Angus Reid Poll: Almost Half of Canadians Think People Seem Angrier Than Last Year
[VANCOUVER - Apr. 8, 2008] – A large number of Canadians think people are angrier than they were a year ago, with women and younger adults more likely to admit they are losing their temper more often, a new Angus Reid Strategies poll has found,
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 47 per cent of respondents think that “Canadians generally seem angrier now than a year ago.” The highest proportion of people agreeing with this statement is in Alberta (58%) and Atlantic Canada (58%). British Columbia follows closely behind with 55 per cent.
One-in-four respondents in Atlantic Canada (26%) strongly agree that Canadians are angrier at the present time. In all other regions, the percentage of respondents who concur hovers between 10 per cent and 18 per cent.
In addition, 27 per cent of Canadians say they personally lose their temper more often now than a year ago, while 69 per cent report no change in their behaviour.
The regional breakdown shows 31 per cent of respondents in Quebec admitting to an increased loss of temper. BC and Alberta are next with 26 per cent, followed by Manitoba and Saskatchewan (25%), Ontario (25%) and Atlantic Canada (24%).
Roughly half of Canadians (49%) say they have noticed other people losing their temper more often now than a year ago, while 39 per cent disagree. In BC, it is interesting to note that while respondents don’t really feel their own anger levels have risen over the past year, the province leads the way in awareness of other people’s exasperation (63%), followed by Alberta (62%) and Atlantic Canada (61%).
On the gender front, women admit to losing their temper more often than men. Three-in-ten female respondents (30%) feel they are angrier now than last year, compared to one-in-four (24%) male respondents. Women have also witnessed more people getting angry over the past twelve months than men (52% to 45%), and are more likely to think Canadians generally seem more irritable overall (51% to 44%).
Among the different age groups, 32 per cent of Canadians aged 18-34 noticed they lost their temper more often than in the previous year. The number is lower among Canadians aged 35-54 (26%) and Canadians over the age of 55 (23%). Also, three-in-four older Canadians (77%) say they do not lose their temper more often now, and 52 per cent claim to have noticed others around them get angrier over the past year.