Canadians view own country favourably but many unsure about Canada's system of government: survey
Canadians view own country favourably but many unsure about Canada's system of government: survey
Canadian and United States flags are seen flying near Parliament Hill, March 22, 2023, in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
A recent study by the Angus Reid Institute found Canadians view their country more positively than Americans do — but only a slight majority of people in Canada believe their system of government is good.
The results of the online survey, released Thursday, show 78 per cent of Canadians view their country as caring, compared to 36 per cent of Americans who said the same about the U.S.
Eighty-nine per cent of Canadians say they live in a safe country, while 43 per cent of Americans say they do.
Sixty-two per cent of Canadians also believe their country contributes positively to world affairs compared to only 39 per cent of Americans.
"Canadians' perceptions of their country have become more positive in the last 12 months," the report says.
"In January 2022, the country was dealing with the Omicron wave of COVID-19 with public health restrictions. Majorities of Canadians said on the eve of the two-year anniversary of the pandemic that COVID-19 pulled Canadians apart and brought out the worst in people. Perhaps time has healed some of those divisions."
The online survey took place between March 15 and 17 and involved "a representative randomized sample" of 1,649 Canadians, and 1,025 Americans, the institute said.
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
Although more Canadians than Americans believe their system of government is good, only a slight majority of Canadians – 51 per cent – said so compared to 34 per cent in the U.S.
The remaining respondents either said their system of government is not good or were unsure.
Positive attitudes about Canada's system of government were highest in Quebec at 57 per cent and lowest in Alberta (38 per cent) and Saskatchewan (33 per cent).
Taking a closer look at the data, men are less likely than women — 47 per cent compared to 54 per cent — to say Canada's system of government is good.
The same is true of younger Canadians who are generally less likely to say the country has a good system of government at 44 per cent of those 18-34 and 48 per cent of people 35-54, compared to 56 per cent of Canadians 55 and older.
However, some variations exist when comparing men and women of different generations and when broken down into smaller age groups.
Across household incomes, Canadians making $50,000 a year or less were the only group where fewer than 50 per cent said Canada has a good system of government.
Fewer than half of Canadians with a college or trade school education or less also viewed Canada's system of government positively.
Forty-eight and 45 per cent of Indigenous and visible minority respondents, respectively, said Canada's system of government is good, compared to 52 per cent of non-visible minority respondents.
POLITICAL AND REGIONAL DIFFERENCES
How Canadians see their country also varied depending on their political alignments, with those who voted Liberal in the 2021 federal election generally viewing Canada more positively compared to Conservative, Bloc Quebecois and NDP voters.
On the same question of whether Canada has a good system of government, Liberal voters were most likely to say it does at 77 per cent, while only 30 per cent of Conservative voters said so.
Regionally, Canadians generally agreed that Canada is a safe and caring society.
Quebec respondents were most likely to say Canada is a country they are proud to live in at 83 per cent, with respondents in Saskatchewan coming in the lowest at 60 per cent.
Those in Quebec were also more likely to say Canada is a prosperous country at 75 per cent compared to 54 per cent in Saskatchewan.
"Those in Quebec and Saskatchewan find themselves at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to assessing the country they live in," the report says. "Saskatchewan residents are typically more critical, while Quebecers offer more praise."
On racial divisions, however, Quebec respondents were the least likely to say the country is racially divided at 25 per cent. Saskatchewan was the only region where a majority of respondents — 51 per cent — believed the country is racially divided.
HOW CANADIANS AND AMERICANS SEE EACH OTHER
Canadians' views of the United States have improved in some categories compared to more than a year ago.
Forty-seven per cent of people now say the U.S. is a positive player in world affairs compared to 36 per cent in January 2022.
Slightly more people — 27 per cent — view the U.S. as a caring society, up from 24 per cent; 34 per cent say it is a safe country compared to 23 per cent more than a year ago; and 25 per cent say it has a good system of government, up from 20 per cent.
However, fewer Canadians view the U.S. as a prosperous country at 67 per cent compared to 72 per cent in January 2022.
On whether the U.S. is a racially divided country, Canadians' attitudes remained relatively unchanged at about 80 per cent who agree.
As for how Americans view Canada, the United States generally views its northern neighbour more favourably than itself, with 56 per cent of Americans saying Canada is a caring country and 64 per cent saying it's safe.
METHODOLOGY
The Angus Reid Institute (ARI) conducted an online survey from March 15 to 17, 2023, among a representative randomized sample of 1,649 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
ARI conducted a second online survey from March 15 to 17, 2023, among a representative randomized sample of 1,025 American adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum USA. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI.
China's military rebuked the United States and Canada for 'deliberately provoking risk' after the countries' navies staged a rare joint sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
New study finds increase in antipsychotic drugs use in long-term care homes across Canada, despite no significant increase in behavioural symptoms – something that may expose a potential area of concern for quality of care, researchers say.
Heavy rain and some military reinforcements arrived to assist efforts on Saturday to quell the wildfires that have destroyed homes and caused the evacuation of thousands of people across Nova Scotia.
