The national telephone survey by the Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research at the University of Saskatchewan was conducted between March 7 and March 24.  1,011 people were asked about the issues that divide them most.
About three in four respondents said they believe society has become more polarized.
The majority said the COVID-19 pandemic (72 percent) and the 2021 federal election (73 percent) were the two most divisive issues in the past year.
About 40 percent of those polled said they had cut ties with friends or relatives over pandemic or political controversy.
“There has been so much rhetoric in the last two years since the beginning of the pandemic, and many of the rhetoric has really served to divide people – whether this separation is really true or just plausible,” research director Jason Disano told The Canadian Press in a telephone interview with Saskatoon.
Disano said respondents’ answers seemed to be influenced by their political leanings.
In the Prairie provinces, for example, respondents responded in ways that were in line with conservative policies, Disano said.
Research has shown that people in the prairies are more likely than any other area to believe that issues of combating climate change and banning offensive weapons are dividing Canadians.  In Central Canada, however, respondents did not see the arms embargo as divisive.
“We see a lot of identity policies prevailing in Canada, prevailing in the United States, especially in the last five to six years,” Disano said.  “And we see such a transfer to Canada. And it’s a problem.”
Respondents in Quebec were more likely than those in other areas to believe that society had become less polarized.  Disano attributed this result to more moderate or liberal views.
Quebec residents surveyed also said they were less likely than people in Western Canada, including British Columbia, to have less contact with a friend or family member because of differing views.
“We are seeing these regional differences, which are largely informed by the political tendencies of the people of these different regions,” Disano said.
“Unfortunately, what we see are politicians who use this division for political gain, while these leaders should seek to unite us and not divide us.”
Regarding the union of Canadians, respondents said that provisions for international aid (55 percent) and increasing ethnic diversity (53 percent) were issues that brought them closer.
The survey was reliable with plus or minus three percent, with a 95 percent confidence level.
This Canadian Press report was first published on April 4, 2022.