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Section 1: The Perceptions of Canadians

Sense of Belonging

Individuals who responded to the 2003 GSS were asked a series of questions about their sense of belonging, specifically:

How would you describe your sense of belonging to your local community? Would you say it is very strong, somewhat strong, somewhat weak or very weak?

What about your sense of belonging to your province?

What about your sense of belonging to Canada?

Respondents were not provided with a definition of 'belonging', but rather, based their responses on their own understanding of the term.

Overall, 85% of Canadians described their sense of belonging to Canada as 'very strong' or 'somewhat strong' - about one-half describing it as 'very strong' and about one-third describing it as 'somewhat strong' (Chart 1). By contrast, 13% of individuals described their feelings of belonging to Canada as 'somewhat weak' or 'very weak'.

The majority of Canadians also said they felt a 'very strong' or 'somewhat strong' sense of belonging to their province and their local community, although such views were less prevalent than they were at the national level.

Chart 1. How Canadians describe their sense of belonging to Canada, their province and their community, Canada, 2003

Sense of belonging to Canada

A number of demographic characteristics were associated with feelings of belonging to Canada (Table A.1). The vast majority of individuals in all age groups (78% or more) described their sense of belonging to Canada as somewhat or very strong (Chart 2). However, 'very strong' feelings of belonging were more prevalent among older than younger individuals.

Table A.1. How Canadians describe their sense of belonging to Canada, by selected characteristics, Canada, 2003

It may be the case that young people have always been less likely than older individuals to feel a sense of belonging, and in this respect, today's youth may be no different from previous generations. Alternatively, the relationship shown in Chart 2 may reflect generational differences, meaning that today's youth are less likely than youth in previous generations to feel a sense of belonging and will continue to feel this way as they get older.

Chart 2. How Canadians describe their sense of belonging to Canada, by age group, Canada, 2003

Outside of Quebec , provincial differences in feelings of belonging to Canada were quite modest, with the prevalence of such feelings ranging from 87% in British Columbia to 95% in Prince Edward Island . Similarly, in most provinces 57 to 61% of individuals described their sense of belonging to Canada as 'very strong' (see Chart 3). Such views were less prevalent in Quebec than elsewhere, but still, 74% of Quebecers described their sense of belonging to Canada as somewhat or very strong.

Chart 3. How Canadians describe their sense of belonging to Canada, by province of residence, 2003

Within Quebec, feelings of belonging to Canada were differentiated along linguistic lines, with individuals who spoke French in the home less likely to describe their sense of belonging to Canada as 'very strong' compared with those who spoke English in the home (at 29 and 66% respectively (see Chart 4)). Nonetheless, the majority of Quebec residents who spoke French in the home described their sense of belonging to Canada in positive terms, with 70% describing this as 'very strong' or 'somewhat strong.'

Outside of Quebec, feelings of belonging to Canada did not vary much between individuals who spoke French or English in the home.

Chart 4. How Canadians describe their sense of belonging to Canada, by language used at home and region, 2003

Immigration is a central feature of Canada 's demographic landscape and in 2001, the share of Canadians who were born outside of the country - at 18% - was higher than it had been in 70 years.

The vast majority of immigrants described their sense of belonging to Canada as very or somewhat strong. This was the case for 84% of immigrants who arrived in Canada since 1990. That being said, immigrants who arrived in the 1990s were somewhat less likely than earlier arrivals to describe their sense of belonging as ' very strong ' (Chart 5). This may be due to the fact that they had resided in Canada for less time than others and had had less opportunity to cultivate a strong sense of attachment.¹ As documented below, feelings of belonging were also associated with the length of time that individuals had resided in a province or city.

Feelings of national belonging were prevalent among immigrants who arrived in Canada before 1980, reflecting the fact that most of these individuals were aged 50 or older when they responded to the GSS in 2003.

Chart 5. How Canadians describe their sense of belonging to Canada, by immigration status, Canada, 2003

Feelings of belonging to Canada did not vary significantly across levels of educational attainment or household income.

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Sense of belonging to province of residence

The majority of Canadians (78%) described their sense of belonging to their province in positive terms - that is, as 'very' or 'somewhat strong'. As with feelings of national belonging, such views were most prevalent among individuals in older age groups. Likewise, the majority of immigrants described their sense of belonging to their province in positive terms (Table A.2).

