- The majority of Atlantic Canadians believe urgent action is needed to address climate change, and are highly concerned about the issue.
- While more than half strongly agree that businesses should be taking action on climate change, they are less likely to be taking action on a personal level.
- Willingness to change purchasing behaviours and consider more environmentally friendly options is strong, but for many it depends on the product and the type of impact.
December 2, 2021
Decidedly, Atlantic Canadians agree that climate change is a concern, but just how strongly they agree varies depending on the topic. The majority strongly agree that urgent action is needed to address climate change (62%), and a similar proportion say they are concerned about climate change (58%). Over one-half of Atlantic Canadians also strongly agree that businesses should be doing more to help address climate change (54%), but in contrast, only one quarter strongly agree that they are personally taking action to help address climate change (26%), suggesting that perhaps there is some uncertainty on how to best address the climate crisis.
Upon taking a closer look into the steps Atlantic Canadians are willing to take at the personal level, just over one-half (53%) indicate that they would definitely or probably stop buying a product if it was contributing to environmental damage. While fewer than one in ten (8%) Atlantic Canadians suggest that they would not stop buying an environmentally damaging product, it is interesting to note that a robust proportion (39%) say that whether or not they continue to purchase such a product would depend other factors such as the product itself and the amount of environmental damage it causes. This factor again suggests while some residents are adamant about taking climate action into their own hands, others are less convinced of the importance.
Narrative Research, www.narrativeresearch.ca, is one of Canada’s leading public opinion and market research companies. As a non-partisan, 100% Canadian-owned research company, Narrative Research provides clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services. Visit EastCoastVoice.ca to join Atlantic Canada’s largest panel, and share your opinions.
This survey was conducted from November 5 – November 12, 2021 with 1,558 Atlantic Canadians from Narrative Research’s online panel, East Coast Voice. As a non-probability sample (i.e., a panel sample where residents have joined a panel to share their opinions), and in accordance with CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards, a margin of error is not applied.
The questions reported in this release include the following:
- The next few statements are about how you personally feel about climate change. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
- Would you be prepared to stop buying a product if you found out that your purchase of that product was contributing to environmental damage?
For more information, please contact:
Margaret Brigley, CEO & Partner: 902.493.3830 (W); 902.222.7066 (M), mbrigley@narrativeresearch.ca
Margaret Chapman, COO & Partner: 902.493.3834 (W); 902.222.4048 (M), mchapman@narrativeresearch.ca
