I’m not sure what this means for travel and tourism, but it can’t hurt Canadian efforts to lure more American visitors – and American dollars – north of the border.
A new poll by Angus Reid finds that Canadians are more unified than Americans in viewing their country as a caring and safe place to call home, and a positive contributor to the globe.
Overall, four-in-five Canadians (78%) say their country is a caring society. Only one-in-three Americans say the same (36%). Nine-in-ten north of the 49th parallel say they live in a safe country (89%), while half as many – two-in-five (43%) – say this to the south. Further, 62% in Canada say their country contributes positively in world affairs, while only 39% of Americans say this.
In some cases, Canada’s advantage is significant, but perhaps less than impressive in a vacuum. For example, Canadians are far more likely to say that their system of government is good than Americans, but still just 51% feel this way (34% in the U.S.).
What is also notable in these data is the favourable view that Americans have of Canada compared to their own country. On every item canvassed, Americans are more likely to feel favourably about Canada more than their own country. This is most pronounced in two areas. Two-thirds of Americans feel Canada is a safe country (64%), whereas only 43% feel the U.S. is a safe place. Additionally, more than half (56%) say that Canada is a caring country, 20 points more than say this of the U.S. (36%).
“After struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic, and the challenges it created within communities, Canadian views of their own country may be improving,” Angus Reid officials said. “Compared to January 2022, the percentage of Canadians saying their country is caring (+15), prosperous (+7) and safe (+4) have all improved.”
I also found this interesting: f0ur-in-five respondents (83%) in Quebec say they are proud of the country they live in, the highest number in the country. Only three-in-five (60%) in Saskatchewan also say this, the lowest for any province.
