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Despite Israel’s prominence in global affairs, political agendas, and international news, ambivalence towards it remains in Canada
- 24 April 2023
- 9:05 pm
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- 24 April 2023
- 9:05 pm
The Canadian public seems to have mixed feelings about Israel, with a significant portion of the population expressing ambivalence or lacking an opinion on the issue. (Photo: Twitter)
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A recent national opinion poll in Canada revealed mixed and uncertain opinions towards the Jewish state of Israel, including on crucial, existential questions. The survey found that 33% of respondents had a favourable view of Israel, 28% had an unfavourable one, and 38% were ambivalent. In contrast, 36% agreed that the establishment of the State of Israel was the right thing to do, while 20% disagreed.
However, the largest response, at 44%, was that people did not know one way or the other. The relationship between Canada and Israel has been close since its inception in 1948. Despite its prominence in global affairs, political agendas, and international news, the ambivalence towards Israel remains in Canada.
While the Canadian government has maintained strong political support for Israel, a series of questions examined attitudes of adult Canadians on a range of topics regarding Israel and its relationship with Canada.
The poll found that men had a more favourable view of Israel than women (42% to 25%). Among Canada’s regions, Alberta had the most favourable view, at 44%, while Atlantic Canada had the least, at 25%.
The poll found that most Canadians do not keep up-to-date with news about Israel. Only 23% of respondents said they did, and of those, only 6% said they followed the topic “very closely.”
The older the respondents, the more likely they were to say that the region’s conflicts were top of mind. It was named by 45% in the oldest cohort (age 55 and over), 33% of the middle cohort (age 35 to 54), and 26% of the youngest (age 18 to 34).
When asked what they first thought of when thinking about Israel, the top answer was historical sites (40%), followed by the Arab-Israeli conflict and regional instability (36%). Religion and culture were the third most top-of-mind aspects of Israel, named by 31%.
The poll found that those who hold an unfavourable view of Israel overwhelmingly said conflict was at the top of their mind (67%), while those holding a favourable opinion focussed most on its historical sites (56%). Some of the data were “surprising”, said Thomas Juneau, a professor specializing in the Middle East at the graduate school of public and international affairs at the University of Ottawa.
Speaking to the National Post, Juneau said that “not being in favour of Israel’s existence is an extreme position that should concern those who support a close relationship between Canada and Israel.” However, he said that “interest among Canadians towards most international affairs issues is generally low.”
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Shimon Koffler Fogel, Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said his organization had done a lot of polling on similar questions over the years. He noted the findings of this poll were not dramatically different from previous results. The numbers had remained pretty stable and were not hugely different from the results in the US.
He said he was not distressed by the numbers and that they reminded us how important it was to continuously make the case for the Canadian investment in the bilateral relationship with Israel and the value that accrues to Canada from that relationship.
The Canadian public seems to have mixed feelings about Israel, with a significant portion of the population expressing ambivalence or lacking an opinion on the issue. However, the poll results also indicate that there is still support for Israel’s right to exist, although not overwhelmingly so.
There are differences in opinion by gender and region, with men and those from Alberta having a more favourable view of Israel. Nonetheless, the findings of the poll are relatively consistent with previous ones and suggest that interest among Canadians towards international affairs issues is generally low. Advocates maintain it is crucial to continuously remind Canadians of the significance of their investment in the bilateral relationship with Israel and the benefits that Canada reaps from it..
(Note: Next week TheJ.ca will discuss the implications for the national Jewish community of Mr. Fogel’s comments.)
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Thank you for choosing TheJ.Ca as your source for Canadian Jewish News.
We do news differently!
Our positioning as a Zionist News Media platform sets us apart from the rest. While other Canadian Jewish media are advocating increasingly biased progressive political and social agendas, TheJ.Ca is providing more and more readers with a welcome alternative and an ideological home.
We revealed the incursion of anti-Israel progressive elements such as IfNotNow into our communities. We have exposed the distorted hateful agenda of the “progressive” left political radicals who brought Linda Sarsour to our cities, and we were first to report on many disturbing incidents of Nazi-based hate towards Jews across Canada.
But we can’t do it alone. We need your HELP!
Our ability to thrive and grow in 2020 and beyond depends on the generosity of committed readers and supporters like you.
Monthly support is a great way to help us sustain our operations. We greatly appreciate any contributions you can make to support Jewish Journalism.
We thank you for your ongoing support.
Happy reading!
Thank you for choosing TheJ.Ca as your source for Canadian Jewish News.
We do news differently!
Our positioning as a Zionist News Media platform sets us apart from the rest. While other Canadian Jewish media are advocating increasingly biased progressive political and social agendas, TheJ.Ca is providing more and more readers with a welcome alternative and an ideological home.
We revealed the incursion of anti-Israel progressive elements such as IfNotNow into our communities. We have exposed the distorted hateful agenda of the “progressive” left political radicals who brought Linda Sarsour to our cities, and we were first to report on many disturbing incidents of Nazi-based hate towards Jews across Canada.
But we can’t do it alone. We need your HELP!
Our ability to thrive and grow in 2020 and beyond depends on the generosity of committed readers and supporters like you.
Monthly support is a great way to help us sustain our operations. We greatly appreciate any contributions you can make to support Jewish Journalism.
We thank you for your ongoing support.
Happy reading!
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