The Experiences of New Canadians

Toronto, ON - As Canada's population becomes more diverse and new Canadians continue to comprise a larger proportion of the overall population in Canada, an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of RBC finds that eight in ten (82%) new Canadians either `strongly' (46%) or `somewhat agree' (36%) that they are `happy to be in Canada', while an equal proportion (82%) `strongly' (46%) or `somewhat' agrees that they are `hopeful about their future in Canada'.

• 86% of Chinese new immigrants are happy to be in Canada, while 74% are hopeful about their future
• 87% of immigrants from South Asia are happy to be in Canada, while 90% are hopeful about their future.

However, it appears that not all new immigrants have had an easy time adapting to their new lives here in Canada. While three quarters (72%) of new Canadians `strongly' (40%) or `somewhat' (33%) agree that people in Canada made them feel welcomed, one third (35%) of new Canadians `strongly' (13%) or `somewhat agree' (22%) that they are `lonely' and `not feeling part of Canada'. Furthermore, a similar proportion disagrees (35%) `strongly' (13%) or `somewhat' (22%) that they are `having an easy time making friends'.

In terms of being settled in their new lives, nearly one half (45%) of new Canadians either `strongly' (20%) or 'somewhat' (26%) agree that they feel overwhelmed with their new life in Canada; however, a majority (51%) `strongly' (25%) or `somewhat' disagree (25%) that this is the case for them.

In fact, three in ten (27%) immigrants believe that they are `truly established in Canada', while a majority (54%) believe that they are still `getting settled'. Just two in ten (19%) still feel that they are `new to Canada'.

• 55% of Chinese new immigrants believe that they are still getting settled in Canada. Two in ten (19%) believe that they are still `new to Canada', while one quarter (25%) of Chinese immigrants to Canada believe that they are `truly established'.
• 62% of South Asian new immigrants indicate that they are still getting settled to their new lives in Canada, while 17% still believe that they feel `new to Canada'. Two in ten (21%) believe that they are fully settled in Canada.
• Naturally, those individuals who have been in Canada longer are more likely to feel `truly established in Canada', with 37% of immigrants who have been in Canada for 5 to 10 years indicating that they feel `truly established', 20% of immigrants who have been in Canada for 3 to 5 years indicating that they feel `truly established', and just 11% of immigrants who have been in Canada for less than 3 years believing that they are `truly established'.

What is more, two thirds (66%) of new Canadians `strongly' (36%) or `somewhat' (31%) agree that they even feel `connected to people and activities outside their own ethnic or immigrant community.'

And for those immigrants who say that they are truly established, nearly three in ten (28%) believe that having a good job was the event which made them feel this way. Other events which made new Canadians feel completely settled include owning their one home (20%), getting their citizenship (11%), finishing their education (9%), owning their own business (8%) putting their kids through school (5%) or putting their kids in school (4%).

For those who believe that they're not yet truly established, four in ten (38%) believe that getting a good job will make them feel this way, followed by owning their own home (14%), putting their kids through school (11%), owning their own business (9%), finishing their education (5%), getting their citizenship (4%), and putting their kids in school (4%).

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of RBC from March 15 to April 30, 2007. For the survey, a randomly selected sample of 1000 new Canadian adults who have self-identified as having immigrated to Canada after the age of 18 and have been in Canada for less than 10 years was interviewed on the telephone. Interviews were conducted in Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Punjabi, Korean, English and French With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of new immigrants been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.

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.

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