VIEWS ON ABORIGINALS IN CANADA

C A N A D I A N R A C E R E L AT I O N S F O U N D AT I O N A N D T H E A S S O C I AT I O N F O R C A N A D I A N S T U D I E S

M A R C H , 2 0 1 3

The findings were collected from a survey of 1800 Canadians which included an oversample of 500 respondents born outside of Canada. It was conducted by the firm Leger Marketing for the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and the Association for Canadian Studies during the week of March, 2013. Done via web panel, the probabilistic margin of error is 2.9 percent 19 times out of 20

METHODOLOGY

CONTACT WITH ABORIGINALS AND

TRENDS IN OPINION

AMONGST SEVERAL GROUPS CANADIANS LEAST LIKELY TO REPORT CONTACT WITH ABORIGNALS; IMMIGRANTS

LEAST LIKELY TO REPORT HAVING SUCH CONTACT

Have Contact in percentage

  Total Non-Immigrant

Immigrant

Aboriginals Often 12 14 7Occasionally 26 29 17

Immigrants Often 40 36 50Occasionally

34 34 32

English Canadians Often 73 74 68Occasionally

14 13 19

French QuebecersOften 32 34 28Occasionally

19 20 16

JewsOften 20 20 21Occasionally

25 23 30

Muslims Often 20 15 32Occasionally

28 27 32

BETWEEN 2012 AND 2013 SLIGHT DECLINE IN FAVORABLE VIEW OF ABORIGINALS WHICH IS MOST PRONOUNCED IN ENGLISH

CANADA AND MISTRUST ALSO RISES AMONGST SAME GROUP

Aboriginals Total French English Other March 2013 Very

Positive Opinion

12.8% 8.9% 13.6% 14.8%

Somewhat Positive Opinion

47.5% 54.1% 44.6% 48.8%

Total Positive

60.3%

63%

58.2%

63.3%

March 2012 Total Positive

64.9% 61.2% 67.9% 62.3%

Very Positive Opinion

19.7% 14.2% 21.6% 20.9%

Somewhat Positive

45.2% 47.0% 46.3% 41.4%

March 2013Low Trust 35.1% 29.6% 37.3% 35.5%

March 2012 Low Trust 36.4% 47.6% 29.8% 41.4%

SIX IN TEN CANADIANS HAVE A POSITIVE OPINION OF ABORIGINALS

Net Positive OPINION OF

Total Non-Immigrant Immigrant

Aboriginals 60% 59% 63%

Muslims 50% 47% 58%

Jews 70% 73% 64%

Immigrants 75% 71% 85%

Catholics 71% 71% 74%

Protestants 75% 77% 70%

Atheists 60% 62% 54%

RELATIONS BETWEEN ABORIGINALS AND NON-ABORIGINALS

AND TRUST

CANADIANS DIVIDED WHEN ASSESSING WHETHER RELATIONS BETWEEN ABORIGINALS

AND NON-ABORIGINALS ARE POSITIVE

The relations between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals 

Total Non-Immigrant Immigrant

NET POSITIVE 44% 43% 46%

Very positive 8% 8% 7%Somewhat positive

36% 35% 38%

NET NEGATIVE 47% 48% 46%

Somewhat negative

38% 38% 38%

Very negative 9% 10% 8%I prefer not answering

9% 9% 9%

IMMIGRANTS MOST CONCERNED ABOUT RELATIONS BETWEEN ABORIGINALS AND NON-ABORIGINALS AND

MUSLIMS AND NON-MUSLIMS

Total Positive Total Non-Immigrant

Immigrant

The relations between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals 

44% 43% 46%

The relations Between Muslims and non-Muslims 37% 34% 46%

The relations between Religious and Secular 

43% 41% 48%

The relations between Immigrants and non-Immigrants 

65% 63% 71%

ONE IN FOUR CANADIANS SAY THEY LACK TRUST IN ABORIGINALS

Low Trust Of

Total Non-Immigrant

Immigrant

Aboriginals 27 28 25

Catholics 18 18 18

Protestants 18 17 19

Jews 20 19 25

Muslims 35 38 25

Immigrants 21 23 13

PRINCIPAL FACTORS CANADIANS

ATTRIBUTE TO ABORIGINAL

CHALLENGES

CANADIANS DIVIDED AROUND FACTORS THEY ATTRIBUTE TO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROBLEMS

ENCOUNTERED BY ABORIGINALS

Please rank in order the factors contributing to the social and economic problems currently confronted by aboriginals in Canada. 

