Citizen Voice

Citizen Voice

A Report from the 2023 AmericasBarometer Survey in Canada

Are citizens feeling increasingly ignored by their governments in Canada?

The evidence from the Canadian portion of the 2023 AmericasBarometer survey is mostly reassuring. Overall, there is no trend toward an increasing share of the public in Canada feeling that they are not listened to by their governments. The vast majority of Canadians also feel they have some way to change things in the country, whether by voting or through some other democratic means (such as running for office).

At the same time, there are signals that the country’s political culture is becoming somewhat less tolerant of dissent. But the scale of these changes should not be exaggerated, as most Canadians continue to feel they have enough freedom to express their views without fear, and very few agree with limiting the voice of the opposition.

Key findings

• The proportion of Canadians who strongly disagree that those who govern Canada are interested in what people like them think has declined, from 37 percent in 2010 to 23 percent in 2023. But the groups most likely to disagree have shifted, as the party holding office in Ottawa switched from Conservative to Liberal.

• When asked about the way they can have the most influence to change things in the country, the largest share of Canadians, by far, say that it is by voting to elect those who support their position; most of those who do not choose this option prefer other democratic means, such as running for office, participating in community associations or joining in protests. However, one in five Canadians believe instead that it is not possible to have an influence to change things. Those most likely to say that it is not possible to have an influence to change things are people who are disinterested in politics, rather than the supporters of any particular party.

• Currently, only 15 percent of Canadians strongly agree that “the people should govern directly rather than through elected representatives.” However, Canadians age 18 to 29 (21%) are twice as likely and those age 60 and older (10%) to strongly agree with this statement. 

• The proportion saying Canadians have very little freedom to express their political views without fear has increased from 16 percent in 2017 to 25 percent today. This view is more likely to be expressed by those who hold minority opinions on social issues such as immigration, gender equality, LGBTQ2S+ rights and climate change. 

• Relatively few Canadians strongly agree with the idea that, for the good of the country, prime ministers should limit the voice of opposition parties. But this proportion has more than doubled between 2012 and 2023 among younger Canadians age 18 to 29, from seven percent to 17 percent.
  
  Read the report on Citizen Voice.
  
  For more information, contact Dr. Andrew Parkin or the Environics Institute for Survey Research.