The Dominion Institute National Citizenship Exam Survey Of 2007

Toronto, ON - Six in ten (60%) Canadians would not be granted citizenship on the basis of having failed the citizenship exam, a necessary step for immigrants to be granted citizenship. A new poll conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of the Dominion Institute finds that 60% of Canadians simply did not have the knowledge required to pass a test similar to the one issued to immigrants vying for citizenship to this country.

An identical citizenship test was issued to Canadians in 1997, and Canadians as a whole fared worse today than a decade ago. With less than half (45%) of Canadians failing the test ten years go, and over half (60%) now failing the test, the results of this study reveal that Canadians appear to be losing knowledge when it comes to the most basic questions about Canadian history, politics, culture and geography.

However, the same quiz was recently issued to a random sample of Canadian immigrants. Perhaps as a result of many taking the actual citizenship test at some point in their lives, only three in ten (30%) immigrants failed the test, meaning that 70% were able to score a grade of at least 12 out of 21. These results show that immigrants to Canada have more knowledge than the general Canadian population about the basic workings of government, critical moments in Canadian history, and the geography of Canada.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted exclusively for the Dominion Institute from June 5 to June 7, 2007. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1005 adults across Canada was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population been polled. The poll fielded exclusively to immigrants was also conducted from June 5 to June 7, 2007. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1005 adults who were not born in Canada was interviewed via the Ipsos online I-Say Panel. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 1773.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of immigrants to Canada been polled.

The identical poll carried out in 1997 was fielded to a representative cross-section of 1,356 adult Canadians by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 2.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population been polled.

The margin of error for each study will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure that the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

The Results Across Canada...

Canadians did not perform well on our mock citizenship test, with six in ten (60%) failing to pass the quiz (e.g. they were not able to answer a minimum of 12 of 21 questions correctly as per what is required of newcomers who take the exam to become Canadian citizens). However, some Canadians did do better than others:

• There is a large disparity among the various provinces and regions in Canada. Just under one third (27%) of Quebecers were able to pass the test, and only four in ten (41%) Ontarians and Albertans (38%) also passed the test. On the flip side, almost six in ten (58%) residents in Saskatchewan and Manitoba were able to pass the twenty-one question test, while around half of residents in British Columbia (50%) and Atlantic Canada (48%) passed.
• It appears that formal education has an impact on one's ability to pass the test, with almost two thirds (63%) of Canadians who hold a university degree passing the test. In comparison, slightly over one third (37%) of those with only some post secondary education, 22% Canadians who only hold a high school diploma, and 10% Canadians without any formal education were able to pass the test.
• It also appears that Canadians in urban centres were more likely to have passed the test, with about one in four (41%) in urban settings passing the test, and two thirds (65%) of those in rural settings failing the test.
• Middle aged Canadians, aged 35 to 54, were the most likely to pass the test, with 44% managing to do so. The youngest (18-34) and oldest (55+) Canadians who took the exam were equally likely to pass, with just under four in ten (38%) passing.
• Men were more likely to pass the test than women, with 46% of men achieving a passing grade, while just 35% of women managed to do the same.

What Canadians Know In 2007...

Canadians performed better on some questions than they did on others. Here is a sampling of what Canadians did know:

• 96% of Canadians could recall the name of Canada's national anthem. Almost all (99%) in British Columbia were able to do so.
• 91% of Canadians could correctly identify the United States as Canada's largest trading partner. Those in Ontario and in Atlantic Canada were most likely to do so (93%).
• 82% of Canadians could recall the name of Canada's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, with residents of British Columbia being most likely to do so (85%).
• 70% of Canadians could name the three oceans that border on Canada (e.g. the Atlantic, the Arctic and the Pacific). Residents of Saskatchewan/Manitoba were most likely to answer this question correctly (82%), followed by Albertans (79%).

And What Canadians Don't Know In 2007...

Canadians performed abysmally on some questions, with very few being able to correctly answer many of the questions. Here is a sampling of questions where Canadians seem to have missed the boat completely:

• Just 4% of Canadians could name three requirements that a person must meet in order to vote in a federal election.
• Only 3% could correctly name three responsibilities that Canadian citizens hold, according to Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
• 5% could recall four different rights or freedoms protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
• Fewer than two in ten (16%) could name the four provinces that joined together in Confederation in 1867.
• Just one third (32%) of Canadians could correctly identify the number of Canadian provinces and territories. Only 15% of Quebecers were able to do so.
• Only 8% could name Queen Elizabeth II as Canada's Head of State.

Canadians Perform Worse Than 10 Years Ago...

