- Nine in ten Atlantic Canadians support banning single-use plastics by 2021
- The majority of Atlantic Canadians report infrequent use of store-provided plastic bags
HALIFAX, NS OCTOBER 3, 2019: Atlantic Canadians are overwhelmingly in favour of a ban on single use plastics by the year 2021, according to a new survey by Narrative Research.
The Narrative Research survey shows that nine in ten Atlantic Canadians support banning single-use plastics, including plastic check out bags (88%), plastic packaging on most consumer items with the exception of medications and for food safety (90%), and single use plastic items such as straws, cups, cutlery and takeaway food containers (88%). Support for each of these measures is high across all four Atlantic Canadian provinces.
Prince Edward Island recently forged the path for Atlantic Canadians by enacting the Plastic Bag Reduction Act in July of 2019, and this is reflected in Islanders’ notable decline in usage of plastic bags. Eight in ten PEI residents state they rarely (29%) or never (51%) use plastic bags when shopping. Elsewhere, the proportion indicating they rarely or never use plastic bags when shopping is 65% in NS, 63% in NL, and 61% in NB.
Nova Scotia recently announced it will implement similar legislation in the fall of 2020 banning plastic bags. “With the widespread support for banning plastic bags, this will likely be a relatively easy transition for consumers” says Margaret Brigley, CEO and Partner of Narrative Research. “The support also paves the way for similar bans in NB and NL.”
These results are part of the Narrative Research Atlantic Quarterly®, an independent, quarterly telephone survey of Atlantic Canadians, and are based on a telephone sample of 1,500 adult Atlantic Canadians, conducted from July 31 to August 25, 2019, with overall results accurate to within ± 2.5 percentage points, 95 out of 100 times.
Narrative Research, www.narrativeresearch.ca, is one of Canada’s leading public opinion and market research companies. Founded in 1978, Narrative Research is dedicated to providing clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services. Follow us on Twitter @EveryNarrative.
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For more information, please contact:
Margaret Brigley, CEO and Partner, Narrative Research, at (902) 493-3830, mbrigley@narrativeresearch.ca
