New poll reveals generational divide over national pride ahead of Canada Day
· Toronto Sun
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OTTAWA — While most are proud to be Canadians, new numbers released on the eve of Canada Day point toward a growing sense of anxiety.
A survey conducted by Liaison Strategies found 80% of respondents said they were proud to be Canadian — with 51% saying they were “very proud” and 29% saying they were somewhat proud to be Canadian.
Nine per cent said they were not very proud to be a Canadian, 6% said they weren’t proud at all and 5% were unsure.
However, respondents also expressed a growing unease with the direction that Canada is heading in.
While 30% of respondents described themselves as “proud and optimistic,” many respondents — 44% — said they were “proud but worried,” with 15% saying they were not proud but worried and 5% saying they were not proud, but optimistic.
‘Affection and concern’ from respondents
David Valentin, a principal at Liaison Strategies, said the biggest takeaway from the poll was that Canada Day is still meaningful
“Eighty per cent of Canadians say they are proud to be Canadian, including 51% who say they are very proud. That is a strong number,” he said.
“But the second number matters just as much: 44% say they are proud but worried. In other words, Canadian pride is still very real, but it is not uncomplicated. A lot of people are looking at the country with affection and concern at the same time.”
Valentin said it’s also revealing who exactly is — and isn’t — proud of their country.
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Generational divide in Canadian pride
“Among Canadians aged 18 to 34, 25% say they are very proud to be Canadian. Among those 65 and older, that number is 64%,” he said.
“Younger Canadians are not necessarily rejecting Canada, but their pride is less emphatic and more conditional.”
Ideologically, 72% of declared Liberal voters said there were very proud to be Canadian, compared to 44% among those who voted Conservative.
That number fell to 38% for NDP supporters.
“So pride in Canada is broad, but the intensity of that pride is not evenly distributed,” Valentin said.
When asked how Canada’s tensions with the United States impacts how proud they felt to be Canadian, half of those polled said it made them more proud — split evenly between those who said “much more proud” and “somewhat more proud.”
Thirty-six per cent said it made no change in their pride for Canada, while 6% said it made them somewhat less proud, 3% who said it made them feel much less proud and 5% weren’t sure.