THIS SURVEY EXPLORES CANADIANS’ AND AMERICANS’ PERSPECTIVES ON CRIME AND VIOLENCE, POLITICS AND TRUMP’S INDICTMENT.
Recently, many news stories have been circulating about crime and violence in Canada and the United States. The latest edition of our North American Tracker explores Canadians’ and Americans’ views on public safety, including whether they feel crime and violence has worsened since the pandemic, their perspectives on gun restrictions, and more.
We also explored their perspectives on politics in their respective countries and their views on Donald Trump’s indictment and whether he will be found guilty.
Download the report for the full results.
This survey was conducted in collaboration with the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS) and published in the Canadian Press. This series of surveys is available on Leger’s website.
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VIOLENCE, CRIME AND PUBLIC SAFETY
Canadians and Americans share similar perspectives on the level of crime in their communities and the solutions to improve public safety.
- 65% of Canadians and 55% of Americans believe crime and violence have gotten worse in their community compared to pre-pandemic times.
- In total, 39% of Canadians and 36% of Americans said they or someone close to them has feared for their safety in the last 6 months.
Canadians’ and Americans’ perspectives on further restrictions on gun ownership are more similar than some may think.
- In Canada, 47% of Canadians believe stricter restrictions on gun ownership would make them feel safer where they live, while 42% believe this would not affect their feeling of safety. 11% believe that stricter restrictions would make them feel less safe.
- In the U.S., 43% of Americans believe stricter restrictions on gun ownership would make them feel safer where they live, while 40% believe this would not affect their feeling of safety. 17% believe that stricter restrictions would make them feel less safe.
Out of a list of 9 potential actions to reduce crime and violence, the top 3 actions that Canadians and Americans think would make communities feel safer are:
- Tougher penalties for those who are found guilty of committing violent crimes (81% of Canadians, 75% of Americans)
- Increasing funding for mental health services (79% of Canadians, 68% of Americans)
- Increasing police presence in their community (75% of Canadians, 70% of Americans)
CANADIAN FEDERAL POLITICS
There is a four-point gap in voting intentions that favours the CPC (34% to 30% for the LPC), and the NDP remains third at 21%. While PM Trudeau holds on to a two-point edge on best PM (23% to 21%) over Pierre Poilievre, overall satisfaction with the current government remains fairly low, at 37%.
THE TRUMP INDICTMENT
The majority of Americans approve of Donald Trump’s indictment (55%) and a similar proportion (54%) believe he will be found guilty as charged. Results for these questions differ sharply among partisan lines, as expected, and appear to not have hurt Trump’s electoral fortunes among Republicans. Trump still holds a 30-point lead over DeSantis (52% to 22%) as best GOP candidate for the upcoming U.S. election among Republican voters.*
*Those who plan to vote Republican in the 2024 presidential election
METHODOLOGY
This web survey was conducted from April 6 to 10, 2023, with 1,517 Canadians and 1,004 Americans, 18 years of age 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 1,517 respondents would have a margin of error of ±2.52%, 19 times out of 20, while a probability sample of 1,004 respondents would have a margin of error of ±3.09%, 19 times out of 20.
THIS REPORT CONTAINS THE RESULTS FOR THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS AND MORE!
- How does the current level of crime and violence where you live compared to what it was like several years ago, before the pandemic?
- To what extent do you think more restrictions on gun ownership in Canada/the United States will make you feel more or less safe where you live?
- Many actions could be taken to manage the level of crime and violence in Canada/the United States. Do you think each of the following actions would make communities…
- Do you approve or disapprove of the decision to indict former U.S. President Donald Trump?