Canadians believe protest raises awareness

But most skeptical that public demonstrations will lead to policy changes

As pro-Palestinian protesters continue their encampments at universities across Canada and the United States, a new poll sheds light on what Canadians think about the value of protests, generally, and of their ability to effect change.

While the vast majority of respondents say protests are effective at raising awareness, far fewer say they believe the demonstrations can actually change the positions of governments or institutions — and even fewer say they think protests can sway the opinions of people on the other side of an issue, according to a new poll from the Angus Reid Institute released Tuesday.

Canadians think “protests can be effective at raising awareness about an issue,” Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, told the Star. “But they are seen to be less effective at forcing the objects of those protests to change their positions ... and not really effective at all when it comes to winning the hearts and minds of those who profoundly disagree with them.”

Participants were not polled on their opinions of the current university protests specifically, Kurl noted.

According to the survey of more than 1,700 Canadian adults, 66 per cent of respondents said they believe protests are effective at raising awareness around an issue, while 29 per cent disagreed.

But when it came to their impact on “making governments or companies change their position,” just 42 per cent of people think they’re effective, compared to the 49 per cent who disagree.

Even fewer said they believe protests can change “the views of those who initially disagree,” with 20 per cent in agreement and 69 per cent against.

The poll found those who have participated in a protest recently are far more likely to believe public demonstrations are capable of changing the positions and views of governments, institutions and those who disagree with them. Meanwhile, those who have never attended a protest are more likely to rate their efficacy lower.

The poll showed that the younger a person is, the more likely they are to believe protests are effective at raising awareness, making institutions change their positions and changing the views of those who disagree.

Politically, more NDP and Bloc Québécois believe that demonstrations can sway the position of the institutions being protested.

While the vast majority of Canadians are supportive of protests, including those on university campuses, far fewer are accepting of tactics that they believe “disrupt not only people’s lives but also have negative economic implications,” Kurl said.

“Notably, blockaders ‘lose the room’ even among those who support their causes,” she said.

According to the poll, 71 per cent of respondents found protests that block a bridge or railway “unacceptable.” Demonstrations that “stop traffic in the downtown of a major city” go too far for 64 per cent of people. And rallies that “block a border crossing or major port” are frowned on by 69 per cent of Canadians, the poll suggests.

Canadians between the age of 18 and 34 are more than twice as likely to find these blockades acceptable than those over 54 — but even amongst this age group, a majority find these tactics unacceptable even for a cause they support.

“On one hand there is near unanimous consensus that protests are a fundamental part of Canadian democracy,” Kurl said. “On the other hand, Canadians apply limits to that right to protest, saying this freedom must be weighed against violence, law breaking and economic harm. They have limited patience for protests that bring daily life and the economy to a standstill, even if they support the protesters’ causes.”

The survey is the final instalment in a series exploring Canadians’ views toward protest. The first tackled which venues Canadians saw as appropriate for protests, while the second queried whether certain groups were treated differently when protesting.

The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from April 25-28 among a representative randomized sample of 1,707 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. A probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- two percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by the institute.

While most Canadians support protests, including those on university campuses, far fewer are accepting of tactics that they believe disrupt people’s lives and have negative economic implications