Sense of belonging to Canada: General Social Survey

Good comparative data on immigrant vs. Canadian-born sense of belonging to Canada from the 2013 General Social Survey.

No real surprise with findings (similar to earlier surveys), which officials included in their advice to the Government during discussions on Discover Canada and related changes to the citizenship test and requirements in 2009-10:

Immigrants were more likely than non-immigrants to report having a very strong sense of belonging to Canada (67% versus 62%).

However, this difference was not evident for all age groups. For example, among youth aged 15 to 24, there was no observed difference between the non-immigrant and immigrant populations (Chart 2). Conversely, among seniors aged 65 to 74, 80% of immigrants expressed a very strong sense of belonging to Canada, compared with 73% of non-immigrants.

In 2013, longer-term immigrants, that is, those who immigrated before 2000, were more likely to express a very strong sense of belonging to Canada (71%) than to their country of origin (29%).

This difference was less pronounced among immigrants who immigrated between 2000 and 2013, with 60% of them expressing a very strong sense of belonging to Canada and 44% having a strong connection to their country of origin.

Sense of belonging to Canada, the province of residence and the local community.

Also of interest, as noted in the National Post, was the strong attachment to multiculturalism:

Nova Scotia, Ontario and Saskatchewan citizens were the most likely to report a very strong sense of belonging to Canada, at 70 per cent each. With a population drawn from more than 200 countries and speaking 130 languages, Ontario is Canada’s most multicultural province — multiculturalism being a major factor in making people feel they belong.

Canadian first strongest ties are to country respondents tell survey on belonging