Half of Canadians willing to fight for Canada if they agree with reasons for combat: Survey
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A new Angus Reid survey found 49% of Canadians would be willing to fight for their country in the event of an armed conflict, but most say they would only do so if they “agreed with the reasons for fighting.”
The poll said the most willing to enlist are those older than age 54 (55%) while those in the 18- to 34-year-old range most likely needed to fill recruitment gaps are less likely (43%).
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The survey comes as the federal government increases the defence spending budget to meet the country’s pledge to NATO.
In November 2019, about four in five (79%) said they felt proud when thinking of Canada’s military while currently half (52%) say the same.
At the peak of sexual misconduct in the military news, which saw 13 senior officers face allegations, three-quarters of Canadians said there was “a culture of disrespect toward women in the military,” which could explain why Canadian women (36%) are much less likely than men (63%) to say they would volunteer.
Instilling pride may be a key to solving the military’s “recruitment crisis,” as those who say they are “very proud” or “proud” to be Canadian are much more likely (53%) to say they would volunteer to fight for Canada than those who are less patriotic.
Otherwise, Canadians are more likely to be supportive if their daughter (52%) or son (49%) joined the Canadian Aarmed Forces than excited (28% son, 32% daughter).
The poll found those who voted Conservative in April are more likely to say they would volunteer for the military in the event of an armed conflict (59%) than those who voted Liberal (47%), NDP (36%) or Bloc Québécois (35%). A majority of the latter two groups of voters say instead they would not put their hand up.
Angus Reid conducted an online survey from June 20-23, 2025, among 1,619 Canadians.
For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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