New poll suggests Canadians take more pride in their country than Americans do

A new study suggests Canadians take more pride in their country than their American neighbours do.

A recent Angus Reid poll looked into how Canadians and Americans view themselves and each other.

The numbers show that 78 per cent of Canadians believe they live in a caring country, compared to just 36 per cent of people in the United States.

“Canadians have grown to be much more positive about Canada in the last year than Americans have on America,” says Jon Roe, a research associate with the Angus Reid Institute Research.

While no country is perfect, many believe Canada is a pretty good place to call home.

“We’re very nice people,” says Halifax resident Heather Bonin. “We’re pleasant. We get along with most people and it’s a beautiful country we live in.”

When it comes to safety, the poll shows that 89 per cent of Canadians feel the country is safe, while only 43 per cent of Americans feel the United States is a safe nation.

Conversely, 64 per cent of Americans view Canada as a safe place and 56 per cent say Canada is a caring country.

“There is quite a bit of disparity in how positive Canadians are of Canada versus how negative Americans are of America,” says Roe.

Roe says American pessimism is a new trend.

“I think with the last two presidential elections, the country has been very divisive and I think people are more negative about the U.S. in recent years,” he says.

The researcher says the numbers suggest Canadians are recovering faster from the strains of the pandemic.

“A year ago when we asked a lot of these similar questions, Canadians were a bit more negative about their country than they are now, so I think in some ways, it’s kind of surprising that Canadians' appreciation of their own country has improved,” Roe says.

“I don’t disagree. Canada is one of the greatest spots in the world to live,” says dual citizen, Mickey Fox.

Fox spends a lot of time on both sides of the 49th parallel. He says he hopes America is just experiencing a bump in the road and maybe they can rebound by following Canada’s lead.

“I think if you go back 30 years, the country was strong and it kind of ebbs and flows and we have got to get back to believing in one another down here,” Fox says.

“I think Canadians believe in themselves and Americans at one time really believed, it was a proud country and it still is, but there are some fences to mend.”

As for who feels best about the nation, 83 per cent of people from Quebec say they are proud to live in Canada. Atlantic Canadians were second, at 78 per cent.

Residents of Saskatchewan were last in their views of Canada, with only 60 per cent saying they are proud of their country.

The Angus Reid Poll surveyed 1,600 Canadians and 1,000 Americans. It’s considered accurate by plus or minus two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.