2015 Survey on Immigration and Multiculturalism

The last few years have not been good ones for immigrants and multicultural diversity – worldwide or in Canada. At the global level, the flow of migrants is now higher than at any time in human history. A growing part of this flow comes from refugees fleeing from conflict zones, placing increasing pressure on European countries that are struggling to maintain policies of openness and accommodation. Canada continues to accept more than 200,000 immigrants each year, but new federal government policies are tightening up the rules and making the country less welcoming than before. Some commentators have cited anecdotal evidence that the mainstream public is feeling less comfortable with the country’s growing ethnic diversity. The Quebec Government’s proposed Charter of Secular Values was a flashpoint in that province, and now appears ready for a comeback in a milder form.

In this context, it would be understandable if not expected to find that public opinion about immigration and multiculturalism has soured over the past several years, but this is not the case. The latest Focus Canada survey – updating trends dating back to the 1980s – shows that Canadian attitudes about these issues has held steady or grown more positive over the past three to five years. The public continues to believe that immigration is good for the economy, and are more confident than before about the country’s ability to manage refugees and potential criminal elements. Canadians remain divided about accepting refugees who would not otherwise qualify under the rules, but opinions on this question have remained stable since 2010.

Survey Details

This survey is based on telephone interviews conducted with 2,003 Canadians between June 3 and 18, 2015. A sample of this size drawn from the population produces results accurate to within plus or minus 2.2 percentage points in 19 out of 20 samples.