What ‘threat’ worries Canadians most and other key findings of State of the Nation poll

From left, President of China Xi Jinping and U.S. president Donald Trump arrive for a tour of the National Archives Museum on Sept. 25, 2026, in Washington, DC. Photo by Win McNamee /Getty Images

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An ambitious new poll by British-based Ashcroft Polls surveyed 10,098 Canadian adults on a wide range of topics, from their thoughts on who is the country’s No. 1 enemy to their top kitchen-table issue. Here are the key findings.

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Threats to Canada

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After a trade war with the Americans (47 per cent), the most serious threat to Canadians as a whole was the risk of a new economic and financial crisis (38 per cent) followed by immigration (32 per cent). Climate change was fourth overall, followed by loss of jobs to robotics, AI and machine learning.

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Allies or adversaries?

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The U.K, Australia and France were more likely to be seen as allies of Canada, while Russia, Iran and the U.S. were the most likely to be seen as an adversary or threat.

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In 2022, 73 per cent of Canadians saw the U.S. as an ally. Today, only 25 per cent do.

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The U.S. vs China: Who should Canada stand up to?

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When asked if they had to choose, 72 per cent of Canadians as a whole said they’d prefer a government that stands up to the United States versus 28 per cent who said the government should seek accommodations with the U.S.

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By comparison, 59 per cent of Canadians would prefer to seek cooperation with China rather than stand up to Beijing (41 per cent).

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Trump will still be a threat even after he’s no longer in the White House

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Most Canadians feel the same tensions with the U.S. will exist even after Donald Trump is no longer president by the time of the next federal election in 2029: 40 per cent said managing the Canada-U.S. relationship will be as important as it is now, with a further 42 per cent saying it will be even more important.

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The party and their leader’s approval ratings

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Canadians are more likely to have a net positive view of Mark Carney than of the Liberal party: 60 per cent had a positive view of Carney, compared to 55 per cent who had a positive view of the Liberals.

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The reverse was true for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who scored a lower positive score (43 per cent) than his party (49 per cent).

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Who would you never vote for?

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A slightly higher proportion of voters said they would never vote for the Conservatives (27 per cent) than said the same for the Liberals (24 per cent) or NDP (22 per cent).

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What are the most important issues facing Canada today?

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The cost of living was chosen by 60 per cent of respondents as the most important issue facing Canada today, followed by health care, the economy and jobs, housing, and trade and tariffs with the U.S.

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Source: Ashcroft Polls interviewed 10,098 Canadian adults online between July 31 and Aug. 17 A poll sample of this size has a margin of error or plus or minus one percentage point.

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National Post

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