New Poll Shows Most Canadians Can Identify "In Flanders Fields" (76%) as Country's Most Famous Poem

Vimy Foundation campaign to encourage Canadian youth to recite famous poem reaches 100,000 students

TORONTO, Nov. 10, 2015 /CNW/ - Most (76%) Canadians can correctly identify In Flanders Fields as the Canadian poem written during the First World War 100 years ago, and John McCrae (61%) as the author of that iconic poem. Most encouraging is the young Canadians (18-34) scored highest in knowledge and attitude related to the famous poem.

When presented with a list of six options, three quarters (76%) of Canadians could correctly identify In Flanders Fields as the Canadian poem written during the First World War 100 years ago. Interestingly, Canadians aged 18 to 34 were most likely (80%) to correctly identify In Flanders Fields as the poem.

Among  a list of six authors, six in ten (61%) Canadians could identify John McCrae as having written In Flanders Fields, although four in ten (39%) did not. Once again, young adults paved the way with their superior knowledge, with 68% correctly answering the question, more than the 63% of those aged 55+ and 55% of those aged 35 to 54 who identified McCrae as the author.

Three quarters (74%) of Canadians 'agree' that 'In Flanders Fields should be designated as Canada's National Poem by an Act of Parliament', while just one quarter (26%) 'disagrees' with this position. The idea has a majority of support in every region of the country, including Quebec (51%).

With support so high, it's not surprising that eight in ten (82%) agree that hearing In Flanders Fields recited on Remembrance Day enhances their appreciation for Canada's veterans, and most (84%) agree that every Remembrance Day ceremony in Canada should include a reading of In Flanders Fields.

In Flanders Fields…
The data show that some Canadians know more about this iconic poem than others:

• Regionally, those in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (97%), Alberta (93%) and Atlantic Canada (92%) were most likely to identify In Flanders Fields as the Canadian poem written during the First World War.
• Ontarians (74%), Atlantic Canadians (73%) and Albertans (73%) were most likely to correctly identify John McCrae as the author of this iconic poem.
• Three in ten (30%) Canadians 'agree' that they can recite the poem In Flanders Fields by memory – matching the 30% of the population that could correctly identify the first verse.
• The poem has a preeminent position in Canadian culture, so much so that two in three (66%) Canadians 'agree' that they learned In Flanders Fields as a child, rising to 73% agreement among those aged 18 to 34.  

SOURCE VIMY FOUNDATION

Jennifer Blake, Communications Coordinator, Vimy Foundation, 416.595.1917 ext.2, [email protected]