Table A.2. How Canadians describe their sense of belonging to their province, by selected characteristics, Canada, 2003

Across the provinces, 'very strong' feelings of provincial belonging were most prevalent in Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island (at 53 and 46% respectively) and somewhat less prevalent in Ontario and British Columbia (at 29% -- Chart 6). Nonetheless, the majority of individuals in all ten provinces described their sense of provincial belonging as 'somewhat' or 'very strong'. The figures for Quebec were comparable to the other provinces, although this conceals differences between French-speaking and English-speaking people in the province (Chart 7). French-speaking Quebecers had an attachment to their province (Chart 7) that was comparable to the attachment expressed by individuals in most other provinces (Chart 6).

Chart 6. How Canadians describe their sense of belonging to their province, by province of residence, 2003

Chart 7. How Canadians describe their sense of belonging to their province, by language used at home and region, 2003

Feelings of belonging to a province were also associated with whether or not an individual had been born there. More specifically, 34% of Canadians residing in their province of birth said they have a 'very strong' sense of provincial belonging, while this was the case for 26% of Canadians who were not residing in their province of birth. Across regions, feelings of 'very strong' provincial belonging were most prevalent among individuals who were born in, and still resided in Atlantic Canada (at 44%) (see Chart 8).

Chart 8. How Canadians describe their sense of belonging to their province, by province of birth and current region of residence, 2003 (Canadian-born only)

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Sense of belonging to one's community

Finally, GSS respondents were asked about their sense of belonging to their local community. Respondents were not provided with a definition of 'local community', but rather, based their responses on their own understanding of the term.

The majority of Canadians assessed their sense of belonging to their local community in positive terms, with 19% describing this as 'very strong' and 49% describing this as 'somewhat strong.' Age was again correlated with feelings of belonging in the same way as documented above (Table A.3).

Table A.3. How Canadians describe their sense of belonging to their local community, by selected characteristics, Canada, 2003

Feelings of community belonging were more prevalent among individuals who had lived in their area for longer periods of time (Chart 9). For example, individuals who had lived in their community for 5 years or more were about twice as likely to feel a 'very strong' sense of belonging as those who had been there for less than three years. Comparable proportions of individuals residing in Montreal , Toronto and Vancouver said they feel a very strong or somewhat strong sense of community belonging, with this ranging from 62 to 66%.

Chart 9. How Canadians describe their sense of belonging to their local community, by duration of residence and selected CMAs, 2003

Finally, when individuals who had resided in their area for five years or more were considered, those in rural areas and smaller towns² were more likely than those in large cities to describe their sense of community belonging as somewhat or very strong (Chart 10).

Chart 10. How Canadians describe their sense of belonging to their local community, by urban size, 2003 (Resided in their area for 5 years or more)

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Confidence in Institutions

Public institutions, such as the health care system, the education system and the federal parliament, play an important role in shaping the lives of Canadians. In recent years, there has been much discussion about whether and how such institutions ought to be changed. GSS respondents were asked about the level of confidence they have in various institutions.³ Canadians provided their most favourable assessments to the police, with 35% of respondents saying they have "a great deal" of confidence and 48% saying they have "quite a lot" of confidence in the police (Chart 11). Local business people and merchants also ranked high, with 80% of Canadians saying they have "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in this group.

About two-thirds of Canadians said they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the health care system (67%) and the school system (65%), while smaller proportions said they have confidence in the justice system (57%). The welfare system and the federal parliament were at the bottom of the list of public institutions in which Canadians said they have confidence, although significant proportions of respondents were unable to answer or declined to answer these questions.

Chart 11. The confidence Canadians have in various institutions, Canada, 2003

There were considerable inter-provincial variations in the extent to which individuals have confidence in public institutions (Table 1). Such variation was smallest in terms of confidence in the police, with 79 to 87% of respondents in all provinces saying they have 'a great deal' or 'quite a lot' of confidence in police organizations. Variations across provinces were larger for the other five public institutions, with differences of 18 percentage points or more between the lowest and highest. For example, 56% of individuals in British Columbia said they have 'a great deal' or 'quite a lot' of confidence in the health care system, while this was the case for 74% of individuals in Quebec . More broadly, individuals in Quebec were consistently more likely than those in other provinces to have said they have high levels of confidence in public institutions. Confidence in the federal parliament and the justice system was less prevalent in the Western provinces than elsewhere.

