A Study Says 40% Of Canadians Want To Get Rid Of The Nickel & Have It Join The Penny

Penny for your thoughts?

A variety of Canadian coins.

A variety of Canadian coins.

Senior Writer

If you were a fan of getting rid of Canada getting rid of the penny, you might have some thoughts about the nickel.

In a study posted on June 7, Research.co found that two in five Canadians are in favour of getting rid of the five-cent coin altogether.

"In the online survey of a representative national sample, 40% of Canadians support taking the nickel out of circulation, up four points since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in November 2019," says the study.

On the other side of the table are 49% of Canadians who do not support abolishing the nickel while 11% are undecided on the matter.

The study also notes that there's a "substantial gender gap" in thoughts on the coin.

"While 47% of men support its abolition, the proportion drops to 33% among women," they note.

As well, age seems to play a factor with 43% of responded aged 18-to-34 being in favour of removing the five-cent coin from circulation.

For 35-54-year-olds, that number drops to 38% and for those aged 55 and over it's 37%.

“More than half of residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (58%), British Columbia (52%) and Atlantic Canada (also 52%) support keeping the nickel,” says the President of Research Co, Mario Canseco. “The proportion of five-cent coin fans is lower in Quebec (49%), Ontario (47%) and Alberta (46%).”

As for the penny, 71% of Canadians agree with the government's 2013 decision to take the one-cent coin out of circulation.

Again there was also gender gap in thoughts about the feds having done away with the coin.

77% of male respondents were more likely to agree with the abolishment of the penny than their female counterparts at only 66%

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

  • Senior Writer

    Sarah Rohoman (she/her) was a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. She has worked at BuzzFeed Canada, Yahoo Canada, and CBC Radio in news, lifestyle, ecommerce, and social media. She has an MA in Journalism from Western University and a BA from McGill. She loves libraries, alpacas, and all things witchy.

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