More than eight months into a war between Israel and Hamas that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, a new survey shows a majority of Canadians support both the existence of Israel and a future Palestinian state.
A survey by the polling and consulting firm Innovative Research Group found that while Canadians are not entirely happy with how the protests have been unfolding, they generally agree with demonstrators’ right to free speech.
“We found that across the board, we found a high percentage of moderates, a high level of acceptance of political difference, but low acceptance of violence and political violence, and little acceptance of disruptive protests,” said Greg Lyle, president of the Innovative Research Group.
The survey was conducted online between May 16 and May 28 among 1,872 Canadian adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
About 52 percent of those surveyed agreed that it is important for Israel to exist as a Jewish state. About 49 percent agreed that it is important to create a state for the Palestinian people.
An additional 57 percent said they supported both public speech in support of Israel’s right to exist and speech in support of Palestinians attaining their own state.
When respondents were asked about protests on college campuses, support began to drop.
About 38% of students oppose pro-Israel encampments that “bring together student demonstrators but do not disrupt educational activities.” An even higher percentage, 64%, oppose pro-Israel demonstrations on campus that “cause disruption, including the occupation of school buildings.”
Similarly, 37% of respondents said they opposed pro-Palestinian encampments that did not disrupt student activities, while 63% said they opposed disruptive pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
The survey comes as pro-Palestinian protest camps remain set up on university campuses. The University of Toronto and McGill universities are seeking injunctions to block the removal of the camps. A judge denied McGill’s request last month, but the University of Toronto’s application is still before the courts.
77% of those surveyed rejected any speech that called for violence against Jewish people, and 76% rejected speech that called for violence against Muslims.
Hamas, no questions about Israeli government
The survey did not ask questions about Hamas or Israel’s current political leadership.
“Our concern was how to speak [the conflict] And how we should treat each other,” Lyle said.
He said he was pleased the survey showed low tolerance for violent rhetoric.
“The extreme actions taken against both countries [Muslims and Jews] “It’s not reflective of where the average Canadian comes from, and they’re actually very supportive of individual rights and the need to be treated fairly and with dignity,” he said.
Jewish and Muslim advocacy groups have expressed concern about an increase in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.
The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7 when Hamas-led militants launched a cross-border attack into Israel, leaving about 1,200 people dead and about 250 taken hostage, according to an Israeli tally.
According to Palestinian health officials, around 37,600 people have been killed in Israeli attacks.
The survey was commissioned by the Provocation Ideas Festival, whose board of directors includes CBC Radio host Nara Ayed and Sabrina Delhon, executive director of the Samara Democracy Centre and frequent CBC Radio contributor.
