Research Co. asked Canadians and Americans in about the perceived polarization of politics. The two countries were emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and going through different stages. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was about to complete the first year of a second minority mandate in Canada, and voters in the United States were preparing for mid-term elections.
Late last month, we revisited the questions in each country. Canadians were about to enter a federal campaign, and Americans were dealing with the early ramifications of Donald Trump’s second term at the White House.
Over the past three years, Canadians have become more upset with specific aspects of political life, and while the numbers on some questions have dropped among Americans, they are still ahead when it comes to true polarization.
More than half of Canadians (51 per cent, up 12 points) believe their freedom is under attack by elected politicians, and a slightly lower proportion (46 per cent, up five points) deem the federal government to be oppressive and controlling. Fewer feel that their vote in federal elections does not make a difference (44 per cent, up seven points) and that they cannot express their political views sometimes because they fear reprisals (38 per cent, up six points).
Americans are not as disheartened about politics as they were in 2022, but larger proportions than what is observed in Canada believe their freedom is under attack by elected politicians (69 per cent, down four points) and consider their federal administration as oppressive and controlling (64 per cent, up two points). Fewer than half feel their vote in federal elections does not make a difference (46 per cent, down six points) or claim they cannot express their political views sometimes because they fear reprisals (45 per cent, down four points).
In the United States, the notion of a federal government that does not respond to the needs of the people resonates with 72 per cent of Democrats, 63 per cent of independents and 58 per cent of Republicans. It is not a surprise to see supporters of the party that does not control the presidency or Congress to express dismay at the people running the government. We see a similar scenario in Canada, albeit with smaller groups. While 64 per cent of Conservative voters in 2021 think the federal government is oppressive and controlling, the proportions drop to 43 per cent among those who supported the NDP and to 32 per cent among those who voted for the Liberals.
Day-to-day exposure to politics is more negative in the United States than in Canada. More Americans (49 per cent) than Canadians (40 per cent) believe the ability of people to disagree with each other in conversation has worsened. The numbers are similar on disagreements on social media becoming worse (48 per cent in the U.S. and 45 per cent in Canada) and on people being able to question stories they learn about in the media (39 per cent in the United States and 35 per cent in Canada).
Canadians are more understanding when it comes to the ability of people to convince others about looking at an issue differently. While 44 per cent of Americans feel this aspect of life has worsened in the past 10 years, only 36 per cent of Canadians concur.
One aspect in which Canada is getting closer to the Americans is ending relationships. While 24 per cent of Canadians (up five points) have stopped talking to a person, or avoided a person, on account of a disagreement related to federal politics, the proportion rises to 30 per cent (down two points) among Americans.
In each country, respondents aged 18-34 are more likely to have banished an acquaintance (36 per cent in the U.S. and 35 per cent in Canada) for a disagreement related to federal politics. Regionally, this circumstance is more likely to have affected Americans who reside in the West (34 per cent) or Northeast (33 per cent), and Canadians who live in Alberta (35 per cent) or British Columbia (28 per cent).
The survey data tells two stories. If we did not have the opportunity to compare Canadian responses with American ones, we could assume that Canadians are becoming severely polarized. Some indicators are higher than in 2022, particularly the notion of freedom being attacked by elected officials. Still, Canada is nowhere near the polarization that we can plainly see in the United States, where even Republicans are looking at a government of their own stripe as harsh and authoritarian.
Still, the way the younger generation is looking at disagreements related to politics is a concern. More than a third of the youngest adults in Canada and the United States are opting to abandon a person with different views on federal politics. The numbers are decidedly lower among their older counterparts, who have learned that not every dispute about the state of affairs in the country has to be addressed with a smartphone contact deletion.
Mario Canseco is president of Research Co.
Results are based on an online survey conducted on March 23 and March 24, 2025, among 1,003 adults in Canada, and an online survey conducted from March 23 to March 25, 2025, among 1,000 adults in the United States. The data has been statistically weighted according to census figures for age, gender and region in Canada and the United States. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty, for each country.
