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The online survey of 1,609 residents was done by The Vancouver Province in conjunction with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, The Laurier Institution and the Angus Reid Institute. A probability sample of this size carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4%19 times out of 20, according to the institute.

The survey took place Nov. 10 to Nov. 12, not long after the country witnessed deadly back-to-back assaults on uniformed Canadian soldiers in Ontario and Quebec.

The question of whether Michael Zehaf-Bibeau’s attack on Cpl. Nathan Cirillo in Ottawa last month was caused by mental illness or ideology has been the subject of intense debate.

Among those polled, 38% said they would call the shooting an act by a person with mental illness, while 36% would call it a terrorist attack. Twenty-five per cent weren’t sure.

Eighty-seven per cent said they support more training for mental health workers to identify signs of radicalization.

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“That particular attack [on a soldier at the National War Memorial in Ottawa], even though it was carried out by one person … it did certainly, for many Canadians, shake our sense of security,” said Shachi Kurl, senior vice-president at the Angus Reid Institute. “This is the first time in a long time where we’ve had a sense of danger on our soil.”

When asked whether the homegrown terrorism threat was serious or overblown, 62% of respondents said it was serious. This perception was particularly acute among those 55 and older.