Ipsos poll shows many Canadian still back fossil fuels

Poll results also showed that 83% of the respondents believe that ‘Canada’s natural resource sector is an important contributor to the Canadian economy today,’ while 10% disagree. 

When it comes to the economic recovery post-covid-19, 73% of the participants answered that investment in the country’s natural resource sector will help to rebuild Canada’s finances, while 15% opposed such a view.

“Canadians do not accept the idea that the natural resource sector is becoming less important to the national economy,” the study reads. “Only about one-third (32%) of Canadians agree that ‘Canada’s natural resource sector is less important to the economy than it has been in the past’ (56% disagree). And a similar one-third agree that ‘Canada’s natural resource sector will become less important to the economy over the next 10 to 20 years’ (51% disagree).”

The respondents also said that it is unlikely that 50% of Canada’s energy mix will be made up of renewables in the near future.

“Very few Canadians (12%) think that renewables can provide a majority of Canada’s energy in the next 10 years. The largest proportion of Canadians think the transition will take either 20 years (28%) or 30 years (22%). Another two-in-ten (19%) think the transition will take 40 years or more, while 18% are undecided,” the document states.