Nearly 6 in 10 public transit users say they feel less safe commuting after string of violent attacks

TTC spokesperson reacts to new polling TTC spokesperson Stuart Green reacts to a new poll by Nanos Research showing the majority of transit users feel unsafe.

After a string of violent attacks on public transit in Toronto and other cities, a new survey has found that nearly six in 10 public transit users in Canada say they feel less safe or somewhat less safe while commuting.

In the survey, conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News, 35 per cent of respondents who use public transit said they feel less safe and 23 per cent said they feel somewhat less safe compared to a year ago.

Ontarians were most likely to worry about their safety, as 71 per cent of respondents from the province said they feel less safe or somewhat less safe while riding public transit. Women across Canada were also more likely to say the same thing, as 65 per cent of women said they feel less safe or somewhat less safe, compared to 50 per cent of men.

In Quebec, 39 per cent of transit users said they feel at least somewhat less safe -- the lowest out of all the regions in Canada. In addition, 50 per cent of British Columbians and 63 per cent of people in the Prairies also said they feel less safe or somewhat less safe commuting on public transit.

A recent string of violent and seemingly random attacks on buses and streetcars and at transit stations in Toronto has prompted the city to boost policing at subway stations. Incidents of violence on transit have also been reported in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Winnipeg.

In response to these incidents, 58 per cent of Canadians say they're being more cautious or somewhat more cautious about their surroundings when out in urban settings.

Ontario had the highest proportion of respondents saying they're being more cautious or somewhat more cautious (66 per cent) followed by the Prairies (60 per cent), British Columbia (49 per cent) and Atlantic Canada (48 per cent). In addition, 63 per cent of women overall said they're being at least somewhat more cautious, compared to 52.4 per cent of men.

Meanwhile, car commuters are also on high alert as auto thefts have been on the rise across the country. The survey found that 86 per cent of Canadians say it's necessary or somewhat necessary for car owners to take extra precautions in order to prevent their vehicles from being stolen.

METHODOLOGY

Nanos conducted an RDD dual frame (land- and cell-lines) hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,054 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between Jan. 27 and 30, 2023, as part of an omnibus survey.

Participants were randomly recruited by telephone using live agents and administered a survey online. The sample included both land- and cell-lines across Canada. The results were statistically checked and weighted by age and gender using the latest census information and the sample is geographically stratified to be representative of Canada.

Individuals randomly called using random digit dialling with a maximum of five call backs. The margin of error for this survey is ±3.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. This study was commissioned by CTV News and the research was conducted by Nanos Research.