The latest Ipsos Global Advisor survey reveals the Canadian public is more positive in their attitudes towards immigration than most other countries. The survey, which asked respondents from 24 countries a series of questions on immigration, also shows that Canadians have become significantly more positive on immigration since 2013. It was that year when the survey recorded a sharp increase in the negative perception of immigrants in Canada.
When asked if immigration has had a positive or negative impact on their country, 37% of the Canadian public say that immigrants have had either a ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ positive impact, which is up six points from 2013 when 31% of Canadians agreed with that statement. This is above the global average score of 21% saying immigration has had a positive impact on their country and higher than countries such as Australia (36%), Sweden (31%), and Great Britain (28%).
Almost half of all Canadians (47%) agree with the statement that immigration has made the country a more interesting place to live, significantly higher compared to the global average of 30%. Canada ranks third out of 24 on this statement, higher than countries such as Sweden (46%), the US (41%) and Great Britain (40%). Furthermore, more Canadians believe this is the case today than in 2013 when 42% believed immigration made Canada a more interesting place to live.
More Canadians also say that immigration has been good for the nation’s economy – over two in five (43%) agree with the statement compared to 40% in 2014 and 2013. As a result, Canada ranks fourth among 24 countries with positive views on immigration’s impact on the economy, and scores 15% higher than the global average of 28%. Fewer Canadians (39%) also say that immigration makes it more difficult for nationals to get jobs, slightly below the global average of 45%. This is a significant fall from the figures for 2014, when 47% of Canadians believed immigrants made it hard for locals to get jobs.
While Canadian attitudes towards immigration became significantly more negative in 2013 and 2014, the 2015 survey reveals that Canadian attitudes have become significantly more positive and are almost back to 2011 levels. But the survey also reveals that Canadian public still have concerns over immigration.
When asked if immigration has placed too much pressure on public services, almost half (45%) believe this to be the case, while 43% also believe that immigration is causing the country to change in ways they don’t like, with 27% disagreeing with that statement.