Canadians’ view of Islam stays most negative while attitudes toward Judaism decline sharply, poll shows
A new national poll finds Islam remains the faith Canadians view most negatively, and sentiment toward Judaism has dropped the most since the last survey.
In a recent online poll of 1,528 Canadians, Islam continues to be the religion with the highest share of negative opinions, with 26% positive and 50% negative responses. Views on Judaism have slipped on every metric since the March 2025 survey, with a decline in positive ratings and an increase in very negative assessments. The survey also revealed that while 60% of Canadians view Jews positively, only 44% feel the same about Arabs, and negative perceptions of Arabs have risen.
Statistics Canada recorded 788 hate crimes against Jewish people in 2025, a 16% drop from the prior year but still representing 71% of all religion-motivated incidents, while overall hate crimes fell 18%. Jack Jedwab, president of the Association for Canadian Studies, noted that the disparity between attitudes and hate-crime figures highlights how a vocal minority can generate disproportionate hostility toward a community.
Why it matters
The findings reveal growing religious bias in Canada and highlight the gap between public opinion and hate-crime trends.
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