Public Opinion on Federalism in the United States and Canada in 2002: The Aftermath of Terrorism

This research reports on a public-opinion survey on intergovernmental and border issues in Canada and the United States conducted in mid-April 2002. In the United States, there was an upsurge in public support for the federal government in 2002 over 2001, and a slight decline in public evaluations of state and local governments. Increased support for the federal government was especially notable among whites, Republicans, and respondents with post-undergraduate education-groups that previously registered low support for the federal government. Canadians reported less satisfaction with all governments in their federal system, lower support for their federal government, and much more regional and partisan division over intergovernmental issues. On international border issues, Americans and Canadians generally agreed that a common border-security policy would be a good idea, though Canadians were slightly more likely than Americans to prefer ease of cross-border trade over improved border security. Copyright 2002, Oxford University Press.