OTTAWA, February 24, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s Centre for Faith and Public Life released a comprehensive report this week on data from recognized polling and survey companies on the topic of abortion in Canada for the period of 2007-2012.
The report is organized topically, with information regarding the number of surveyed participants, the year the survey was conducted as well as the wording of the question itself, in order to assist readers in evaluation of the data.
The EFC says it hopes that the document, by providing specific information, will assist writers with drafting of articles, columns and blogs as well as preparation for interviews and debates.
Some of the data presented points to Canadians’ woeful lack of knowledge about their country’s current abortion laws.
In one 2008 poll by Angus Reid Strategies and Signal Hill, 1004 survey participants across Canada were asked, “As far as you know, when can an abortion be performed in Canada?” Sixty-one percent of respondents said, “Only in the first three months of gestation,” while 19% said they were “Not sure.” In fact Canada allows abortions through all nine months of pregnancy.
In answer to the question, “Before today, were you aware that publicly subsidized abortions in Ontario cost taxpayers at least $30 million per year?” 91% of said, “No” and only 9% said, “Yes.” That question was posed in a 2011 poll by Abacus Data and surveyed 1014 participants in Ontario.
With regard to sex-selective abortion and gendercide, the data reveals ambivalence among Canadians who support unrestricted abortion for any reason but believe sex-selected abortions should be illegal.
While 48% of respondents said abortion should be “Legal under any circumstances” to the question, “Do you think abortion should be legal under any circumstances, legal only under certain circumstances, or illegal in all circumstances?” in a 2010 poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion, 92% said sex-selective abortion “Should not be legal” in Canada according to a 2011 poll by Environics of 2000 survey participants across Canada who were asked “Do you think sex-selected abortions should or should not be legal in Canada?”
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada report titled, “Abortion Polls in Canada: A Compilation by Topic of Opinion Polling in Canada from 2007-2012” is available here.