With the G7 summit in Italy having concluded on the weekend, new data from the Angus Reid Institute offers a window on Canadians current likes and dislikes when it comes to countries on the international stage. While opinions are based on politics and other general perceptions, not the viability of travel to or in the destination, the former can unquestionability colour choices for the latter.

Notably, the survey finds that Canadians offering strongly negative assessments of two of the countries accused of meddling in Canadian elections. Four-in-five (79%) say they have an unfavourable view of China as favourability towards that country remains at a historic nadir.

Further, positive appraisal of India has declined by 11-points in Canada since March 2023; a minority of one-third (33%) who say they view the country favourably are outnumbered by the majority (54%) who do not.

A recent report by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) has brought renewed attention to foreign election interference in Canada, while pointing fingers at both nations, China and India.

Canadians offer their most positive assessments of two G7 allies – the Untied Kingdom and France. Both are viewed favourably by at least seven-in-10 Canadians.

Mexico strong, US improving

These are more positive views than Canadians have of their two partners in the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement, the replacement trade agreement for NAFTA. Three-in-five (60%) offer favourable evaluations of Mexico; a majority (55%) of the US. The latter represents a rebound in Canadian opinion – in 2021, two-in-five (41%) Canadians said they viewed the US favourably as the country transitioned from the adversarial administration of Donald Trump to the more collaborative Joe Biden.

More key findings:

• Canadians’ views diverge most across demographics on Israel and the US In both cases, men older than 54 are the most likely to view each country positively.
• Three-quarters of Americans (77%) say they have a positive view of Canada, compared to the 55% of Canadians who say the same about the US
• American and Canadian views of the countries assessed differ the most on Israel (US: 41% favourable, Canada: 29%), Mexico (US: 49%, Canada: 60%), and India (US: 43%, Canada: 33%).