Two in three Canadians say trucker convoy protests were ineffective: Nanos survey

A new poll has found that two in three Canadians say the truckers convoy protests were ineffective at getting governments to reconsider various COVID-19 restrictions.

The latest poll from Nanos Research, commissioned by CTV News, reports that 51 per cent of surveyed Canadians said the "Freedom Convoy" demonstrations were not effective, while 15 per cent said they were somewhat not effective at changing public health measures put in place to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the survey results, one in three respondents felt the protests were either effective (12 per cent) or somewhat effective (20 per cent).

Two per cent of those surveyed said they were unsure of the protests' impact on pandemic restrictions.

Nanos says residents in the Prairies were more likely to say the protests were effective (18 per cent) than residents of Quebec (seven per cent) or Atlantic Canada (eight per cent).

In addition, the majority of Canadians said invoking the Emergencies Act was either necessary (41 per cent) or somewhat necessary (21 per cent) in ending the demonstrations.

"Ontario residents are more likely to say this was necessary (48 per cent) than residents of other provinces and regions," Nanos Research reported in a news release.

The survey also found that older Canadians aged 55 or older were more likely to hold this perspective (51 per cent) than younger Canadians between 18 and 34 years old (29 per cent).

According to the data from Nanos, one in three respondents said the invocation of the Act was somewhat not necessary (six per cent) or not necessary (32 per cent). One per cent reported being unsure.

LIKELIHOOD OF PROTESTS CONTINUING

Nanos also asked Canadians whether they think demonstrations like the trucker convoy protests and blockades will continue as a new form of political protest in the country.

According to the survey results, a "strong majority" of Canadians believe it is likely (28 per cent) or somewhat likely (48 per cent) these types of protests will continue in Canada. Residents of the Prairies were more likely to hold this perspective than any other province.

Nanos reports that 12 per cent of those surveyed said these types of demonstrations are somewhat unlikely to continue, with seven per cent saying it's not likely. Five per said they were unsure.

Canadians also had opinions on how the media covered the protest, with Nanos finding many journalists covering the protests had been singled out by demonstrators, and at times were prevented from doing their jobs because of harassment.

According to Nanos, 42 per cent of survey respondents said the news coverages was balanced and 21 per cent reported it being somewhat balanced.

However, one in three Canadians said it was either somewhat not balanced (24 per cent) or not balanced (eight per cent). Five per cent said they were unsure of how they felt about the media coverage of the protests.

The survey says Canadians over the age of 55 were more likely to feel that the coverage was balanced compared to those between the ages of 35 and 54 (40 per cent), as well as those aged 18 to 34 (27 per cent).

METHODOLOGY

Nanos conducted an RDD dual frame (land- and cell-lines) hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,032 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between Feb. 23 and 24, 2022 as part of an omnibus survey. Participants were randomly recruited by telephone using live agents and administered a survey online. The sample included both land- and cell-lines across Canada. The results were statistically checked and weighted by age and gender using the latest Census information and the sample is geographically stratified to be representative of Canada.

Individuals were randomly called using random digit dialling with a maximum of five call backs.