The annual Confederation of Tomorrow surveys explore the relationships between different types of identity. It asks about attachment to and identification with Canada and one’s province or territory; it also asks Indigenous Peoples about their attachment to their Indigenous nation or community. It considers whether Canadians feel their identities are respected by others or whether they feel pressure to downplay them.
In general, the survey confirms that identities in Canada are not zero-sum: national and regional or cultural identities tend to overlap, meaning that most people express multiple identities rather than selecting only one over others. It also finds that community identities remain stronger among Quebec francophones and Indigenous Peoples, without necessarily excluding an attachment to Canada. Despite persistent frustrations with the way the federation works, in most regions (the main exception being Ontario) the proportion that identities first or only with their province has declined to some extent over the past several years.
Most Canadians agree that expressing their cultural identity is important to their overall well-being and happiness, and most also agree that their cultural identity is respected in Canada today. But one in four also say they feel pressure to hide or downplay their cultural identity. Indigenous Peoples stand out as feeling even more constrained in the expression of their identity: one in two agree that they feel pressure to hide or downplay their cultural identity. Recent immigrants are also more likely than average to say they feel this kind of pressure. In the case of both Indigenous Peoples and immigrants, the proportions that feel pressure to hide their identity is highest among those in the youngest age group.
Survey Details
The 2024 study consists of a survey of 6,036 adults, conducted between January 13 and April 13, 2024 (82% of the responses were collected between January 17 and February 1); 94% of the responses were collected online. The remaining responses were collected by telephone from respondents living in the North or on First Nations reserves.
Funder
This project benefits from the financial support of the Research Support Program of the Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes (SQRC) / Ce projet bénéficie de l’appui financier du Programme d’appui à la recherche du Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes (SQRC).
The Confederation of Tomorrow surveys give voice to Canadians about the major issues shaping the future of the federation and their political communities. They are conducted annually by an association of the country’s leading public policy and socio-economic research organizations: the Environics Institute for Survey Research, the Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation, the Canada West Foundation, the Centre D’Analyse Politique – Constitution et Fédéralisme, the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government and the First Nations Financial Management Board.
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