French-speaking and English-speaking Quebecers are still struggling to reconcile after years of calm in the constitutional debates. Their loyalty still diverges between Quebec and Canada, according to a recent study by the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS). A rallying point is emerging: the universal healthcare system.
About 62% of Anglophones say they are “very attached” to Canada, compared to only 29.5% of their French-speaking fellow citizens. Conversely, 24% of English-speaking Quebecers say they are “very attached” to Quebec, compared to 54% of their French-speaking counterparts.
“The attachment of Anglophones to Canada is similar to that of Francophones to Quebec”, observes for THE Duty the study’s lead author, Jack Jedwab.
This dichotomous loyalty is maintained across the generations, even among the youngest, who have not experienced the turbulence of the referendum. The proportion of Quebecers who show attachment to Canada fluctuates between 70% and 76% across the different age groups. The affection of Quebec is maintained between 72% and 89% of the population of all generations.
The youngest still remain more distant from these questions of national identity. 18-24 year olds show less interest than their elders in Canada and Quebec. “Generally speaking, young people are less attached to different social markers,” notes Mr. Jedwab. ” […] As long as we do not pay tax, we are not attached. »
Secularism on the rise among English speakers
Secularism, long considered a point of contention, is rallying more and more Quebecers. Support stands at 60% among Francophones and 33.3% among Anglophones, figures that are on the rise.
For the first time since the ACS has tracked these trends, English speakers view the hijab more negatively (41%) than positively (37%). “I checked that 4 or 5 times. This kind of prejudice against hijabs is no longer limited to French speakers,” confirms Jack Jedwab.
French-speaking Quebecers hate this religious symbol more than their colleagues. They are 61% to perceive the veil negatively, against 16% positively.
Another curiosity: this rejection of religious manifestations now extends beyond Islam. The Christian symbol of the crucifix, for example, is perceived more negatively (44%) than positively (28%) by Quebecers, regardless of their language. “The issue of crosses is now approaching the hijab,” compares Jack Jedwab.
Support for “multiculturalism” is still today one of the points of divergence between Quebecers. While they are 76% on the English side to support this ideology, they are only 61.3% on the French side. However, the positions today seem more nuanced. “We tend to think that if we find secularism correct, we don’t like multiculturalism, or vice versa. People don’t see it that way. We can consider both that multiculturalism is correct as well as secularism,” observes the statistician, with supporting analyses.
Health as a rallying point
A studied question makes it possible to build a bridge between the two solitudes. “The idea of a universal health system” obtains the support of 77% of Quebecers, an identical statistic regardless of the mother tongue of the respondents. Only 6.3% of Francophones and 5.1% of Anglophones consider this approach to be “very negative”.
This is, I believe, related to the post-COVID-19 phenomenon. Health has gained ground.
Even on the issue of “discrimination in need of the utmost protection”, health appears to be a consensus. A “mental or physical handicap” is in the eyes of all the provinces the first factor of discrimination. “It is, I believe, linked to the post-COVID-19 phenomenon. Health has gained ground, ”says the pollster.
In Quebec, of course, language comes second. The rest of Canada shares more of its solidarity with “visible minorities”.
This study was carried out during February and March 2023 using a non-probability sample of 1843 respondents.