Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T10:05:18.110Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Distinctive Culture? The Sources of Public Support for Immigration in Canada, 1980–2019

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2020

Keith Banting
Affiliation:
Department of Political Studies, Queen's University, Mackintosh-Corry Hall, 68 University Ave, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Stuart Soroka*
Affiliation:
Department of Communication and Media, University of Michigan, North Quad, 105 South State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]

Abstract

Canada has often been seen as immune from the powerful backlash against globalization and immigration that has driven political shifts elsewhere. This article challenges this belief, at least in part, by tracing the evolution of public attitudes toward immigration and analyzing the factors that have shaped the trajectory for over three decades. Drawing on nearly forty years of Environics Focus Canada surveys, combined with annual data on macro-economics and immigration flows, findings here suggest that Canadians’ tolerance toward immigration responds to immigration flows and is heavily influenced by macro-economic conditions.

Résumé

Résumé

Le Canada a souvent été perçu comme étant à l'abri de la puissante réaction contre la mondialisation et l'immigration qui a entraîné des changements politiques ailleurs. Cet article remet en question cette idée recue, du moins en partie, en retraçant l'évolution des attitudes du public à l'égard de l'immigration et en analysant les facteurs qui ont façonné leur trajectoire pendant plus de trois décennies. S'appuyant sur près de quarante années d'enquêtes Environics Focus Canada, associées à des données annuelles sur la macroéconomie et les flux d'immigration, les résultats suggèrent que la tolérance des Canadiens à l'égard de l'immigration réagit aux flux d'immigration et qu'elle est fortement influencée par les conditions macroéconomiques.

