Majority of Canadians want in-school cellphone ban: survey

Mental health and bullying are among the top concerns in the country during the back-to-school period, according to a new survey.

Liaison Strategies polled 1,000 Canadians, with a few strong opinions shared by the majority.

Most respondents — 76 per cent — are concerned about mental health. Another 71 per cent are concerned about bullying. Seventy-four per cent noted concern about funding shortages in public schools.

But one opinion stands above the rest, according to those polled: a “near-consensus” — 81 per cent — support the idea of a cellphone ban during the school day.

“They want fewer distractions in the classroom,” said David Valentin, principal at Liaison Strategies.

Support for a ban is high across the country, though highest in Quebec — 84 per cent — and among Canadians older than 65. Support is lower in Alberta, but still strong at 75 per cent. 

Canadians are divided on other issues, including only 32 per cent in support of moving students to a four-day week — with 47 per cent opposed and 21 per cent unsure. And 39 per cent responded that there isn’t enough instruction in either of Canada’s official languages, with just 45 per cent of responding parents agreeing on the issue.

A near-perfect split emerged among those polled about the quality of schools in their own neighbourhoods, with 45 per cent describing them as “good” or “excellent,” while 44 per cent called them “fair” or “poor.”

“Parents are more likely than non-parents to give their local schools harsher scores,” said Liaison Strategies.

The survey’s margin of error is ±3.09 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.