By Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
More Canadians than ever view Islam as damaging to Canadian society, a new poll reveals.
The survey from the Angus Reid Institute, conducted online from Nov. 24 to Dec. 1 among 3,749 Canadian adults, asked respondents to rate eight faith groups on whether they were benefitting or damaging to Canada and Canadian society.
The results show that Canadians are largely consistent in their views of religions since the last time the survey was conducted in 2022, with one notable exception.
Islam, which was already seen as the most damaging religion by a plurality of Canadians in 2022, has seen its negative perception increase significantly in 2023.
Now, 43% of Canadians say Islam is a harmful presence to Canada, compared to 14% who say it is a positive contributor. This is a threefold increase in the proportion of Canadians who view Islam negatively since 2022.