Type
Research Article/Étude originale
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association (l'Association canadienne de science politique) and/et la Société québécoise de science politique 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abu-Laban, Yasmeen and Gabriel, Christina. 2002. Selling Diversity: Immigration, Multiculturalism, Employment Equity, and Globalization. Peterborough: Broadview Press.Google Scholar
Adams, Michael. 2007. Unlikely Utopia: The Surprising Triumph of Canadian Pluralism. Toronto: Viking Canada.Google Scholar
Advisory Council on Economic Growth. 2016. Attracting the Talent Canada Needs through Immigration. https://www.budget.gc.ca/aceg-ccce/pdf/immigration-eng.pdf (October 17, 2018).Google Scholar
Arzheimer, Aleandre. 2009. “Contextual Factors and the Rise of the Extreme Right Vote in Western Europe, 1980–2002.” American Journal of Political Science 53 (2): 259–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Banting, Keith G. 2010. “Is There a Progressive's Dilemma in Canada? Immigration, Multiculturalism and the Welfare State.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 43 (4): 797820. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0008423910000983.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bloemraad, Irene. 2017. “Solidarity and Conflict: Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Access to Citizenship, Civic Integration and Multiculturalism.” In The Strains of Commitment: The Political Sources of Solidarity in Diverse Societies, ed. Banting, Keith and Kymlicka, Will. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Bloemraad, Irene and Wright, Matthew. 2014. “’Utter Failure’ or ‘Unity Out of Diversity’? Debating and Evaluating Policies of Multiculturalism.” 50th anniversary special issue, International Migration Review 48 (1): S292S334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bommes, Michael and Geddes, Andrew, eds. 2000. Immigration and Welfare: Challenging the Borders of the Welfare State. London: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cameron, David R. 2007. “An Evolutionary Story.” In Uneasy Partners: Multiculturalism and Rights in Canada, Stein, Janice G., Cameron, David R., Ibbitson, John, Kymlicka, Will, Meisel, John, Siddiqui, Haroon and Valpy, Michael, eds. Waterloo ON: Wilfred Laurier University Press.Google Scholar
Citrin, Jack, Johnston, Richard and Wright, Matthew. 2012. “Do Patriotism and Multiculturalism Collide? Competing Perspectives from Canada and the United States.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 45 (3): 531552.Google Scholar
Citrin, Jack, Levy, Morris and Wright, Matthew. 2014. “Multicultural Policy and Political Support in European Democracies.” Comparative Political Studies 47 (11): 1531–57CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Economist. 2016. “Liberty Moves North: Canada’s Example to the World.” The Economist, October 29, 11.Google Scholar
Eger, Maureen A. 2010. “Even in Sweden: The Effect of Immigration on Support for Welfare State Spending.” European Sociological Review 26 (2): 203–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foran, Charles. 2017. “The Canada Experiment: Is This the World’s First ‘Postnational’ Country?The Guardian, January 4.Google Scholar
Hainmueller, Jens and Hiscox, Michael. 2007. “Educated Preferences: Explaining Attitudes Toward Immigration in Europe.” International Organization 61 (2): 399442.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hainmueller, Jens and Hopkins, Daniel. 2014. “Public Attitudes toward Immigration.” Annual Review of Political Science 17: 225–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harell, Allison, Soroka, Stuart, Iyengar, Shanto and Valentino, Nicholas. 2012. “The Impact of Economic and Cultural Cues on Support for Immigration in Canada and the United States.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 45 (3): 499530.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hopkins, Daniel. 2010. “Polarized Places: Explaining Where and When Immigrants Provoke Opposition.” American Political Science Review 104 (1): 4060.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), . 2018. 2018 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration. Ottawa: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.Google Scholar
Johnston, Richard, Banting, Keith, Kymlicka, Will and Soroka, Stuart. 2010. “National Identity and Support for the Welfare State.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 43 (2): 349–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kinder, Donald and Kam, Cindy. 2010. Us against Them: Ethnocentric Foundations of American Public Opinion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Koning, Edward. 2017. “Making Xenophobia Matter: The Consequences of the 2002 Elections for Immigration Politics in the Netherlands.” In The Strains of Commitment: The Political Sources of Solidarity in Diverse Societies, ed. Banting, Keith and Kymlicka, Will. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Lawlor, Andrea. 2015. “Framing Immigration in the Canadian and British News Media.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 48 (2): 329–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawlor, Andrea and Tolley, Erin. 2017. “Deciding Who's Legitimate: News Media Framing of Immigrants and Refugees.” International Journal of Communication 11: 967–91.Google Scholar
Lebo, Matthew J. and Weber, Christopher. 2015. “An Effective Approach to the Repeated Cross-Sectional Design.” American Journal of Political Science 59 (10): 242–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marwah, Inder, Triadafilopoulos, Triadafilos and White, Stephen. 2013. “Immigration, Citizenship and Canada's New Conservative Party.” In Conservatism in Canada, ed. Rayside, David and Farney, James. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.Google Scholar
Norris, Pippa and Inglehart, Ronald. 2019. Cultural Backlash: Trump, Brexit, and the Rise of Authoritarian Populism. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Palmer, Douglas. 1996. “Determinants of Canadian attitudes towards Immigration: More than Just Racism?Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science 28 (3): 180–92CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reitz, Jeffrey G. 2014. “Multiculturalism Politics and Popular Multiculturalism in the Development of Canadian Immigration.” In The Multiculturalism Question: Debating Identity in 21st Century Canada, Jedwab, Jack ed. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press.Google Scholar
Russell, Peter H. 2017. Canada's Odyssey: A Country Based on Imcomplete Conquests. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press.Google Scholar
Saunders, Doug. 2017. Maximum Canada: Why 35 Million Canadians Are Not Enough. Toronto: Knopf Canada.Google Scholar
Sides, John and Citrin, Jack. 2007. “European Opinion about Immigration: The Role of Identities, Interests and Information.” British Journal of Political Science 37 (3): 477504.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soroka, Stuart, Banting, Keith, Johnston, Richard, Kevins, Anthony and Kymlicka, Will. 2016. “Migration and Welfare State Spending.” European Political Science Review 8 (2): 173–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stevenson, Randolph. 2001. “The Economy and Policy Mood: A Fundamental Dynamic of Democratic Politics?American Journal of Political Science 45 (3): 620–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tolley, Erin. 2016. Framed: Media and the Coverage of Race in Canadian Politics. Vancouver: UBC Press.Google Scholar
Triadafilopoulos, Triadafilos and Taylor, Zack. 2020. “Determinants of Canadian Attitudes towards Immigration: More than Just Racism?” In International Affairs and Canadian Migration Policy, ed. Samy, Yiagadeesen and Duncan, Howard. London: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Valentino, Nicholas, Soroka, Stuart, Iyengar, Shanto, Aalberg, Tori, Dutch, Raymond, Fraile, Marta, Hahn, Kyu, Hansen, Kasper, Harell, Allison, Helbling, Marc, Jackman, Simon and Kobayashi, Tetsuro. 2019.Economic and Cultural Drivers of Immigrant Support Worldwide,” British Journal of Political Science 49 (4): 12011226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van de Brug, Wouter, Fennema, Meidert and Tille, Jean. 2005. “Why Some Anti-immigrant Parties Fail and Others Succeed: A Two-Step Model of Aggregate Electoral Support.” Comparative Political Studies 38 (5): 537–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilkes, Rima and Corrigall-Brown, Catherine. 2011. “Explaining Time Trends in Public Opinion: Attitudes towards Immigration and Immigrants.” International Journal of Comparative Sociology 52 (1–2): 7799.Google Scholar
Wilkes, Rima, Guppy, Neil and Farris, Lily. 2008. “No Thanks, We're Full: Individual Characteristics, National Context and Changing Attitudes toward Immigration.” International Migration Review 42 (2): 302–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winter, Elke. 2011. Us, Them, and Others: Pluralism and National Identity in Diverse Societies. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winter, Elke. 2014. “(Im)possible citizens: Canada's ‘citizenship bonanza’ and its boundaries.” Citizenship Studies 18 (1): 4662. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13621025.2012.707010.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wlezien, Christopher. 1995. “The Public as Thermostat: Dynamics of Preferences for Spending.” American Journal of Political Science 39 (4): 9811000. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2111666.CrossRefGoogle Scholar