In June 2023, Canada’s inhabitants reached 40 million. For the primary time in historical past, the inhabitants grew by greater than a million (2.7%) in a single 12 months. Short-term and everlasting migration accounted for 96% cent of this inhabitants progress.
Over the previous few a long time, Canadians have been extra optimistic than destructive of their attitudes towards immigrants and immigration. In 2019, Canada was ranked essentially the most accepting nation for immigrants (in a survey of 145 nations) on Gallup’s Migrant Acceptance Index.
Over the previous couple of years, Environics public opinion knowledge additionally indicated Canadians felt very positively about immigrants and immigration ranges.
One thing modified in 2023.
1,000,000 newcomers in two years
A couple of months after reaching this inhabitants milestone, the federal authorities launched its new Immigration Ranges Plan to welcome 485,000 everlasting residents in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025 and 2026.
This announcement got here on the heels of an Environics public opinion survey revealing a big enhance within the variety of Canadians who imagine the nation accepts too many immigrants. That marks a dramatic reversal from a 12 months in the past, when assist for immigration ranges stood at an all-time excessive.
Canadians are nonetheless extra prone to disagree (51%) than agree (44%) that immigration ranges are too excessive, however the hole between these views has shrunk over the previous 12 months, from 42 proportion factors to simply seven. That’s the largest one-year change in opinion on this query because it was first requested by Environics in 1977.
Rising considerations concerning the variety of arrivals are evident throughout Canada, however are most generally expressed in Ontario and British Columbia.
Environics has been surveying Canadians about immigration regularly since 1977. The newest survey of greater than 2,000 Canadians was performed in September 2023 in partnership with the Century Initiative, a non-profit lobbying and charity group.
The survey was performed to make sure illustration by area, age, gender and academic attainment.
Aside from rising public considerations about immigration ranges, there has been no corresponding change in how Canadians really feel about immigrants themselves by way of how they’re integrating and what they contribute to Canadian society.
The general public is more likely to say that newcomers make their very own communities a greater place than a worse one.
Housing disaster considerations
Importantly, the idea that immigration ranges are too excessive is largely pushed by perceptions that newcomers could also be contributing to the housing disaster by way of availability and affordability.
As researchers who examine attitudes towards immigrants and immigration, we imagine it’s vital to concentrate to this shift.
There’s a giant physique of analysis analyzing how perceived risk/competitors predicts attitudes towards immigrants and immigration.
This analysis reveals that destructive attitudes towards immigrants can develop when situational elements — for instance, housing shortages, inflationary pressures and an increase in anti-immigration ideologies — mix to create perceptions of group competitors.
Perceived competitors could also be rooted in actual or imagined nationwide financial challenges, as effectively as beliefs about entry to housing, employment and different assets.
In September 2023, when Environics performed its newest survey, there was a whole lot of media protection about the housing disaster, together with the scapegoating of worldwide college students. It’s doable such protection could have hardened some Canadians’ attitudes towards immigration ranges.
In actuality, Canada’s housing scarcity was fuelled for many years by myriad elements, together with municipal zoning legal guidelines, builders’ particular pursuits and public coverage on housing. As different students have argued, curbing migration is just not an answer to this advanced problem, neither is it ethical.
Attitudes in direction of immigrants could change
Policymakers and group leaders ought to pay shut consideration to public attitudes towards immigration ranges as they try to construct a diversified and sturdy immigration system and create welcoming communities for immigrants.
The newest analysis demonstrates the general public nonetheless feels positively towards immigrants and their many contributions to communities and Canadian society. Nonetheless, there appears to be rising considerations about Canada’s capability to successfully resettle immigrants, partly attributable to considerations that newcomers could also be contributing to the housing disaster.
If Canadians proceed guilty immigrants for the housing disaster, their attitudes towards immigrants themselves – versus immigration ranges – could harden. How Canadians really feel about immigration ranges could additionally impression the kind and stage of helps immigrants can entry as they resettle, whether or not they expertise discrimination within the housing and labour markets and whether or not they’re warmly welcomed by their communities.
In an effort to guarantee continued public assist for immigration, it’s necessary for political leaders in any respect ranges to handle and counter perceptions of risk and competitors over housing, jobs and different assets.
Along with making vital public coverage choices to handle Canada’s housing scarcity, this will even require honest media protection and illustration of immigrants.
This text was co-authored by Keith Neuman, Senior Affiliate at Environics Institute for Survey Analysis.
Leah Hamilton is Vice Dean, Analysis & Neighborhood Relations, & Professor of Organizational Behaviour, School of Enterprise & Communication Research, Mount Royal College.
This text was first printed on The Dialog.
