Three-quarters of Americans view Canada favourably, just one-half of Canadians say the same of U.S.
June 13, 2024 – There is much to discuss on the agenda as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joins his international counterparts at the G7 summit in Italy, including wars in Gaza and Ukraine. But the Canadian contingent says it hopes to find time for a multilateral discussion of foreign interference, an issue which has continued to be a source of domestic controversy.
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians offering strongly negative assessments of two of the countries accused of meddling in Canadian elections. Four-in-five (79%) Canadians say they have an unfavourable view of China as favourability towards that country remains at a historic nadir.
Further, positive appraisal of India has declined by 11-points in Canada since March 2023; a minority of one-third (33%) who say they view the country favourably are outnumbered by the majority (54%) who do not.
A recent report by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) has brought renewed attention to foreign election interference in Canada, while pointing fingers at both nations, China and India.
Click below to see Key Takeaways from the data.
Canadians are most positively disposed to the United Kingdom and France, ahead of key trade partners Mexico and the United States. China, Russia, and Iran all generate negative favourability among four-in-five or more:
Views of the United States have rebounded since the Trump presidency ended, up 14 points compared to early 2021:
Amid allegations of interference in Canadian elections, 13 per cent view China favourably. This maintains a trend of low favourability seen since 2020:
Recent rocky relations between Canada and India also appear to be dragging down Canadian assessments of the world’s most populous country. Last year in March, more than two-in-five (44%) said they had favourable views of India. Now only one-third say the same:
This survey also includes a sample of more than 2,000 Americans. Americans are more favourable to Israel and India, but Canadians offer more positive views of Mexico:
The Full Story
INDEX
Part One: Favourability of nations
- U.K., France top list over NAFTA partners
- Political divergence
- Generational views
Part Two: Trends over time
- U.S. up after Trump-dip
- China remains historically low
- India down double-digits
Part Three: Comparing Canadian and American perspectives
Part One: Favourability of nations
U.K., France top list over NAFTA partners
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travels to the G7 summit in the heel of the boot of Italy, global conflict in Ukraine and Gaza are expected to occupy much of the attention for the leaders of the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Italy, France, Germany and Japan.
Related:
- Ukraine Invasion: Canadian attention, and Conservative support, plummets two years into conflict
- Israel-Gaza Ceasefire: In both Canada and US, majority say hostilities should end immediately
However, Canadian officials say Trudeau will raise the issue of foreign election interference in the wake of fresh domestic controversy on the issue and with elections scheduled in the U.S., U.K. and elsewhere in the European Union. Trudeau departs for Italy leaving behind a cauldron of foreign election interference controversy bubbling over at home with the allegations from the recently released report by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSCIOP).
Canadians largely hold China, one of the countries chiefly accused in election meddling, in ill regard. Four-in-five (79%) say they view China unfavourably, vastly outnumbering those who say they have positive views of the country (13%). Canadians’ negative view of China is only surpassed by negativity towards Russia (9% favourable) and Iran (7%).
Canadians are more divided over the other major alleged culprit in Canada’s foreign election interference controversy, India. The relationship between Canada and India has hit a rough patch in recent months after Trudeau accused the Indian government of being involved in the killing of a Canadian Sikh activist outside of a Surrey gurdwara. One-third (33%) of Canadians say they have a favourable view of India, while a majority (54%) do not.
Canadians save their most positive views not for the country’s two free trade agreement partners, the U.S. and Mexico, but instead two G7 allies: France and the United Kingdom:
Political divergence
Political views appear to influence appraisals of various countries. Those who say they would vote Conservative if an election were held today are less likely to view France favourably, and more likely to hold the U.S. and Israel in high regard, than other party supporters. In fact, it is those latter two countries where there is the most divergence. Likely NDP voters are the most negative on the U.S., expressing favourable opinions at half the rate of those who would vote Conservative:
Generational views
Views of the U.S. and Israel also diverge by age, with younger Canadians expressing more criticism of both than their older counterparts. That’s also true of the United Kingdom – though a majority of all age-gender groups view the home of Canada’s monarch positively.
