While Canadians were among the most positive, almost half of the world’s population has a negative perspective on the impact of immigration according to a new international poll that was released this month.
The poll was conducted by Ipsos in 23 countries on 17,601 people. Of those surveyed, 45 percent agreed that “immigration has generally had a negative impact on their country.”
Canadian respondents were among the most likely to see immigration as having a positive impact on their country. Furthermore, there was a direct correlation between education levels and responses – a more educated person was more likely to have a positive view on immigration.
Educated Canadians were the most positive of all respondents, with 60 percent agreeing that immigration has benefited their country. Overall 39 percent of Canadians view immigration as having a positive impact.
The countries found to have the most negative views on immigration were Belgium, South Africa, Russia, Great Britain and Turkey. Besides Canada, other countries with positive view included Australia, Sweden, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Source: Ottawa Citizen