Vancouver – After almost seven years of life without the penny, most Canadians appear satisfied with the decree to abolish the one-cent coin, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, three-in-four Canadians (75%) agree with the federal government’s decision to take the penny out of circulation in February 2013.
Canadians aged 18-to-34 are more likely to welcome the decision to abolish the penny (81%) than those aged 35-to-54 (74%) and those aged 55 and over (72%).
“On a regional basis, one-in-five residents of Atlantic Canada (21%), British Columbia (20%) and Ontario (also 20%) seem more nostalgic about the penny,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “The proportion is lower in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (18%), Alberta (15%) and Quebec (14%).”
The notion of taking the nickel out of circulation is definitely not as popular. Across the country, more than a third of Canadians (36%) agree with abandoning the five-cent coin, while more than half (55%) disagree.
Once again, the views on this issue vary by age. Canadians aged 18-to-34 are slightly more likely to suggest that the nickel should be abandoned (41%) than those aged 35-to-54 (39%) and those aged 55 and over (29%).
The regions with the highest level of rejection for the idea of not having a five-cent coin in Canada are Saskatchewan and Manitoba (63%), Atlantic Canada (59%), Ontario (58%) and British Columbia (55%). The proportion is lower in Alberta (50%) and Quebec (47%).
