Canadians Blame Owners for NHL Lockout, Most Expect to Lose Season
Canadians and hockey fans alike are expressing frustration with the current lockout affecting the National Hockey League (NHL), a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative sample of 1,508 Canadian adults, 36 per cent of respondents are personally dissatisfied with the NHL lockout, and 18 per cent feel sad.
Among those Canadians who describe themselves as “hockey fans, who truly enjoy watching the game”, 43 per cent are dissatisfied, and 42 per cent are sad.
Across Canada, more than a third of respondents (36%) believe the owners deserve most of the blame for the NHL lockout—a proportion that rises to 55 per cent among hockey fans.
Conversely, about one-in-four Canadians (24%) and hockey fans (26%) believe the players are responsible for the work stoppage.
As a result of the NHL lockout, 18 per cent of Canadians are now watching more minor league hockey, and 14 per cent are tuning in to National Football League (NFL) games more often.
Two-in-five self-described hockey fans (43%) are following minor league hockey, and three-in-ten (31%) are watching NFL games.
One-in-five Canadians (19%) and three-in-ten hockey fans (29%) believe the lockout will be resolved and a new agreement will be reached before the end of 2012.
Conversely, 41 per cent of Canadians—and 45 per cent of hockey fans—expect no deal to be made and the entire 2012-13 NHL season to be lost.
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
Methodology: From November 5 to November 6, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,508 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panellists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
