24% of Canadians think Success Depends on Factors Beyond Their Control

Four in ten Canadians believe that people’s chances of success in Canada depends mostly on their own merits and efforts, while a quarter say success in Canada depends on factors beyond their control (six points lower than the average of 29 other countries). 
Older Canadians are more likely to think success depends on one’s own merits and efforts while younger Canadians are more likely to believe success depends on factors beyond their control.

Over a third of Canadians think inequality is the most or one of the most important problems facing Canada, the second lowest among all countries surveyed, only above the Netherlands and 17 points lower than the 29-country average.
Canadians are among the least likely to think  attempts to promote equality need to go further, above only India and Poland and 16 points below the 29-country average. The same proportion of Canadians say attempts are about right or have gone too far. 
   
 Men (31% vs 23% women) and those aged 50-74 (33%, vs 24% for 35-49, 23% under 35) are most likely to believe we've gone far enough.

Canadians are more likely to agree that a fair society is one in which everyone is given the same opportunities (44%) than to believe it is  one in which everyone enjoys the same quality of life (18%). 
However, Canadians believe unequal or unfair treatment is still experienced in Canada.

Canadians believe the group which most experiences unfair or unequal treatment in Canada today are people with mental health issues. People with physical disabilities are second on the list in Canada but first globally (33%), followed by women  (26%). In Canada, women are in the middle of the list (19%) and men are second to last, with 8% thinking that men are the most discriminated against.

Canadians think the government is primarily responsible for taking action to try to reduce inequality, similar to  the global average. 
Employers and individuals are equally responsible for taking action to try to reduce inequality in Canada, while one in five think responsibility lies with parents and teachers. Groups themselves which experience inequality are seen as one of the least responsible (9%) alongside religious leaders (7%).

These are some of the findings of a 29-country survey conducted by lpsos on its Global Advisor online platform and, in India, on its India Bus platform, between Friday, February 23 and Friday, March 8, 2024. For this survey, lpsos interviewed a total of 21,759 adults aged 18 years and older in India, 18-74 in Canada, Republic of Ireland, Malaysia, South Africa, Türkiye, and the United States, 20-74 in Thailand, 21-74 in Indonesia and Singapore, and 16-74 in all other countries.

The data is weighted so that the composition of each country's sample best reflects the demographic profile of the adult population according to the most recent census data. "The Global Country Average" reflects the average result for all the countries and markets in which the survey was conducted. It has not been adjusted to the population size of each country or market and is not intended to suggest a total result.

For full methodological details on the study, please refer to the full Global Equalities Index 2024 report.
For more information on this news release, please contact:

Galini Pantelidou
Senior Account Manager,
Ipsos Public Affairs Canada 
[email protected]

Grace Tong
Vice President,
Ipsos Public Affairs Canada 
[email protected]

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