Crime and Drug Use in Canada

June 15, 2023

On behalf of Postmedia, Leger surveyed Canadians about their views on crime and drug use from June 2 to 4, 2023. 

SOME OF THE KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR SURVEY ON VIEWS ON CRIME AND DRUG USE INCLUDE…

  • 55% of Canadians want violent crime, such as murder and assault, to be the top priority for government decision makers to tackle when it comes to crime in Canada, followed by illegal firearm possession (41%) and drug and substance abuse (37%). 
  • A strong majority (72%) of Canadians believe the drug crisis in their community is serious, with 1 in 3 (31%) considering it very serious. 
  • 79% of Canadians agree there are too many repeat violent offenders being offered bail, and 78% agree the justice system is too lenient when it comes to those found guilty of committing a violent crime.  
  • 91% of Canadians agree that repeat violent criminal offenders should have their access to bail severely restricted or revoked. 
  • A significant proportion of Canadians (73%) agree with restricting bail even if it could lead to challenges on the interpretation of our Charter of Rights, and 40% strongly agree.  

SURVEY METHODOLOGY

  • A web survey was conducted among 1,525 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, via Leger’s online panel, LEO.
  • The data was collected from June 2 to 4, 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 ±2.5%, 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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