This is The Week in Polling, your Saturday dose of interesting numbers from top pollsters in Canada and around the world, curated by The Hub. Here’s what we’re looking at this week.
Americans are twice as likely to oppose Canada joining their country than to support it
According to a recent Angus Reid poll, half of Americans oppose Canada joining the United States as the country’s 51st state, despite three-quarters of Americans viewing Canada positively. Only 25 percent of Americans support Canada becoming a state.
If Canada did join the U.S., about three-quarters, 77 percent, of Americans say it should only be our own choice. Only 5 percent said it should result from political pressure. One percent think it should be the result of military force.
Trump has said publicly that he would not use any military force, opting instead for “economic force,” to incorporate Canada into the U.S. But, according to this Angus Reid poll, nearly two-thirds of Canadians say they don’t trust him to keep to his word.
Only 22 percent of Americans and 32 percent of Canadians think President-elect Trump is serious about Canada becoming the 51st American state. On the other hand, 44 percent of Americans and 52 percent of Canadians think Trump is “trolling” and “seeking attention.”