Almost half of Canadians think it's fair to describe Trump followers as cultists, says poll 

U.S. president-elect Donald Trump arrives before the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 in Boca Chica, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Pool via AP)

Referring to the followers of Donald Trump and his Republican Party as people who are in a cult is justified, say over half of Canadians in a new poll.

The data released Wednesday by B.C.-based polling firm Research Co. shows 47 per cent of Canadians have a negative view of the president-elect, alongside 46 per cent of Americans.

The two-country poll asked people whether they thought it was fair or unfair to refer to followers of certain political parties and people as a cult, a term often used to describe a group of people with unwavering devotion to a set of beliefs and practices considered outside the norms of society.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a cult is a group of people with beliefs or practices regarded by others as “strange or sinister.”

While those holding the opinion were of all ages, the middle-aged respondents agreed with the comparison the strongest, with 50 per cent of Canadians aged 55 and over believing it was fair to describe Republican followers as a cult, compared to 42 per cent of 35- to 54-year-olds and 48 per cent of those aged between 18 and 34.

In the U.S., those aged 55 and over were less on board with the comparison, with 42 per cent agreeing with the statement. Those respondents were joined by 48 per cent of those aged 18 to 34, and 49 per cent of people aged between 35 and 54.

“Americans who describe themselves as Democrats (76 per cent) and Canadians who voted for the Liberal Party or the New Democratic Party in 2021 (63 per cent and 54 per cent, respectively) think it is fair to refer to followers of Trump and the Republicans as a cult,” says Mario Canseco, president of Research Co.

“The proportions are lower among Republicans in the United States (41 per cent) and Conservatives in Canada (40 per cent),” he said.

As far as the Democratic Party is concerned, just 37 per cent of Americans and 30 per cent of Canadians believe it is fair to refer to followers of Kamala Harris and her party as cultists. For Robert Kennedy Jr. the survey found similar results – 38 per cent of Americans and 29 per cent of Canadians.

The Research Co. poll also asked respondents about their thoughts on other political groups in Canada.

At least a third of those surveyed believe followers of the Conservative Party and Pierre Poilievre, and followers of the Liberal Party and Justin Trudeau, can be named as having opinions that are outside the social norm.

The same viewpoint for followers of Jagmeet Singh and the New Democratic Party, Maxime Bernier and the People’s Party, and Elizabeth May and the Green Party were much lower, at 31 per cent for the first two parties and 26 per cent for the latter.

The poll found residents of both countries to be more critical of Trump and his army of Republican followers than they were of the COVID-19 pandemic protesters, with 40 per cent of Canadians and 42 per cent of Americans believing it warranted to refer to those who campaigned against restrictions and mandates as being in a cult.

A substantial but slightly smaller portion of respondents feel the same way about people who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19 – 36 per cent of Canadians and 39 per cent of Americans.

Research Co. conducted their survey from Nov. 8 to Nov. 10 among 1,000 adults in Canada and 1,001 adults in the U.S. Results have been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in both countries.