Another northern Quebec town was evacuated due to an out of control wildfire on Saturday as the federal government confirmed that Canadian Forces personnel would be deployed to help combat forest fires in the province.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says the process to sell the Ottawa Senators is moving forward as "quickly as possible," and the New York-based company overseeing the sale is advising to "expect a very good outcome in the next few weeks."
The U.S. Ambassador to Canada says America 'absolutely wants to have it both ways' when it comes to fighting climate change while pursuing fossil fuel projects.
Post tropical storm Fiona showed how quickly Canadians can be displaced by climate change. W5 looks into whether more people living in vulnerable areas will have to consider moving in the years to come.
Convicted murderer Daniel Jolivet, in prison for the past 30 years, has maintained his innocence since the day he was arrested. W5 reviews the evidence he painstakingly assembled while behind bars.
W5 Producer Shelley Ayres explains how she was in awe to meet what the Guinness Book of World Record's has named the World's Tallest Teenager, a 17-year-old from Quebec who plays for Team Canada.
CTV W5 investigates what authorities knew about plans to smuggle cocaine out of the Dominican Republic on a Toronto-bound Pivot Airlines flight. The airline's crew is demanding justice following their eight-month detention.
Gordie Sampson has written hit songs for some of the biggest names in country music, including Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan. CTV W5 speaks with the Grammy winner from small-town Nova Scotia about his creative process.
Toronto police say the five suspects involved in a stabbing at Kennedy Station Friday night that left a man in critical condition are between the ages of 12 and 15 years old.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says the process to sell the Ottawa Senators is moving forward as "quickly as possible," and the New York-based company overseeing the sale is advising to "expect a very good outcome in the next few weeks."
A day of action held across Ontario saw the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) taking aim at a number of issues impacting community members, such as the cost of living.
Todd Edginton could hardly believe his eyes when he looked out his back door to find a wind turbine on fire. He wasn’t alone, as people stopped just north of Goderich to see the spectacle unfold.
Heavy rain and some military reinforcements arrived to assist efforts on Saturday to quell the wildfires that have destroyed homes and caused the evacuation of thousands of people across Nova Scotia.
It was a historic day in Manitoba. From across Canada, an estimated 4,000 Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) citizens showed up in person or online for an extraordinary general assembly.
Winnipegger Howie Prociuk was on a father/son trip south of the border to see the Toronto Blue Jays take on the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis last month, when a funny thought occurred to him.
Experts say 1,500 recently announced job losses at Suncor Energy Inc. are an example of the type of "collateral damage" that can occur when an activist investor comes calling.
The Young Master Club celebrated its 16th anniversary with a Taekwondo festival at the Alberta Avenue Community League, where students showcased their techniques.
Defence Minister Anita Anand says Canada is committed to the support of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, and is reinforcing its military presence in the region.
Jenny Kwan has been outspoken against human-rights violations by the Chinese Communist Party and often advocates for the country's Uyghur Muslim minority. The Hong Kong-born member of Parliament said in an interview with The Canadian Press that that's what made her an 'evergreen' target of the Chinese government.
New study finds increase in antipsychotic drugs use in long-term care homes across Canada, despite no significant increase in behavioural symptoms – something that may expose a potential area of concern for quality of care, researchers say.
The number of people in Canada with inflammatory bowel disease is increasing rapidly and is expected to grow to 470,000 by 2035, according to a new report from Crohn's and Colitis Canada.
Racial bias built into a common medical test for lung function is likely leading to fewer Black patients getting care for breathing problems, a study published Thursday suggests.
Twitter's head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, told Reuters on Thursday that she has resigned from the social media company, which has faced criticism for lax protections against harmful content since billionaire Elon Musk acquired it in October.
Deep in an open coal mine in southern Greece, researchers have discovered the antiquities-rich country's oldest archaeological site, which dates to 700,000 years ago and is associated with modern humans' hominin ancestors. The find announced Thursday would drag the dawn of Greek archaeology back by as much as a quarter of a million years, although older hominin sites have been discovered elsewhere in Europe. The oldest, in Spain, dates to more than a million years ago.
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, director Christopher Nolan offers a guide to his favourite formats, explaining why it matters and even where he likes to sit so that audiences don't feel like they need a film school degree (or one in theoretical physics) before settling on a theatre.
Walt Disney's Pixar Animation Studios has eliminated 75 positions including those of two executives behind box office disappointment 'Lightyear,' sources said on Saturday, the first significant job cuts at the studio in a decade.
Air Canada says travellers should be prepared for further flight disruptions as it works to return service to normal following a technical malfunction Thursday.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says the process to sell the Ottawa Senators is moving forward as "quickly as possible," and the New York-based company overseeing the sale is advising to "expect a very good outcome in the next few weeks."
Zach Whitecloud scored from long-range with just over 13 minutes left, after Adin Hill made arguably the best save of the playoffs, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers 5-2 Saturday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final.
Bianca Andreescu was eliminated from the French Open after losing to Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, in the third round on Saturday.
America apparently needs more car seats. So, when Volkswagen unveiled the ID. Buzz, a retro-styled electric van, last year, it noted that the version for the North American market would be longer and would have three rows of seats.
Canadian and United States flags are seen flying near Parliament Hill, March 22, 2023, in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