When the same citizenship quiz was issued to Canadians 10 years ago, 55% were able to pass compared to just 40% who now pass the test today. It appears that a declining level of knowledge among Canadians regarding Canada's culture, heritage, geography and political landscape have fuelled these results. Below are some comparative highlights:

• Residents of Ontario have declined sharply in their performance, with 64% passing the test in 1997, but only 41% passing in 2007, representing a drop of 23 points. The scores of residents of Quebec have declined almost as much, 18 points, with only 27% passing the exam in 2007, compared to 45% who passed in 1997. Fewer Albertans also passed this time around, with 54% passing in 1997, but only 38% achieving a passing grade in 2007, the percentage of those passing falling 16 points.
• Saskatchewan and Manitoba actually saw an improvement in its score, 2 percentage points, which contributed to it being the single highest scoring region. In 1997, 56% of residents in Saskatchewan and Manitoba passed; in 2007, 58% have now passed the test.
• Some regions' passing rates did not fall as sharply. Residents of Atlantic Canada had the smallest drop in scores--2 points--with 50% passing in 1997, and 48% receiving a passing grade in 2007. The number of British Columbians passing fell 6 points (56% in 1997 to 50% in 2007).
• The pass rate for women (47% pass rate in 1997, 35% pass rate in 2007) did not fall as sharply as the pass rate for men has (65% pass rate for men in 1997, 46% pass rate for men in 2007) in the last ten years. Women have fallen 12 points and men 19 points.
• Despite the fact that they still have the best test scores, middle aged Canadians, 35 to 54 years old, have performed considerably worse, with a pass rate that has dropped 17 points in the past ten years. Young Canadians, aged 18 to 34, have dropped 14 points (52% in 1997 to 38% in 2007), and older Canadians, aged 55 and up, have faired the same. Curiously, young Canadians and Canadians aged 55 and up have shown equal likelihood to pass the test both of the times it was issued.

Questions That Evidenced The Greatest Declines In Knowledge...

• There were a number of questions where Canadians' knowledge declined considerably over the past ten years.
• In 1997, 87% of Canadians correctly answered "Fur" or "Beaver" to the question "What was the main trade controlled by the Hudson Bay Company". This compares to only 66% of Canadians who could correctly answer the same question in 2007.
• One in three Canadians in 1997 could identify the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as "The part of the Constitution which legally protects the basic rights and freedoms of all Canadians". In 2007 the correct response rate had declined to 22%.
• The percent of Canadians who can name four rights or freedoms protected by the Charter also declined significantly from 20% in 1997 to 5% in 2007.
• Interestingly almost half as many Canadians in 2007 (38%) as compared to 1997 (72%) were able to name four federal political parties represented in the House of Commons.

Immigrants Outperform General Population...

With seven in ten immigrants passing the exam (70%) compared with four in ten (40%) Canadians in general, immigrants appear to have a better knowledge of Canadian history, culture, politics and geography than the average Canadian. Perhaps this is a result of the fact that more and more immigrants are becoming the `average' Canadian, and, since they are required to take the citizenship test in order to be granted citizenship, they would have been required to learn the answers to these types of questions. Here are some questions where immigrants performed significantly better than Canadians on the whole:

• Six in ten (60%) immigrants were able to correctly identify the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as the document which protects the basic rights and freedoms of all Canadians, while only 22% of Canadians on the whole were able to do so.
• One third (35%) of immigrants knew that Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State for Canada, while just 8% of Canadians at large knew this. Half (51%) of Canadians incorrectly cited the Prime Minister as the Head of State, while 12% thought that the Governor General is the Head of State for Canada.
• A majority of immigrants (56%) knew that Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories, while less than half (44%) of Canadians on the whole knew this.
• Over one third (35%) of immigrants to Canada knew which four provinces joined together in the act of Confederation, while just 16% of the general Canadian population knew which four provinces joined in Confederation.
• Eight in ten (77%) immigrants knew what the first two lines of the national anthem are, while just six in ten (58%) Canadians across the country could recall the first two lines of the anthem, unaided.
• Eight in ten (77%) immigrants could name four of the five great lakes, while just six in ten (59%) Canadians across Canada were able to do this.
• Most (84%) immigrants knew that, originally, the Hudson Bay Company dealt primarily in the fur trade, while just two thirds (66%) of Canadians on the whole knew this fact.
• Most (86%) immigrants could name the political party currently in power in their province, while just slightly over three quarters (77%) of the general population know who calls the shots at the provincial level.

Immigrants scored higher than the general population on every question except one that asked about which province has the most bilingual Canadians. 52% of Canadians across Canada knew that it is Quebec, while 51% of immigrants were able to correctly identify Quebec as the most bilingual province in Canada.

For more Information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 324-2902
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. 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 2006, Ipsos generated global revenues of 857.1 million euros ($1.1 billion USD).

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

Ipsos, listed on the Eurolist of Euronext - Comp B, is part of SBF 120 and the Mid-100 Index, adheres to the Next Prime segment and is eligible to the Deferred Settlement System. Isin FR0000073298, Reuters ISOS.PA, Bloomberg IPS:FP