Section 5 Subjective vitality

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As has been seen thus far, Anglophones in Quebec do not necessarily form a homogeneous group. We have seen, for example, that they are distributed across various regions of the province, some bordering Ontario; that they live in municipalities in which the proportional weight of their language group varies from one region to another of the province; and that the extent to which they use English in various domains of the private and public spheres depends on a number of factors, some of them of a demo-linguistic nature. This said, the Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities (SVOLM) results bring out one noteworthy element regarding the degree to which Anglophones identify with one or the other of the province's two main language groups: the presence of a sense of dual identification with the Anglophone and Francophone groups. These results are noteworthy insofar as issues related to identity are likely to play a role in Anglophones' sense of belonging to Quebec society.

The Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities (SVOLM) results show that while a majority of Anglophones in Quebec identify with the Anglophone group, a sizable proportion of them identify with both language groups. Approximately 55% reported identifying "mainly" or "only" with the Anglophone group, compared to 37% who reported identifying with both the Anglophone and Francophone groups. An important contrast emerges when Anglo Quebecers with only English as the first official language spoken (FOLS) are distinguished from those having both French and English as FOLS: 59% of the former reported identifying only or mainly with the Anglophone group, compared to 19% of the latter. As to dual identification with the Anglophone and Francophone groups, 35% of the former report this, compared to 52% of the latter.

The degree of identification with the two main language groups also varies from one region of Quebec to another (see chart 5.1). As may be seen, Anglophones are more likely to identify primarily with the Anglophone group if they live in the regions of Montréal, the Outaouais and Estrie and South of Quebec, while in the Anglophone population of Québec and surrounding area, only 31% report identifying "only" or mainly" with the Anglophone group. The corollary of these findings is that dual identification with the Francophone and Anglophone groups is highest in Québec and surrounding area (54%) and East of Quebec (50%) while its level in the Montréal metropolitan area is 35%.

 Chart 5.1 Percentage of Anglophones by identification to Anglophone and Francophone groups, Quebec and regions, 2006

The sense of belonging and identity are highly complex concepts. Depending on the circumstances, people may identify with their country, their language, their culture, etc. The feeling of belonging to both the Anglophone and Francophone groups, reported by some Anglo Quebecers, suggests that in many cases, immersion in the predominantly French culture and public life may have contributed to the emergence of a phenomenon that combines an appreciation of and an identification with the Francophone cultural and linguistic heritage, and with language practices that reflect the elevated status of English in Montréal, Canada and North America. However, to verify and analyse this hypothesis goes beyond the scope of this analytical report and the limitations of the SVOLM in this regard.

Even so, there are several indications that Anglophones in Quebec assign definite value to both English and French. When asked, "How important is it to you that your children be able to speak French?", 95% of Anglo Quebecers with one or more children living in the household reported that it was "very important" or "important," a proportion only slightly lower than the responses to the same question on the importance of their children being able to speak English (99%). Of course, a large proportion of Quebec Anglophones (88%) reported that it was "very important" or "important" to them to be able to use English in their daily life. But of those who were able to conduct a conversation in French, 76% also reported that it was "very important" or "important" to them to be able to use French in their daily life. In this regard, it is worth noting that 74% of Anglo Quebecers with English as first official language spoken (FOLS) feel this way, compared to 85% of those with both French and English as FOLS.

The importance assigned to the Anglophone community and English is evident in the following results: nearly eight Anglophones in ten assign importance to having individuals or organizations work on the development of the Anglophone community, 94% feel the same way about government services being provided in English and lastly, 96% assign importance to linguistic rights being respected in their province (see chart 5.2). There is little variation from one region of the province to another in the responses to these questions.

 Chart 5.2 Percentage of Anglophones by certain indicators of the value assigned to the English language, Quebec and regions, 2006

The Survey on the Vitality of Official-language Minorities collected data on subjective perceptions regarding past and future changes in the presence of the minority language in the community of residence and the vitality of the minority official-language community. On this subject, it is interesting to note that even though fewer Anglophones left Quebec between 2001 and 2006 compared to the preceding five-year period, and even though the proportion of French-mother-tongue persons on the Island of Montréal fell below the 50% mark for the first time in almost a century and half¹ and Francophones appear to be concerned about the situation of French in Montréal, 38% of Anglo Quebecers (34% of those living in the Montréal region) reported that the presence of English in their municipality had declined in the past ten years (from 1996 to 2006) whereas only 16% reported that it had increased. When asked how the presence of English would evolve in their municipality in the next ten years, 38% of Anglo Quebecers (and Anglo Montréalers) stated that it would diminish (see chart 5.3). Beyond an examination of the demolinquistic situation in Quebec and the fit between reality and perceptions, it seems clear that Anglo Quebecers are showing some anxiety about the presence of English in their municipality.

 Chart 5.3 Percentage of Anglophones by the perception of the evolution of English in the municipality of residence, Quebec and regions, 2006

The Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities (SVOLM) also asked Anglo Quebecers to indicate how strong or weak the presence of English was in various sectors (businesses and stores, the media and government services) in their municipality. On this score, 42% of them stated that this presence was "very strong" or "strong" in stores and businesses, nearly 62% in media, 42% in locally provided federal government services and 24% in locally provided Quebec government services.

The survey yielded results on perceptions regarding the presence of English in various areas of daily life and its evolution in the municipality in the past ten years and in the coming decade. These results appear to indicate concerns on the part of Anglophones in Quebec. However, do perceptions regarding the presence of English and the place that it occupies in the municipality of residence coincide with perceptions regarding the vitality of the Anglophone "community" as seen by Anglo Quebecers themselves?

When Anglophones in Quebec were asked to describe the vitality of the Anglophone community in their municipality, 43% stated that it was "strong" or "very strong," 26% that it was "weak" or "very weak" and 28% that it was neither strong nor weak. There were some regional variations (see chart 5.4). For example, in the region of Québec and surrounding area (51%) and in the "Rest of Quebec" (43%), Anglophones were proportionally more likely to describe the vitality of their language community as "weak" or "very weak," while those in the East of Quebec (51%) and the Outaouais (48%) were more likely to describe it as "strong" or "very strong."

 Chart 5.4 Percentage of Anglophones by the perception of the vitality of the English-speaking community in the municipality of residence, Quebec and regions, 2006

A noteworthy phenomenon highlighted by the SVOLM data is that the subjective assessment of the vitality of the Anglophone community within the municipality or residence depends, among other things; on the proportional weight of the Anglophone group and its average level of geographic concentration within the municipality (see chart 5.5). Thus, in general, the greater the relative weight of the Anglophone group within the municipality, the greater the inclination of Anglophones to state that the vitality of their community is "strong" or "very strong." However, data on the average concentration of Anglophones within their municipality show that even when this concentration is high (a situation experienced by nearly three Anglophones in four in the province), less than one Anglophone in two (47%) describes the vitality of the Anglophone community in their municipality as being "strong" or "very strong."

 Chart 5.5 Percentage of anglophones who describe the vitality of their language community in their municipality as being strong or very strong by the proportion and the concentration of this minority in its municipality, Quebec, 2006

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Note

1. The 1851-1852 Census included a question on ethnic origin, not on mother tongue. French Canadians then represented 45% of the population of Montréal.