Table 1. Percentage of Canadians who have 'a great deal' or 'quite a lot' of confidence in selected public institutions, by province, 2003

Individuals residing in households with higher incomes were somewhat more likely than others to say they had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the police and the justice system (Table 2).

Table 2. Percentage of Canadians aged 25 to 54 who have 'a great deal' or 'quite a lot' of confidence in selected public institutions, by household income, 2003

There was a relationship between the degree to which individuals expressed confidence in institutions and the sense of belonging they felt towards Canada , their province and their local community. To document this relationship, individuals were grouped into one of four categories based on the number of institutions in which they said they had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence. The share of individuals in each group who said they felt a very strong or somewhat strong sense of belonging to Canada , their province and their local community was subsequently determined. The results are shown in Chart 12.

Feelings of belonging were most prevalent among individuals who expressed confidence in many or most of the institutions about which they were asked, and least prevalent among individuals who expressed confidence in few or none of those institutions. This was most evident in terms of belonging to one's province or local community. For example, 87% of individuals who said they had confidence in 8 or 9 institutions described their sense of belonging to their province in positive terms, while this was the case for 75% of those who said they had confidence in 4 or 5 institutions, and for 67% of those who said they had confidence in 3 or less of those institutions.⁴

Chart 12. Feelings of belonging by number of institutions in which individuals have confidence, 2003

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Trust

In recent years, there has been considerable interest among researchers in the level of 'trust' present within countries and regions. Economists, for example, have been interested in determining if economic growth is associated with the level of trust that citizens have in one another.

GSS respondents were asked:

Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted or that you cannot be too careful in dealing with people?

Overall, 53% of Canadians said that people can be trusted while 43% said that one cannot be too careful in dealing with people (Table 3)⁵. Women and men had comparable views in this respect, as did individuals in different age groups.

Individuals with higher levels of educational attainment and those residing in households with higher incomes were more likely than others to say that people can be trusted. Systematic differences were not evident across immigration status.

Table 3. General perceptions of trust, by selected characteristics, Canada 2003

When comparisons are drawn across provinces, a relatively small share of Quebec residents said that people can be trusted. Indeed, just over one-third of Quebecers (35%) said people can be trusted while this view was expressed by over 60% of individuals in Newfoundland and Labrador , P.E.I., Nova Scotia and in all the provinces west of Ontario (see Chart 13).

It is interesting to note that, compared with individuals in other provinces, those in Quebec were less likely to express trust in other individuals but more likely to express confidence in institutions.

Chart 13. Percentage of Canadians who feel that 'people can be trusted', by province, 2003

To further gauge levels of trust, GSS respondents were also asked about what they thought would be the likely outcome if they lost a wallet or purse containing $200. More specifically:

"If you lost a wallet or purse that contained two hundred dollars, how likely is it to be returned with the money in it if it was found .by a complete stranger . by somewho who lives close by? Would it be.

Very likely?

Somewhat likely?

Not at all likely?"

Most Canadians (55%) said that it would be 'not at all likely' that their wallet or purse would be returned with the money in it if found by a complete stranger, while 32% said it would be 'somewhat likely' and 5% said it would be 'very likely'.⁶

Expectations were more optimistic if the wallet had been found by someone living close by. In this case, only 15% of respondents said it would be 'not at all likely' that their wallet or purse would be returned with its contents, while 36% said it would be 'somewhat likely' and 43% said it would be 'very likely'.⁷

Individuals in the Atlantic provinces had the highest levels of trust when measured in this way, with at least 46% or more individuals in these provinces saying it would be 'somewhat' or 'very likely' that their wallet or purse would be returned if found by a stranger, and 88% or more saying it would be 'somewhat' or 'very likely' to be returned if found by someone living nearby (Charts 14 and 15). Again, levels of trust were far lower in Quebec than elsewhere.

The size of the city in which individuals lived was associated with levels of trust, with expectations of the wallet or purse being returned least prevalent among individuals in Canada 's largest urban centres.

Individuals residing in households with higher incomes were more likely to expect that their wallet or purse would be returned than those in households with lower incomes (Table 4).

Table 4. Percentage of Canadians who say that it is 'very likely' or 'somewhat likely' that a wallet or purse containing $200 would be returned if found by a complete stranger/ someone living close by, by selected characteristics, 2003

Chart 14. Perceptions of how likely a wallet would be returned with its contents if found by a stranger, by province, 2003

Chart 15. Perceptions of how likely a wallet would be returned with its contents if found by someone living nearby, by province, 2003