Press Release
December 10, 2019
Positive Energy today released new and timely survey results, examining a range of issues pivotal to Canada’s energy future in an age of climate change. This novel survey will measure polarization on climate and energy issues across Canada on an ongoing basis. The survey was conducted by Positive Energy researchers Stephen Bird and Erick Lachapelle. The results arrive amidst growing concerns over polarization following the 2019 federal election.
The research offers new insights into polarization by drawing the distinction between polarized opinion and fragmented opinion. Polarized opinion refers to opinions grouped at the extreme ends of a spectrum. People don’t just agree or disagree, they do so strongly. Fragmented opinion refers to differences of opinion that aren’t necessarily hardened at either end of the spectrum.
The distinction between fragmented and polarized opinion is critical for decision-makers navigating polarization. Polarized opinions are difficult for governments to deal with because peoples’ opinions may become less malleable and less amenable to compromise.
The research examines public opinion along multiple demographic lines, including province, age, partisan affiliation, and community size. Canadians generally agree on many high-level issues related to energy and climate. Where they disagree, opinion is more often fragmented than polarized. Polarized opinion tends to emerge along partisan lines.
“Our results reveal that Canadians don’t agree on a number of energy issues, but they are not always polarized. This finding is pivotal – it suggests there may be more room for compromise on contentious energy and climate issues than commonly believed,” said Monica Gattinger, Chair of Positive Energy and Full Professor, School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa.
“When we visualize public opinion, we typically see a bell curve,” added Stephen Bird, Associate Professor of Political Science at Clarkson University and Positive Energy Faculty Member. “Most people occupy a middle ground. When opinion is polarized, the bell curve inverts, with more opinions occupying the extremes. Inverted bell curves are visible in some of our results.”
According to Erick Lachapelle, Associate Professor of Political Science at Université de Montréal,“this survey provides a snapshot of views during the 2019 federal election campaign. It will be important to track these views so we can better understand how the climate and energy conversation evolves in Canada. If views become more polarized, we’ll want to know what the drivers are.”
The full report is available on Positive Energy’s website. In the coming months, Positive Energy will be releasing additional analyses from these data, including multivariate analysis.
Quick Facts
The survey focused on seven pressing issues facing Canadians and Canadian policymakers:
Results available at the link below:
Positive Energy Brief
Positive Energy PowerPoint presentation (best viewed with the Brief)
Other Positive Energy Surveys:
Positive Energy / Nanos Omni Surveys
Positive Energy / Nanos Leaders Panel Waves
For media inquiries:
Orian Labrèche
Media Relations Officer
orian.labreche@uottawa.ca
613.863.7221
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