Angus Reid Poll: Canadians Evenly Split on Proposed Amendments to Copyright Act

[VANCOUVER – Jun. 19, 2008] – With proposed amendments to the Copyright Act on the table, a new Angus Reid Strategies poll reveals a Canadian public that is on the fence when assessing the new regulations and the consequences they carry.

Earlier this month, the federal government proposed several amendments to the existing Copyright Act, which would fine people $500 for downloading copyrighted material from the Internet and up to $20,000 for hacking digital locks or uploading copyrighted material to file-sharing websites.

In the online survey of a representative national sample, respondents answered a wide range of comprehensive questions regarding their views on the benefits and drawbacks of the proposed changes, as well as their perceptions on the existing copyright laws.

Amendments to the Copyright Act

Canadians are clearly divided on the proposed changes, with 45 per cent of respondents supporting the amendments, and another 45 per cent rejecting them. One-in-ten (10%) are undecided.

Regionally, British Columbia (52%) and Alberta (48%) show the most resistance to amending the Copyright Act , while Quebec (53%) and the Atlantic Provinces (50%) are the most encouraging of tougher copyright infringement laws. In turn, Manitoba and Saskatchewan (21%) house the most respondents who are unsure on the issue.

The large disparity among respondents in each of the different age and education groups is particularly interesting. The survey reveals that a majority of Canadians over the age of 55 and those with a high school diploma or less are clearly in favour of the amendments to the Copyright Act. Sixty-one per cent of older Canadians support the new changes, while only 23 per cent of those aged 18 to 34 and 47 per cent of those aged 35 to 54 feel the same way.

Canadians with a high school diploma or less are also very supportive of the stricter laws—55 per cent say they support the anticipated changes, compared to 40 per cent of those with a college or technical school diploma and 40 per cent of those with at least one university degree.

Is Downloading Without Paying Stealing?

The research into the views of Canadians on this subject reveals that half of all respondents (50%) think that downloading music from the Internet without paying amounts to stealing. Another 45 per cent disagree, and four per cent are unsure.

A breakdown among various groups reveals that women (54%), older Canadians (65%), respondents living in households earning more than $100,000 a year (57%) and university graduates (53%) are more prone to believe that  downloading music from the Internet without paying amounts to stealing.

Privacy of Consumers

The survey shows some misconceptions about what the Government of Canada could actually do if the changes become law. Only one-third of all respondents (33%) correctly identified that the proposed amendments will not allow the federal government to search the portable music players and computers of Canadians.

Regionally, respondents living in British Columbia (41%) and Quebec (36%) are more likely to believe that the federal government would be allowed to gain access to portable music players and computers. Older Canadians (36%), those with a university degree (36%), and those living in households earning $100,000 or more a year (41%) appear more aware of the limits of the proposed amendments.

Perceptions on the Copyright Act

To further gauge the perceptions of Canadians regarding this topic, respondents to this Angus Reid Strategies survey were provided with a list of seven statements related to the new amendments and asked whether they agree or disagree with each one.

The findings reveal that a large majority of respondents (76%) believe the proposed amendments to the Copyright Act are being introduced as a result of lobbying by the North American music industry.  For many years, strengthening copyright infringement laws has been a recurrent topic in the United States.

Another finding worth mentioning is that, while most Canadians recognize the purpose of the new changes is to stop people from profiting from illegal file-sharing (67%), two-thirds (66%) feel that the anticipated changes are merely symbolic, and that the government will not be able to enforce them.  Three-in-five respondents (63%) foresee millions of lawsuits against Canadians if the new modifications take effect, and more than half (54%) believe the changes are necessary, because current regulations are outdated and need to be reformed.

Less than half of all respondents think the proposed amendments to the Copyright Act balance the rights of copyright holders and consumers (47%), and two-in-five (44%) state that emerging artists will not be able to easily promote their work as a result of the changes.

Voting on the Bill

Finally, when asked how they would want their Member of Parliament to vote in regards to the new amendments, respondents once again showed a clear division. While more respondents said they wanted their MP to vote against the changes (39% versus 32%), it is interesting to note that three-in-ten respondents (29%) are undecided about the direction the local representative should take.

The discrepancy between males and females is also of interest. While 49 per cent of men want their MPs to vote against the new copyright amendments, only 29 per cent of females concur.

Respondents aged 18 to 34 once again show the highest level of opposition to tougher restrictions, with a clear majority (58%) saying they want their MP to vote against the new changes—compared to 37 per cent in the 35-54 age group and only 27 per cent of older adults.

The education bracket also reveals an interesting snippet—more educated respondents are much more likely to want their MPs to oppose the changes to the Copyright Act than their respective counterparts, especially those with a high school degree or less.