→ Global warming and the environment has emerged in the minds of Canadians as the world's most pressing issue, but there is also considerable concern about such issues as war and conflict, hunger and famine in the developing world, human rights abuse, and the gap between rich and poor.

→ Canadians are evenly split on whether they are optimistic or pessimistic about the world's future over the coming decade (see box to the left). Positive trends tend to be seen in terms of technological advances, while environmental degradation and world conflict are the most prominent negative trends.

→ Most Canadians see their own country as one that stands out as a positive force in today's world, followed distantly by the U.S. and Great Britain. The U.S. stands out as being seen as a negative force in the world, well ahead of such countries as Iran, North Korea and Pakistan.

→ Canadians are paying attention to world events, and follow them as closely as they do local, provincial and national issues (see box to the right). War and conflict (including the mission in Afghanistan) is of greatest interest, followed by world events involving environmental issues and politics.

→ More than half of Canadians maintain close personal ties to individuals living in other countries, rising to 80 percent among new Canadians. Many have provided financial assistance either to foreign-based causes and organizations, or to family and friends abroad.

→ Many Canadians are paying close attention to the U.S. Presidential race, and believe the outcome matters a great deal to Canada; some would even give up their right to vote in Canada to help elect the next President. At the same time, a majority do not favour one U.S. political party over the other.

→ Canadians see peacekeeping as their country's most important contribution to the world, while the environment is most apt to be viewed as its greatest missed opportunity for global leadership. Many events are identified as Canada's most significant historical moment on the world stage, but the list is dominated by military conflicts, led by participation in World War II

→ Canadians believe that nuclear weapons have made the world a more dangerous place, with the greatest threat coming from terrorist attacks. There is overwhelming public support among Canadians for the complete elimination of the world's nuclear weapons

→ Most Canadians are confident that Canada can increase its influence in the world, particularly in addressing hunger and famine in the developing world, discouraging human rights abuses, and showing leadership on global warming and other environmental issues (see box to the left).

* Désolé, pour le moment les résultats de notre sondage sont seulement disponibles en anglais. Nous souhaitons pouvoir vous offrir les résultats en français bientôt.

The research was conducted by Environics Research, and consists of a comprehensive national public opinion survey conducted by telephone with a representative sample of 2,001 Canadians between January 9 and 22, 2008. The sampling covers all regions (including the Northern territories), and includes over-samples of youth aged 15 to 24 and New Canadians (those born abroad). The results from a survey of this size drawn from the population would be expected to produce results accurate to within plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, in 95 out of 100 samples (the margin of sampling error will be larger for specific subgroups of the population). For more detailed information on the survey methodology, contact Keith Neuman at Environics Research Group (keith.neuman@environics.ca).