Most Canadians and Americans don’t trust the UN, poll finds
‘The erosion of trust and their capacity going forward … would be a serious concern’
The majority of Canadians and Americans do not trust the United Nations, according to a new poll.
The Leger survey for the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS) and the Metropolis Institute was conducted about four months after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Since then, the UN has been under fire for its response to the attack, and for a UN agency’s alleged connections to the Hamas terrorists.
According to the survey, only 38 per cent of Canadians and 30 per cent of Americans trust the UN.
Jack Jedwab, president of ACS and the Metropolis Institute, said the long-term impact of countries losing trust in the UN is a serious concern amid the Israel-Hamas war, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and other conflicts.
“The erosion of trust and their capacity going forward … would be a serious concern,” he said. “It is important for that international body to ensure that in many of the key partners and its deliberations, particularly our neighbour to the south, it retains and fosters trust. Otherwise, its capacity to effect change will risk being affected.”
In both the U.S. and Canada, views differ by political affiliation with a higher percentage of left-leaning citizens having more trust.
In Canada, 53.7 per cent of left-identifying respondents, 23.5 per cent of right-identifying respondents and 41 per cent of centre-identifying respondents said they had trust in the UN. In the U.S., it was 54 per cent for left-identifying, 13.2 per cent for right-identifying and 38.1 per cent for centre-identifying.
The poll also included each country’s left-of-centre and right-of-centre statistics. In Canada, 51.4 per cent of left-of-centre identifying respondents and 31.5 per cent of right-of-centre identifying respondents reported not having trust in the UN. In the U.S., it was 51.2 per cent for left-of-centre and 16.8 per cent for right-of-centre.
