VANCOUVER—According to a recent poll, Canadians are becoming less enthusiastic to act on opportunities in Asia although they acknowledge the importance of the region for the country’s prosperity.

The annual poll was conducted by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, and meant to examine Canadian attitudes toward Asia.

It found noticeable downward shifts in Canadians embrace of the Asia Pacific region, as well as the sense of urgency to deepen relations with countries in the region.

There is a growing discrepancy between Canadians understanding of Asias importance and their willingness to do something about it, said Mr. Yuen Pau Woo, President and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

More Canadians appear to be hesitating as they face tougher decisions about how to advance the Canada-Asia relationship.

The poll showed that only 18 per cent of Canadians see the country as part of the Asia Pacific region, which is down 11 points from last year.

Canadians expressed cooler views towards most countries in Asia, especially China, and those with cool feelings towards China exceeded those with favourable views by a factor of three.

However, China tops the list of Asian countries Canadians believe should receive greater emphasis in Canadas foreign relations (54 per cent). They also view China as the most important Asian country for Canadas prosperity (45 per cent).

Fewer Canadians are enthusiastic about Canada entering into free trade deals with Japan (60 per cent down 3 per cent from 2012) or China (42 per cent, down 6 percent from 2012).

A strong majority of respondents remain opposed to direct investment from Asian state-owned enterprises, particularly from China (76 per cent), India (72 per cent) and Japan (58 per cent).

Canadians are increasingly divided on energy relations. Most Canadians support building pipelines to export natural gas (54 per cent) to western Canadian ports, however, fewer respondents feel a sense of urgency to take advantage of Asias need for energy resources (53 per cent in 2013 versus 61 per cent in 2012).

One area wher Canadians felt particularly positive was building ties with Asia through cultural exchanges. According to the poll, 70 per cent of respondents suggested increasing student exchanges, and university agreements (59 per cent). Also, 64 per cent agreed with providing development assistance to Asian countries that demonstrate progress in democratic norms.

The conflicted attitudes of Canadians make for a more difficult environment to deepen political and economic ties with Asia, said Mr. Yuen Pau Woo.

The poll was conducted by Angus Reid between March 8 to March 15, 2013, with a margin of error of +/- 1.7 percentage points for the entire sample.