The Week in Polling: Liberals and Conservatives neck and neck; American trust in mainstream media hits all-time low; Canadians overwhelmingly reject becoming Americans

American trust in mainstream media at all-time low According to the latest survey by American pollster Gallup, American confidence in mainstream mass media is at just 28 percent. This marks the first time the figure has fallen below 30 percent since they began recording the metric. When Gallup first began measuring public trust in the news media in the 1970s, roughly 68 to 72 percent of Americans said they had confidence in the press. By 1997, that number had dropped to 53 percent. Trust stayed slightly above 50 percent until it fell to 44 percent in 2004 and has not recovered since. The highest level in the past decade came in 2018 at 45 percent, following a steep decline during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, which made Donald Trump president. Republicans’ trust in mainstream media has fallen to just 8 percent, marking the first time it has dropped into single digits. Their confidence has not exceeded 21 percent since 2015. Among independent voters, trust in media has not reached a majority since 2003, and the latest reading of 27 percent ties last year’s historic low. Even among Democrats, only a slim majority of 51 percent say they trust the media, matching the all-time low seen in 2016. Canadians think boycotting American goods will help our trade negotiations Based on a recent poll from Nanos, roughly four in five Canadians believe boycotting U.S. goods or avoiding travel to the United States could help strengthen Canada’s bargaining position in the ongoing trade war. The poll found that about 80 percent of Canadians think such boycotts would be helpful or somewhat helpful in negotiations with the U.S. regarding tariffs on Canadian products. Support was strongest among older Canadians, with 85 percent of those aged 55 and over backing the idea, compared with 74 percent among those aged 35 to 54. Fewer than one in five respondents, or 18 percent, said they believe the strategy would not be effective. An Angus Reid survey conducted in May found that 76 percent of Canadians were planning to boycott American goods. Despite all this, economist Trevor Tombe noted in The Hub that declines in the American economy due to Canadian boycotts have been modest, with very little measurable change outside of targeted government actions like tariffs or product removals. For example, Canadians are now buying 85 percent less American alcohol than a year ago because of government-sanctioned product removals. This summer, both Alberta and Saskatchewan lifted their bans. This week, Prime Minister Carney went to the U.S. to meet with President Trump. Despite some sweet talking and praise from the president, no deal to curb or stop tariffs was made. Trump also continued to make comments about Canada becoming the 51st American state in front of Carney. Canadians would overwhelmingly reject becoming Americans According to a recent Ipsos survey, most Canadians reject the idea of joining the United States—even under what some would consider highly favourable terms. When asked if they would support unification if all Canadians were granted U.S. citizenship and their financial assets converted to U.S. dollars, 67 percent said they would not. Another 16 percent were undecided, while 16 percent said they would vote in favour. In a separate question in the survey, 79 percent said they would “never vote for Canada to become part of the United States,” compared with just 9 percent who disagreed. Resistance to U.S. statehood was strongest among Baby Boomers, who have become synonymous with the “Elbows Up” movement, at 93 percent, compared with 69 percent among Millennials. Even in Alberta, where rumblings of separation have been heard, only 11 percent of respondents say they would vote to merge with America, underscoring the limited appeal of the idea nationwide. The poll also found that 72 percent of Canadians say Trump’s comments about making Canada the 51st state have actually strengthened their sense of patriotism and national pride. However, 31 percent say Trump’s remarks make them fear for Canada’s future as an independent country, a sharp decrease of 17 points since January.