Campus Encampments

8 May 2024

From May 3 to May 5, 2024, we surveyed Canadians to find out their opinions and perceptions on campus encampments and the equality among Canadians.

Some of the key highlights of our survey campus encampments include…

  • Half of Canadians (48%) are opposed to encampments in support of Palestine at Canadian universities, while around one-third (31%) support them, and 21% don’t know. Canadians aged 18 to 34 are more likely to support the campus encampments (45%).
  • 44% of Canadians think the encampments should be dismantled as they may be a threat to campus safety and the safety of students, while almost one-quarter (23%) think they should be tolerated and accepted as a form of free speech and freedom, and one-third (33%) think they should be dismantled only if protestors voice antisemitic views or propagate hate speech. Canadians aged 18 to 34 are more likely to think that encampments should be tolerated (33%).
  • Three-quarters of Canadians (72%) think that some Canadians face challenges that others do not, while 20% think that all Canadians are equal and have the same opportunities in life, and 8% don’t know.
  • Indigenous peoples (57%), immigrants (56%), and visible minorities (54%) are considered to be the groups that face more difficulties in Canada, before the LGBTQ2+ community (49%), women (44%), and youth (35%).
  • Six out of ten Canadians (59%) believe that different minorities in Canada are too demanding in their claims, and around the same proportion (54%) believe Canadians are too accommodating towards the claims of minorities. Canadians aged 55 or older are more likely to agree with those claims, at 70% and 60%, respectively.

Methodology

This web survey was conducted from May 3 to 5, 2024, with 1,519 Canadians aged 18 or older, randomly recruited from LEO’s online panel. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey. For comparison, a probability sample of 1,519 respondents would have a margin of error of ±2.51 %, 19 times out of 20.

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