Hockey still King of the North but basketball catching up: Poll

By News Staff

Hockey is still king but the Toronto Raptors NBA championship has helped to loosen it’s grip as the top sport in Canada.

According to results of a DART survey, exclusively provided to CityNews and 680 NEWS, 17 per cent of Canadians say basketball is now the national sport with 24 per cent of Ontarians agreeing with that statement.

Still, 83 per cent say hockey is King of the North with the strongest support coming from Atlantic Canada (95 per cent). Only 76 per cent of Ontarians feel hockey is tops, which is the lowest of the six regions surveyed. Then again, it’s been 52 years since the Toronto Maple Leafs last tasted champagne from Lord Stanley’s cup!

CANADA DAY

The survey also found that while most people won’t be attending a specific Canada Day community event on Monday, a majority of Canadians would still prefer their provincial parliament building host a celebratory event.

In Ontario, 62 per cent prefer a Canada Day celebration for families on the front lawn of Queen’s Park – with entertainment, hot-dogs and fireworks – as opposed to giving free admission for a set number of people at provincial parks or other attractions.

Citing a decline in attendance, the Ford government opted not to stage a Canada Day celebration at the legislature this year. Rather, they said they would take that money and offer free admission to the first 500 visitors at 10 provincial attractions including the Ontario Science Centre, Huronia Historical Parks, Butterfly Conservatory and Science North.

Ontario’s Liberal party has stepped in and reserved the front lawn for what they’re calling an “old-fashioned picnic” on Canada Day, promising free ice cream and children’s activities.

It was a similar sentiment across the country with 68 per cent of Canadians in Alberta and Atlantic Canada, 69 per cent in B.C., 70 per cent in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, 71 per cent of Quebecers all preferring a provincial parliament Canada Day celebration.

MOOD IN CANADA

Meanwhile, a majority of Canadians coast-to-coast (86 per cent) think Canada is the best place to live in the world and that we are the envy of most other countries (77 per cent).

However, the survey also found that just over half (54 per cent) believe Canadians have an inflated sense of how good we are as a country.

As we head into a federal election this fall, 54 per cent of respondents believe Canada is headed in the right direction while 54 per cent think Canada’s reputation in the world has improved over the last four years. Those sentiments are strongest in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario.

Not surprising, Canadians out west are at the opposite end of the spectrum with 59 per cent of Albertans disagreeing Canada is going in the right direction while another 66 per cent don’t think Canada’s reputation has improved worldwide in the last four years.

The survey was conducted among 1,512 randomly selected Canadian adults who are members of MARU/Blue’s Online panel on June 26, 2019 and is considered accurate to within +/- 2.9 percentage points.

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