Chinese Government Interference in Canada

March 30, 2023

On behalf of the National Post, Leger surveyed Chinese Canadians about their perspectives on possible Chinese government interference in Canadian politics from March 15 to 22, 2023.

SOME OF THE KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR SURVEY OF CHINESE CANADIANS ABOUT POSSIBLE CHINESE GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE IN CANADIAN POLITICS INCLUDE…

  • 60% of Chinese Canadians trust the Canadian government and 58% trust their provincial government, while 19% trust the Chinese government.
  • 36% of Chinese Canadians believe there is truth to the allegations that China has been attempting to interfere in Canadian politics to influence election outcomes.
  • 51% of Chinese Canadians are concerned about pressure from the Chinese government influencing or impacting political activities, including votes, of people in the Chinese-Canadian community.
  • 69% of Chinese Canadians agree that disinformation undermines our election process.
  • 52% of Chinese Canadians agree with PM Justin Trudeau’s statement that it is a form of “anti-Asian racism” to suggest that certain Canadian politicians of Chinese descent may be influenced by Chinese government interests.

SURVEY METHODOLOGY

  • A web survey was conducted among 500 Canadian residents of Chinese descent, 18 years of age or older, via Leger’s online panel, LEO.
  • The data was collected from March 15 to 22, 2023.
  • As a non-probability online survey, a margin of error is technically not reported. If the data were collected through a probability sample, the margin of error would be ±4.4%, 19 times out of 20.
  • Using data from the 2021 census, the results were weighted according to age, gender and region, as well as by education and presence of children in the household in order to ensure a representative sample of the population.

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