Total Non-Immigrant Immigrant

The Role of the Federal Government

27% 26% 30%

Aboriginal Leaders 24% 25% 21%Historic and Societal Prejudice

26% 26% 25%

The areas of Canada they reside

10% 11% 10%

Our legislative and constitutional framework

12% 11% 14%

EASTERN CANADA MORE LIKELY TO BLAME GOVERNMENT FOR PROBLEMS WHILE PRAIRIES AND BC MORE LIKELY TO

HOLD LEADERS RESPONSIBLE

Please rank in order the factors contributing to the social and economic problems currently confronted by aboriginals in Canada.  ATLANTIC QC ON MB/SK AB BCThe Role of the Federal Government

35% 30% 28% 13% 28% 25%

Aboriginal Leaders

20% 16% 23% 41% 24% 36%

Historic and Societal Prejudice

26% 29% 26% 21% 25% 22%

The areas of Canada they reside

13% 8% 12% 16% 10% 6%

Our legislative and constitutional framework

6% 17% 11% 10% 13% 11%

ABORIGINAL PROTEST:OPINION ON IDLE NO

MORE

NEARLY SEVEN IN TEN CANADIANS REPORT KNOWLEDGE OF IDLE NO

MORE

I am aware of the Aboriginal Movement Idle No More

Total Non-Immigrant Immigrant

NET AGREE 68% 70% 63%Strongly agree 28% 30% 22%Somewhat agree

40% 40% 41%

NET DISAGREE 14% 14% 15%

Somewhat disagree

8% 7% 8%

Strongly disagree

7% 7% 8%

I don't know 16% 14% 20%

I prefer not to answer

2% 1% 2%

WESTERN CANADA MORE FAMILIAR WITH ABORIGINAL PROTEST

MOVEMENT

I am aware of the Aboriginal Movement Idle No More

ATLANTIC QC ON MB/SK AB BCNET AGREE 71% 55% 69% 78% 76% 77%Strongly agree 34% 22% 29% 35% 32% 27%Somewhat agree

37% 34% 40% 43% 44% 51%

NET DISAGREE 12% 19% 13% 13% 15% 10%

Somewhat disagree

6% 9% 6% 10% 11% 6%

Strongly disagree

5% 10% 7% 3% 4% 4%

I don't know 14% 24% 16% 8% 7% 12%

I prefer not to answer

3% 1% 2% 1% 1% 1%

IMPACT OF CONTACT WITH ABORIGINALS

GREATER CONTACT WITH ABORIGINALS RESULTS IN MORE

POSITIVE VIEWS

Very positive, somewhat positive, somewhat negative or very negative opinion of Aboriginals

had contact with Aboriginals of CanadaOften Occasionally Rarely Never

Very positive

30.3% 14.4% 10.5% 6.7%

Somewhat positive

43.6% 55.1% 46.4% 46.3%

Somewhat negative

16.1% 20.3% 28.8% 25.8%

Very negative

6.0% 4.7% 7.1% 9.8%

I prefer not answering

4.1% 5.5% 7.1% 11.4%

THOSE REPORTING GREATER CONTACT WITH ABORIGINALS HAVE HIGHER DEGREE OF TRUST

  Had contact with Aboriginals of Canada

Aboriginals Often Occasionally Rarely Never

Trusted a lot

34.9% 21.4% 18.2% 10.6%

Somewhat trusted

44.0% 58.5% 54.0% 53.3%

Trusted a little

12.4% 15.5% 21.4% 23.6%

Not trusted at all

8.7% 4.7% 6.4% 12.6%

THOSE REPORTING GREATER CONTACT WITH ABORIGINALS MORE LIKELY TO HOLD A FAVORABLE

VIEW OF RELATIONS

  had contact with Aboriginals of Canada

Relations between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals

Often Occasionally Rarely Never

Very positive

17.5% 7.8% 5.4% 5.5%

Somewhat positive

41.0% 44.3% 36.1% 28.0%

Somewhat negative

27.2% 35.6% 43.0% 41.3%

Very negative

10.1% 5.9% 9.1% 13.2%

I prefer not answering

4.1% 6.4% 6.4% 12.0%

THOSE WHO OFTEN HAVE CONTACT WITH ABORIGINALS MORE SYMPATHETIC TO PROTEST

MOVEMENT

The Aboriginal protest movement Idle No More

had contact with Aboriginals of CanadaOften Occasionall

yRarely Never

Very positive

17.0% 10.6% 8.0% 5.9%

Somewhat positive

29.4% 36.2% 30.5% 22.6%

Somewhat negative

22.9% 25.2% 28.0% 26.0%

Very negative

15.6% 17.2% 20.0% 21.7%

I prefer not answering

15.1% 10.8% 13.4% 23.8%

CONTACT WITH ABORIGINALS HAS LITTLE IMPACT ON ASSESSMENT OF FACTORS INFLUENCING SOCIAL AND

ECONOMIC CHALLENGES

  Had contact with Aboriginals of CanadaRank in order the factors contributing to the social and economic problems currently encountered by aboriginals in Canada. 

Often Occasionally

Rarely Never

The Role of the Federal Government

27.9% 26.7% 25.5% 29.2%

Aboriginal Leaders 24.2% 22.7% 28.4% 22.9%Historic and Societal Prejudice

25.6% 30.1% 25.9% 23.7%

The areas of Canada 9.1% 8.1% 10.2% 11.8%Our legislative and constitutional framework

13.2% 12.5% 10.0% 12.4%