Highlights by Religion

Perceptions of political parties differ significantly across religious belief groups in Canada, particularly in terms of ethical representation. Among respondents who identify as agnostic, the NDP receives the highest POLIS score at 3.25, followed closely by the Liberal Party at 3.16, while the Conservative Party trails at 2.27. A similar pattern holds among atheists, where the NDP leads with a score of 3.24, the Liberals follow at 3.13, and the Conservatives again rank lowest at 2.25. These results suggest that secular Canadians are more likely to perceive the NDP and Liberal Party as aligned with ethical values such as fairness, transparency, and accountability.

Among respondents categorized as having “other” religious beliefs—those not self-identifying as either explicitly religious or secular—the NDP continues to lead with a POLIS score of 3.13, followed by the Liberals at 2.98, and the Conservatives at 2.54. Though the gaps are smaller, the order remains the same. This indicates that even outside dominant religious categories, the NDP and Liberals maintain reputational advantages in ethical perception, while the Conservatives continue to score lower on average, particularly on values like benevolence and procedural fairness.

The most notable reversal occurs among those who identify simply as religious. In this group, the Conservative Party receives the highest POLIS score at 2.92, followed by the Liberal Party at 2.96, and the NDP at 2.89. This is the only group in the dataset where the Conservatives outperform both progressive parties. It suggests that religious Canadians view the Conservatives as more ethically aligned than do other belief groups, possibly due to shared values around legitimacy, authority, or moral consistency. The differences, however, are modest, with all three parties receiving similar ratings in this group.

These findings reinforce the idea that religious identity plays a key role in how voters assess political parties through an ethical lens. Secular respondents overwhelmingly perceive the NDP and Liberals as more aligned with values they associate with trustworthy leadership, while religious respondents tend to view the Conservatives more positively—though not dramatically so. These differences may reflect varying interpretations of what ethical representation means: for some, it may involve fairness and inclusion, while for others, it may involve tradition, stability, or moral clarity.

Taken together, these patterns show that religious identity shapes the ethical map of Canadian politics. While the NDP leads broadly among non-religious Canadians, and the Liberals remain competitive across all groups, the Conservatives perform most strongly among religious respondents. The POLIS Index captures these subtle but important shifts, providing a nuanced view of how ethics, trust, and representation are filtered through personal belief systems.