A new cross-border study finds Canadians take more pride in their country than Americans do in theirs – and are more unified than Americans in viewing their country as a caring and safe place to call home, and a positive contributor to the globe. And Americans, it seems, agree.
The study by the non-profit Angus Reid Institute says that overall, four-in-five Canadians (78%) say their country is a caring society, just one-in-three Americans say the same (36%). Nine-in-10 north of the 49th parallel say they live in a safe country (89%), while half as many – two-in-five (43%) – say this to the south. Further, 62% in Canada say their country contributes positively to world affairs, while only 9% of Americans say this.
In some cases, Canada’s advantage is significant, but perhaps less than impressive in a vacuum. For example, Canadians are far more likely than Americans to say that their system of government is good, but still just 51% feel this way (34% in the US).
American view
What is also notable in these data is the favourable view that Americans have of Canada compared to their own country. On every item canvassed, Americans are more likely to feel favourably about Canada than their own country. This is most pronounced in two areas: Two-thirds of Americans feel Canada is a safe country (64%), whereas only 43% say the same of their own. Additionally, more than half (56%) say that Canada is a caring country, 20 points more than say this of the US (36%).
• By contrast, while most Canadians (67%) view the United States as prosperous, and half (47%) feel it has a positive effect on the world stage overall, fewer would call American society caring (27%) and only 34% believe the country is safe overall. Just one-quarter in Canada assess the American system of government positively (25%). As well, four-in-five (80%) would describe the US as racially divided.
After struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic, and the challenges it created within communities, Canadian views of their own country may be improving. Compared to January 2022, the percentage of Canadians saying their country is caring (+15), prosperous (+7) and safe (+4) have all improved.
Other poll findings include:
• Trump voters are much more likely to say they are proud of their country (72%) than Biden voters (52%). In Canada, past Conservative voters are least likely to say this (64%). Supporters of the other major federal parties are much more positive (Liberals 92%, NDP 77%, Bloc Québécois 78%).
• Four-in-five (83%) in Quebec say they are proud of the country they live in, the highest number in the country; three-in-five (60%) in Saskatchewan also say this, the lowest.
• Canadians are more likely (67%) than Americans (51%) to feel that the United States is a prosperous country.
• Canadians who identify as visible minority are three times as likely (25%) to say that they had a poor border crossing experience with US Customs than those who do not identify this way (8%).