- Canadian experiences with protest movements
Given the level of disruption for both people and economic interests, Canadians largely frown upon protesters stopping traffic and blocking bridges, railways, border crossings and major ports. More than two-thirds say those tactics are unacceptable, even for a protest for a cause they support:
Canadians aged 18- to 34-years-old are more than twice as likely to find major blockades as an acceptable means of protest than those older than 54. Though even among younger Canadians, a majority find these tactics unacceptable even for a cause they supported:
Past NDP voters are more likely than other groups of partisans to believe blocking border crossings, bridges or railways or stopping traffic in a major city is an acceptable means of protest. Those who voted NDP in the 2021 federal election are also the only group who are divided as to whether stopping traffic is acceptable (44%) or not (46%). Otherwise, all other past voters say these sorts of traffic-stopping protest tactics are unacceptable at a majority level:
But protesters themselves think differently
The perception of what is acceptable for a protest to get its point across changes depending on proximity to protest movements. Canadians who have protested in the past six months – who also tend to be younger (see detailed tables) – are much more likely to say blocking bridges, railways, or border crossings are acceptable tactics for a cause they support. Few Canadians who have never protested in their lives say the same:
Notably, Canadians who identify as Indigenous are much more likely than Canadians who don’t identify that way to believe blocking bridges, railways, border crossings or stopping traffic are acceptable tactics for protesters:
Survey Methodology:
The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from April 25-28, 2024 among a representative randomized sample of 1,707 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI.
For detailed results by age, gender, region, education, and other demographics, click here.
For detailed results by proximity to protests, click here.
To read the full report, including detailed tables and methodology, click here.
To read the questionnaire, click here.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Shachi Kurl, President: 604.908.1693 shachi.kurl@angusreid.org @shachikurl
Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 dave.korzinski@angusreid.org
Jon Roe, Research Associate: 825.437.1147 jon.roe@angusreid.org
