A new study from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds a majority of Canadians (58%) say sexual harassment and sexual assault are a major problem in youth hockey, while another 17 percent feel this is a problem, but a minor one.
Those closest to the sport share this view. More than half (56%) of Canadians with a connection to youth hockey, whether current or past, see sexual misconduct in hockey culture as a major issue.
Among this group, women of all ages are more likely to perceive a major problem compared to men in their same generational bracket. Men younger than 35 are least likely to agree.
Fully three-in-five (63%) say a change in senior leadership is needed, while just eight percent disagree. Others say they aren’t sure what should be done (27%).
Key Findings:
• Among those who perceive sexual misconduct to be a problem in hockey culture, one-quarter of women (24%) say these forthcoming efforts from Hockey Canada will improve the situation, while three in five (62%) disagree. Men, too, lean in this direction, with 53 percent lacking confidence.
• While this is clearly seen as an issue by Canadians, only five percent see sexual assault and harassment as a hockey-specific problem, rather than a sports problem. More than four-in-five (84%) say this is a broad issue to be dealt with in sports culture, even if hockey gets the most attention.
• Past Conservative Party supporters are far less convinced that sexual misconduct is a problem in hockey culture. Two in five (42%) say it is a major problem, while comparatively, seven-in-ten past Liberal, NDP, and Bloc Québécois voters hold this view.
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