Canadian Immigration And Ethnicity - Where Do Voters Stand?

Toronto, ON - A new Ipsos Reid survey of Canadian voters, conducted for CanWest News Service/Global News, reports half (51%) believe immigrants are having a "good influence" on the way things are going in Canada - while 40% feel that immigrants are having a "bad influence".

But despite these positive perceptions, more (44%) are of the opinion that the approximately 225,000 immigrants Canada accepts each year is "too high" than feel it is "too low" (10%). Thirty-four percent feel the number of new immigrants Canada accepts annually is "about right".

The impact of immigration on jobs is a frequent issue of discussion but the fact is that half (46%) feel that immigrants coming to Canada today mostly "take jobs that Canadians don't want" and a further 19% feel they "create new jobs for themselves". Only one in five (22%) think immigrants "take away jobs from Canadians".

It would appear that most appreciate Canada's cultural mosaic. When it comes to questions about ethnicity, a majority agree that:

• "It is better for Canada to have a variety of people with different religions" (75% agree); and
• "Canada's multicultural make-up is one of the best things about this country" (74% agree);

And a majority disagree that:

• "It is better for Canada if almost everyone shares the same customs and traditions" (64% disagree).

However, this falls against a back-drop of more (56%) saying they think priority should be placed on encouraging minority groups "to try to be more like most Canadians", rather than encouraging "Canadians as a whole to try and accept minority groups and their customs and languages" (44%).

When asked which federal political party and leader best understands the issues facing Canada's immigrants and minority groups, 35% choose Jack Layton and the NDP, 29% choose Stephen Harper and the Conservatives, and 27% choose Paul Martin and the Liberals.

The survey also reveals a vote-intention dynamic as it relates to those who have immigrated to Canada and among those who would describe themselves as being a member of a visible minority.

Those who have immigrated to Canada most strongly support the Conservatives (38%) over the Liberals (35%) and the NDP (19%), while visible minorities most strongly support the Liberals (35%) over the Conservatives (31%) and NDP (20%).

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted for CanWest News Service/Global News from January 6th to January 8th, 2006. A total of 7307 Canadian voters were surveyed via the internet, yielding results which are accurate to within +/- 1.2% (19 times out of 20). The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. The data were statistically weighted to ensure that the sample's age, sex, regional and party support composition reflects that of the actual Canadian voter population. The sample was drawn from a pre-recruited panel of over 12,000 voters drawn from Ipsos Reid's internet panel.

Please open attached files to view full press release and detailed tables.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Dr.Darrell Bricker
President & COO
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
416.324.2900
[email protected]

Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country's leading provider of public opinion research. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos-Reid employs more than 300 researcher professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and on-line panels. Ipsos Reid's Canadian marketing research and public affairs practices are staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, offering the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada - including the Ipsos Trend Report, the leading source of public opinion in the country - all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

Ipsos
Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media. They measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999. In 2004, Ipsos generated global revenues of 605.6 million Euro ($752.8 million U.S.).

Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos offerings and capabilities.