Findings from two surveys conducted in November 2025 and May 2024 show a growing majority of Canadians support public funding for colleges and universities, and many recognize that such funding has declined. However, almost 1 in 4 rank public funding as unimportant or have no opinion.
How important is it to you that governments continue funding colleges and universities?
Has government funding for colleges and universities increased, decreased, or stayed the same this past year?
Note: Counsel conducted the online survey of 4,350 Canadians aged 18 and over from November 5 to 18, 2025, using the Leger Opinion (LEO) Panel. An earlier study by Counsel took place from May 24 to 29, 2024 and polled 2,521 Canadians aged 18 and over. The margin of error does not apply to online surveys; however, if the survey were a probability-based random sample of the same size, it would be considered accurate to plus or minus 1%, 19 times out of 20. Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding. Survey questions have been reformulated for conciseness.
