A Léger poll conducted one month before the municipal elections shows that 81 per cent of Quebecers believe it is important for their municipality to take action against climate change. On Nov. 2, all municipalities in Quebec are slated to hold municipal elections and, according to a poll published Thursday, 88 per cent of women and 73 per cent of men say they want municipalities to prevent and adapt to climate change. “This is fairly overwhelming support for municipal action on climate change, with virtually no opposition. The government may be tired of hearing about the climate, but the public is not,” said Christian Savard, executive director of Vivre en ville, a member organization of Vire au vert, which aims to put environmental issues “at the heart of the elections in Quebec and Canada.” An issue for older people The poll, commissioned by the Copticom agency, also indicates that Quebecers aged 55 and over (85 per cent) are more likely than those aged 18 to 34 (76 per cent) to consider climate change an important issue in municipal elections. “Young people have the weight of many crises on their shoulders,” such as “economic insecurity and the cost of housing,” which may explain why they are “a little less worried” about the environment, hypothesizes Savard. “But we must not forget that we are talking about a few percentage points.” The 12 tasks The survey shows support for the proposals in the “12 tasks for our communities” platform presented by Vivre en ville last spring. For example, 78 per cent of those surveyed say they would agree to support proposals to “support local food” in the municipal elections. Additionally, 71 per cent say they would also support proposals to “better protect natural environments, particularly by curbing urban sprawl.” Among those surveyed, 66 per cent say they would agree to support proposals to “preserve ecological corridors that constitute green and blue networks to protect biodiversity.” Plus, 55 per cent say they want municipal officials to give “more space to walking and cycling to promote a physically active lifestyle.” Respondents aged 18 to 34 (58 per cent) say they would support active transportation compared to those aged 55 and over (53 per cent). Support for cycling and walking is also higher among university graduates (61 per cent) than those with a college diploma (52 per cent). Residents of the Quebec City region (28 per cent) are more likely to strongly disagree with increasing active transportation than those in Montreal (20 per cent) and other regions (15 per cent). “The purpose of the survey is to show elected officials that talking about the environment and taking action for the environment is a winning strategy,” said Alice-Anne Simard, executive director of Nature Québec, which is also part of Vire au vert. “We hope to hear more candidates talking about the environment during the elections.” The survey was conducted from Oct. 3 to 5, 2025, among 1,010 people. – This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 16, 2024.
