Becoming Canadian: A Generational Journey

Toronto, ON - The Dominion Institute and Ipsos Reid have undertaken a unique national online survey that explores the levels of social engagement and attachment to Canada among English-speaking first and second generation Canadian immigrants, and compares these findings to a nationally representative sample of the Canadian population.

Sense Of Belonging To Canada Among First Generation Canadian Immigrants Similar To The Overall Canadian Population

This survey asked Canadians how strong their sense of belonging was to Canada. Second generation Canadians expressed a stronger sense of belonging to Canada (88% overall) than first generation Canadian immigrants (81%), and the general population (79%). 7-in-ten second generation Canadians expressed a "very strong" sense of belonging to Canada compared to 58% first generation immigrants.

Figure 1

Question: Using a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is not strong at all and 5 is very strong, how strong is your sense of belonging to Canada?

"Canadian" Reported As Identity Higher Among Second Generation Canadians

Second generation Canadians are also much more likely to self-identify as "Canadian" or "hyphenated" Canadian (e.g. Chinese-Canadian, German-Canadian) than first generation Canadian immigrants (22%). This difference is much more pronounced when second generation Canadians report themselves as Canadian only (17% vs. 3% first generation immigrants).

Figure 2

Question: I would now like you to think about your own identity, in ethnic or cultural terms. This identity may be the same as that of your parents, grandparents or ancestors, or it may be different. What is your ethnic or cultural identity?

Importance Of Ethnic Or Cultural Identity Decreases Slightly From First To Second Generation

Overall, first generation Canadian immigrants are the most likely to say that their ethnic or cultural identity is important to them (64% vs. 57% second generation and 54% among Canadians in general). Second generation Canadians are the least likely to say it is "very important" (29%) vs. first generation and general population (both 36%).

Figure 3

Question: Using a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is not important at all and 5 is very important, how important is your [enter identity response from question #1] identity to you?

Second Generation Canadians Report Having More Friends Of A Similar Racial Or Cultural Background

When asked about how many friends were of the same racial or cultural background, 42% of second generation Canadians reported that "all" of "most of them" were of the same background, while 32% of first generation reported the same. The general population overall reported 58%.

Question: As far as you are aware, how many of your friends are of the same racial or cultural background as you?

Participation In Groups And Organizations Similar Among All English-Speaking Canadians

Overall, the survey shows that there is little inter-generational difference among English-speaking Canadians in their participation in groups or organizations: first generation Canadian immigrants (45%); second generation (43%). Their participation levels are similar to that of the general population (41%).

Question: Are you a member of, or have you taken part in the activities of, any groups or organizations at anytime in the past 12 months? For example, a sports team, a hobby club, a community organization, or an ethnic association? (Not including marketing-based commercial "clubs" such as airline points, clubs, shopping memberships, etc).

The survey was conducted online among a randomly selected sample of 2900 (weighted) adult Canadians, 18 years and older. The survey respondents were targeted and divided into three representative sub-populations: First Generation Canadian Immigrants (n=900); Second Generation Canadians (n=1000), and General Population (n=1000). The survey was conducted in English only.

The questions in this survey are similar to those found in the Ethnic Diversity Survey (EDS) conducted in 2003 by Statistics Canada. Please see: http://www.statcan.ca/cgi-bin/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SDDS=4508&lang=en&db=IMDB&dbg=f&adm=8&dis=2. While the two methodologies differ, cross comparisons can be made, wherever possible, on a general overall trend basis.

With samples of these sizes, the results for each sub-population are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 (second generation Canadians and general population) to 1773.3 (first generation Canadian immigrants) percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had these entire populations been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population.

For more information on this press release, please contact:
Elen Alexov
Director, Marketing Services
Ipsos North America
(778) 373-5136
[email protected]

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