Majority Say Immigrants Must Adopt Canadian Values
Across age and party lines, most Canadians think immigrants should embrace local norms
New polling from Research Co shows how Canadians currently feel about immigration, with many saying immigration levels should be reduced and even more saying immigrants should have to adopt Canadian values to live here.
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Overall, Canadians are divided on whether immigration has a mostly positive or mostly negative effect on the country. Forty-three percent say it is positive, while 39 percent say it is negative.
Younger Canadians are more likely to view immigration positively than older Canadians, with 48 percent of those aged 18 to 34 holding that view, compared to 40 percent of those over 55.
Conservative voters are much more likely to see immigration as having a negative effect, with 59 percent saying so, compared to 29 percent of Liberals and 25 percent of New Democrats.
A plurality of Canadians, 41 percent, say they would like to see immigration decreased, even after the federal government has already reduced its immigration targets. Another 34 percent want immigration levels to remain the same, while only 16 percent think the numbers should increase.
Young Canadians remain the most immigration-friendly group, with 26 percent supporting an increase. However, the largest share within that group, 36 percent, say the numbers should stay the same.
Despite immigrants being central to Canadian identity, a strong majority of Canadians, 66 percent, believe newcomers should only be allowed into Canada if they adopt Canadian values. This view is especially common among older Canadians, with 74 percent of those over 55 agreeing. Even among those aged 18 to 34, 58 percent agree, though a larger share in that age group disagrees compared to older generations.
Liberal and Conservative voters are nearly identical in their views on this question, with 71 percent of Liberals and 72 percent of Conservatives in agreement. New Democrats are less supportive of the idea, but a majority of 59 percent still agree.
Research Co also asked whether Canada should be more of a melting pot, where immigrants assimilate into Canadian society, or a mosaic, where immigrants retain their cultural differences.
Canadians were again divided, with 44 percent choosing melting pot and 40 percent choosing mosaic. Another 16 percent were unsure. Younger Canadians were more likely to choose mosaic at 45 percent, though they were only slightly less likely to choose melting pot than those aged 35 to 54, where 47 percent preferred the melting pot model.