Canadians less likely than Americans to see religion as a social good: poll
Americans are far more likely than Canadians to believe “religion has a positive influence on societal values,” according to a new poll.
The survey, conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies, found just over a third (34 per cent) of Canadians agreed with the statement, compared to 53 per cent of Americans.
There were noticeable geographic and demographic differences within both countries. In Canada, the lowest levels of support for the view of religion’s positive impact on society came from Quebec (20 per cent) and British Columbia (28 per cent). By comparison, Ontario (44 per cent) and the Atlantic provinces (38 per cent) were far more likely to agree with the statement. Pollsters dug deeper and found that within Quebec, the francophone community was far less likely to agree (14 per cent) with the statement than anglophones (31 per cent).
As Canadians prepare to gather on Monday to celebrate Thanksgiving, which was founded as a Protestant Christian holiday, Jack Jedwab, the president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies, said the divergent perceptions of the value of religion highlight important national differences.
“Despite both countries saying they separate ‘church from state,’ Canada is far more likely to see secularism as good for societal cohesion,” Jedwab told National Post in an email.
“The gap in terms of religion being seen as a positive influence in the two countries is wider than I would have expected, and while there is some generational divide on the issue in the United States, there isn’t one in Canada.”
Americans living in western (35 per cent) and northeastern (26 per cent) states were most likely to disagree that religion has a positive social influence.
In both Canada and America, men were more likely than women to see religion’s positive social influence.
While rates of support for the statement steadily increased by age group in America, in Canada, it has two major peaks, those aged 35 to 44 (37 per cent) and people over 65 (38 per cent).
“I would add that in Canada, where there was once a generational divide as regards the influence of religion, the survey confirms that it’s no longer the case,” Jedwab said. “Ontario is the only part of the country that is closer to America’s majority view that religion has a positive influence on society, and that’s likely attributable to the higher percentage of immigrants that have a more positive view of religion.”
Jedwab underscored the difference in views between immigrants and citizens in both countries. In Canada, newcomers (50 per cent) were far more likely to see religion’s positive impact than people born in the country (31 per cent). By comparison, American immigrants and citizens had views that were closer to one another. Fifty and 53 per cent agreed with the statement, respectively.
“Immigrants in both Canada and the U.S. have similar views around the positive influence of religion, and the gap, therefore, between the two countries is largely a result of the difference between the domestic-born population,” Jedwab said.
The online poll of 1,627 Canadians and 1,014 Americans was conducted between Aug. 29 and 31. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes. A probability sample of 1,627 respondents would have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.52 per cent, 19 times out of 20. A probability sample of 1,014 respondents would have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.95 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
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