New UNICEF Canada Poll Finds Canadians Want Country to Show Up for the World's Children Amid Global Uncertainty
TORONTO, ONT., September 29, 2026 – New data from UNICEF Canada finds that a majority of Canadians want to see the country show up for the world's children as Canada charts its path in an increasingly uncertain world. The national survey of 1,500 Canadians, conducted by the Environics Institute found:
- 82 per cent of Canadians say Canada should do at least as much as, if not more than, other countries to reduce hunger, disease and poverty for children in the world's poorest countries.
- 65 per cent of all Canadians say they feel proud when Canada helps children in the world's poorest countries.
- 63 per cent of Canadians believe that providing foreign aid to reduce hunger and disease among children will make the world a safer place for everyone, including Canadians themselves.
- 59 per cent say defence and military spending shouldn't come at the cost of aid.
That sentiment is strongest among young Canadians. Nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of 18-to-29-year-olds say foreign aid makes the world safer for everyone, and two-thirds (68 per cent) say Canada can afford to do more.
"We are living in one of the most uncertain moments in recent memory, and still, Canadians are telling us that aid for children needs to have its place in Canada’s foreign policy," said Sevaun Palvetzian, President and CEO, UNICEF Canada. "Canadians understand that foreign assistance for children is not just an expression of our values. It’s an investment in the conditions that underpin global stability, security and economic growth.”
These findings also land at a time when the world appears ready for Canadian leadership. A new Rockefeller Foundation survey found that 60 per cent of respondents across 34 countries expressed a high degree of comfort with Canada taking a leading role in world affairs. Overall, Canada ranked first among countries listed, ahead of Japan (58 per cent), Australia (55 per cent) and the United States (39 per cent).
At the same time, children’s needs are rising faster than the world's response to them. UNICEF estimates that over 200 million children require humanitarian assistance in 2026. At the same time, global official development assistance fell 23 per cent in 2025, the steepest drop on record, and Canada's 2025 federal budget cut $2.7 billion in international assistance over four years.
Without action, reports show the consequences could be severe. UNICEF‘s annual report estimates that 6 million more children could be at risk of being out of school by the end of 2026 and 20 million children face disruptions to critical health services, including immunization. A study published in The Lancet found that aid cuts could lead to 5.4 million additional preventable deaths among children under five by 2030, marking the first time in several decades that child deaths are likely to increase.
UNICEF Canada Mobilizing Canadians to “Care Hard”
UNICEF Canada is meeting this critical moment with Care Hard, a new brand platform and national call to action to mobilize Canadians.
"In a world competing for our attention, making the time to care is not a passive act,” said Palvetzian. “When we turn that care into action, it can powerfully shape what changes for the better. More children go to school. More vaccines reach arms. More opportunities are created. That's what it means to Care Hard.”
[Watch: Care Hard - Immunization film]
Starting today, UNICEF Canada is looking for 100,000 Canadians to take action for children by December 31, 2026. Whether it's by making a one-time donation, becoming a monthly donor, or purchasing a Survival Gift, every action at home adds to a global impact already underway. For example, if 100,000 Canadians each gave one gift of:
- $20, they could help provide therapeutic food supplements—like the protein-packed Plumpy'Nut®—to 1.4 million children, helping them recover from the effects of malnutrition.
- $50, they could provide life-saving vaccines to 1.7 million children, protecting them from some of the world's most contagious diseases.
- $100, they could provide 24 million children with clean water for a year.
Care Hard builds on a national legacy of collective humanitarian action, from Canadian children carrying UNICEF’s orange boxes door-to-door to the government’s long-standing support for children caught in crisis and conflict, which has led to monumental results. In 2025 alone, donors in Canada and around the world helped UNICEF deliver over 1.6 billion polio vaccine doses to children, create access to safe water for 34 million people, respond to 414 emergencies in 101 countries, and much more.
Powered entirely by voluntary contributions, UNICEF has spent nearly 80 years turning individual commitment into results for children, becoming the world’s most powerful force of change for children. Care Hard is an invitation for Canadians to join us.
Canadians eager to support the world’s children through Care Hard can visit unicef.ca.
To learn more about UNICEF Canada’s latest poll, please visit: https://environicsinstitute.org/global-issues-survey-2026/
MEDIA CONTACT
Jeff Junke | UNICEF Canada | media@unicef.ca
About UNICEF
UNICEF is the world's leading humanitarian organization focused on children. We work in the most challenging areas to provide protection, healthcare and immunizations, education, safe water and sanitation and nutrition. We respond to emergencies around the world, delivering life-saving assistance to children and families affected by conflict, disasters and displacement.
As part of the United Nations, our unrivaled reach spans more than 190 countries and territories, ensuring we are on the ground to help children living in the world’s toughest places. While part of the UN system, UNICEF relies entirely on voluntary donations to finance our life-saving work. Please visit unicef.ca and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About the Environics Institute and the Survey Methodology
The Environics Institute for Survey Research was established by Michael Adams in 2006 with a mandate to conduct in-depth public opinion and social research on the issues shaping Canada’s future. It is through such research that Canadians can better understand themselves and their changing society.
The survey was carried out by the Environics Institute for Survey Research in partnership with UNICEF Canada. The survey was conducted online between May 7 and 14, 2026 with a sample of 1,500 adult residents of Canada. It was administered by Elemental DCI and the sample was drawn from the LEO panel. The survey data are weighted by age, gender, region and education so as to be representative of the actual composition of the adult Canadian population.