Insights West
British Columbians draw a very clear line when they look at their relationship with animals, a new Insights West poll has found.
The online survey of a representative provincial sample shows that support for trophy hunting and furring is exceptionally low, while large majorities of residents endorse eating animals and hunting for meat.
The topic of trophy hunting gained prominence earlier this fall, when NHL player Clayton Stoner shot a grizzly bear while hunting with a license issued by the provincial government as part of an annual lottery.
Across British Columbia, only one-in-ten residents (10 per cent) are in favour of hunting animals for sport, while 88 per cent are opposed to the practice. Killing animals for their fur is endorsed by just 15 pr cent of British Columbians, and rejected by 81 per cent.
“It is abundantly clear that few British Columbians are in favour of trophy hunting and furring,” said Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs at Insights West. “At least four-in-five residents voice opposition to both of these practices.”
Most British Columbians (56 per cent) are in favour of keeping animals in zoos or aquariums, but only 38 per cent support using animals in rodeos. Large majorities of residents are in favour of eating animals (85 per cent) and hunting animals for meat (73 per cent).
Results of the study were based on an online study conducted from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2, 2013, among 704 British Columbians who are aged 18+ and are Your Insights panel members. YourInsights.ca is Insights West’s in-house access panel offering on-demand samples for both clients and research suppliers looking for Western Canadian populations. You can view the detailed tabulations by going to: http://www.insightswest.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Animals_Tables22.pdf