“Shocked, surprised, disappointed, disgusted, and horror” were the most common single words Canadians use to describe their reaction to Donald Trump’s election as the President of the United States, according to the latest Abacus Data national survey.
Almost half (44%) of those surveyed were “really dismayed” by Trump’s win, and another 22% were somewhat disappointed, the poll revealed, and these sentiments were the majority reaction in every region of the country, among both men and women, across all age groups.
While Liberal and NDP supporters were overwhelmingly unhappy with the result, only a third of Conservatives were happy with the result.
Even in Alberta, home to former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper where the the largest proportion of conservative voters reside, only 25% of those we surveyed were pleased with the result.
Canadians blame lack of enthusiasm for Hillary Clinton, than enthusiasm for Trump, for the shock result.
Unsurprisingly, women were more likely to cite a lack of enthusiasm for Clinton than men were (79% vs. 70%) while those who voted Conservative in 2015 were more likely to say the result was more about enthusiasm for Donald Trump (30%).
Canadians don’t see a bright future for the US under Trump, with a huge majority (86%) expecting greater tensions between white and non-white citizens, with 70% fearing that the US to enter a new war while forging closer ties with Russia.
As for Trump’s campaign pledges, less than half (38%) expect Mr. Trump will build a wall along the Mexico border, and even fewer (19%) believe Mexico will pay for the wall but a majority (60%) expect Trump to scrap NAFTA.
“Most likely, Canadians have never been as taken aback and anxious about the outcome of a US presidential election,” Abacus chairman Bruce Anderson said. “Most voters didn’t anticipate this result and think it is worrying on many fronts. Not only do people think it will not ‘make America great again’ they believe America’s economic prospects and global influence will suffer.”
The polling firm’s CEO David Coletto believes that both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the opposition Conservatives should learn important lessons from the survey.
“One in four 2015 Conservative voters said they were “really dismayed” by the results – a signal that even among the Conservative Party’s base of support, a pivot to Trump style politics will likely shrink the tent instead of growing it,” Coletto said.
“Politics is ultimately about contrast and comparisons,” Coletto added. “As a political leader, you’re often compared to your chief rival or the alternatives on offer. With President-elect Donald Trump, Prime Minister Trudeau will now have as severe a contrast of style and policy as possible.”
The Abacus survey was conducted online with 2,200 Canadians aged 18 and over from November 11 to 13, 2016 with a margin of error of +/- 2.1%, 19 times out of 20.
– See more at: http://abacusdata.ca/shock-and-dismay-canadians-on-trumps-victory/#sthash.pwLh8WiK.dpuf
