Study: Patterns and determinants of immigrants' sense of belonging to Canada and their source country, 1980 to 2012
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Released: 2016-10-18
In 2013, almost 7 in 10 immigrants who had landed in Canada between 1980 and 2012 had a strong sense of belonging to both Canada and their source country.
The new study, "Patterns and Determinants of Immigrants' Sense of Belonging to Canada and Their Source Country," examines the distribution of immigrants across four combinations of their sense of belonging: a strong sense of belonging to both Canada and their source country; a strong sense of belonging to Canada only; a strong sense of belonging to their source country only; and a weak sense of belonging to both Canada and their source country.
The study was based on a nationally representative sample of about 7,000 immigrants from over 100 countries who landed in Canada between 1980 and 2012.
About 69% of immigrants had a strong sense of belonging to both Canada and their source country, while 24% of immigrants had a strong sense of belonging to Canada and a weak sense of belonging to their source country. Very few had a strong sense of belonging to their source country, but a weak sense of belonging to Canada (3%), or a weak sense of belonging to both Canada and their source country (4%).
Compared with immigrants who had a strong sense of belonging to both Canada and their source country, several factors came into play for immigrants in the three other groups. Immigrants with a strong sense of belonging to Canada only were more likely to have arrived in Canada at younger ages, to have resided in Canada for many years, and to have come from countries with lower levels of civil liberty and life satisfaction as measured in international data sources.
Immigrants with a strong sense of belonging to their source country only tended to have immigrated at older ages, to have resided in Canada for fewer years, and to have come from countries where life satisfaction was high. They also reported more experiences of discrimination in Canada.
Immigrants with a weak sense of belonging to both Canada and their source country were over-represented among those who were unemployed, had very low income, and had never married.
Products
The research paper "Patterns and Determinants of Immigrants' Sense of Belonging to Canada and Their Source Country," which is part of the Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series (11F0019M), is now available from the Browse by key resource module of our website, under Publications.
Contact information
For more information, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca).
To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Feng Hou (613-608-4932; feng.hou@canada.ca), Social Analysis and Modelling Division.
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