Part Two: Trends over time
U.S. up after Trump-dip
The 2016 election of U.S. President Donald Trump marked the beginning of a tumultuous time in U.S.-Canada relations, which included a tariff war that finally culminated in a rocky negotiation to establish the replacement to NAFTA, the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Trump called Trudeau “two-faced” after the Canadian prime minister was recorded apparently mocking the U.S. president.
When Trump was elected in 2016, half (52%) of Canadians expected it to have a negative effect on the U.S.-Canada relationship. Four years later, three-in-five (61%) believed the election of current U.S. President Joe Biden would have a positive one.
Canadians’ assessment of the U.S. dropped precipitously in the Trump era. Prior to Trump holding office, 62 per cent of Canadians had a positive view of the U.S. That figure bottomed out at 41 per cent in October 2021, early in Biden’s term in office. Assessments have since rebounded, though have not recovered to levels seen in prior decades:
China remains historically low
The foreign interference commission led by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue continues to investigate allegations of election meddling by foreign powers including the Chinese government in Beijing. Hogue’s docket grew after the House of Commons voted to ask the commission to also look into the fresh allegations brought forward by the NSICOP report.
The swirl of accusations levelled at China has apparently done little to improve Canadian assessments of the country. Since 2020, at most one-in-eight Canadians say they have a favourable view of China:
India down double-digits
Though Trudeau says Canada supports a “united India”, the presence of Sikh separatists in Canada has been a source of tension between India and Canada. Trudeau’s accusation that the Indian government was involved in the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar only exacerbated the strained relationship. Recent rocky relations between Canada and India also appear to be dragging down Canadian assessments of the world’s most populous country. Last year in March, more than two-in-five (44%) said they had favourable views of India. Now only one-third say the same:
Part Three: Comparing Canadian and American perspectives
In addition to Canadian responses, Angus Reid Institute also surveyed more than 2,000 Americans, asking for their perspectives on these same countries. First, Canadians are less favourable to the United States (55%) as the inverse (77%). Americans and Canadians are close to equally favourable to the U.K. and France, but Americans are more critical of Mexico, and more favourable to India, Israel, and China. The American-Israeli relationship has been under the microscope in recent weeks, after Biden called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict:
In the United States, Biden voters are overwhelmingly positive in their views of Canada, while one-quarter of Trump voters (23%) take a negative perspective. North of the border, Liberals are divided evenly about their southern allies, while Conservatives are mostly positive and New Democrats mostly negative:
Younger Canadians are particularly critical of the United States, as an equal number say they view the country favourable and unfavourably. In Canada, favourability rises with age, while in the United States, it appears to have little influence, as views of Canada are generally positive:
Political perspectives are significant in both countries when it comes to the international community. Those who say they would support Biden in the next election are most positive in their views toward China, while Trump and Canadian Conservative supporters offer high levels of favour to Israel. Would-be Trump voters are much more critical of Mexico than all others in both countries:
In a notable generational phenomenon, young people in the United States (younger than 35) show much higher levels of favourability toward China than their older peers. Concerns about Chinese propaganda on TikTok have been reported in recent months, after a Forbes investigation found that this has been taking place, at least in Europe. Reportedly, one-third of Americans under 30 receive their news from TikTok. This spring, the Senate passed legislation that would ban the platform if its parent company, ByteDance, does not sell. Young Americans are also more favourable to Russia and Iran (see detailed tables) compared to those 35 years of age and older:
METHODOLOGY
The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from May 24-28, 2024 among a representative randomized sample of 1,603 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.
ARI conducted a second online survey from May 24-28, 2024 among a representative randomized sample of 2,024 American adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum USA. 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.
Both surveys were self-commissioned and paid for by ARI. Detailed tables are found at the end of this release.
For detailed results for Canadian respondents by age, gender, region, education, and other demographics, click here.
For detailed results for American respondents by age, gender, region, education, and other demographics, click here.
For full release including methodology, click here.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 dave.korzinski@angusreid.org
Jon Roe, Research Associate: 825.437.1147 jon.roe@angusreid.org
