Four-in-10 Canadian teachers grades 6-12 believe more than half of their students use AI to complete homework; majority report declining critical thinking skills, in-class writing and analysis

VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 27, 2026 /CNW/ -- Four-in-10 Canadian teachers grades 6-12 (who responded to the Leger poll) believe more than half of their students are using AI to complete their homework; and a majority of responding teachers report a decline in in-class writing, analytical skills, and critical thinking skills, according to a new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

"The teachers who responded to this poll report significant shares of students using AI for homework, and believe many of those students are using AI inappropriately to do their homework for them instead of assisting them," said Paige MacPherson, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Survey of Canadian Grades 6–12 Teachers on AI Use. 

"At the same time, the majority of those surveyed report a decline in their students' abilities to write and analyze material in class with worsened critical thinking skills compared to students five years ago. This is a significant concern."

According to the results of a new Leger poll commissioned by the Fraser Institute, which surveyed Canadian teachers of grades 6-12, of those students whom teachers believe are using AI for homework, teachers believe 55.9 per cent are using AI inappropriately to do their work for them.

At the same time, 72.9 per cent of responding teachers grades 6-12 say students' in-class writing and analytical skills have worsened over the past five years.

An even greater share (83.6 percent) report a decline in students' critical thinking skills compared to students five years ago.

More than three-quarters (78.6 per cent) of respondent teachers say that some of their stu­dents' in-class work is lower quality than their take-home work, and 90.9 per cent of those teachers said this difference has been increasing over time.

Surveyed teachers in Ontario were the most likely to say their students' in-class work is lower quality than their homework (88.2 per cent), followed by Alberta (84.6 per cent), BC (78.6 per cent), and Atlantic Canada (75.9 per cent).

"AI is a quickly emerging technology and poll results demonstrate that teachers are already seeing a high uptake amongst students – many using it inappropriately – while reporting students' critical thinking, in-class writing and analysis skills have dropped in just the last five years," said MacPherson.

"We are doing students and teachers a disservice if we don't listen to educators' concerns regarding AI and confront this new reality."

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The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute's independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org

SOURCE The Fraser Institute

MEDIA CONTACT: Paige MacPherson, Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute. To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact: Drue MacPherson, Fraser Institute, [phone] Ext. 721, [email protected]