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Importance of children learning a second language

Please note: For this question, Quebec numbers are based on Francophone respondents only.

Q.6 - How important is it to you that your children/children in your community learn to speak a language other than English (French in Quebec)?

Q.6 How important is it to you that your children/children in your community learn to speak a language other than English (French in Quebec)?

• Highest support is found in Quebec (98%).
• In the rest of Canada, support is strong overall (83%) and highest in Atlantic Canada (90%) and British Columbia (88%).
• The lowest level of support (78%) is found in Manitoba/Saskatchewan.
• Furthermore, there is strong support across all age groups (the highest, at 86%, in the 35-44 age group, and the lowest, at 80%, in the 18-24 and 45-54 age groups).

• There is greater support among women (86%) than men (79%).
• A breakdown based on the level of education yields interesting results. The more education respondents have, the more likely they are to feel that it is important for their children, or the children in their community, to learn to speak another language. Among those with less than a high school education, 79% felt this way compared to 90% of those with a post-graduate education.

*Canada, except Quebec.

Importance of children learning a second language
(by language spoken and age group), 2003-2006

Please note: For this question, Quebec numbers are based on Francophone respondents only.

Q.6 - How important is it to you that your children/children in your community learn to speak a language other than English (French in Quebec)?

Q.6 How important is it to you that your children/children in your community learn to speak a language other than English (French in Quebec)?

• There is almost unanimous support across all age groups among Francophones inside Quebec as to the importance of children learning a second language (97% to 100%).
• There is also a strong consensus among Anglophones outside Quebec (80% to 85%), in 2006, with an uptrend in support across all age groups - particularly among those aged 45-59 (+9%) and 30-44 (+7%).

Which second language?

Please note: For this question, Quebec numbers are based on Francophone respondents only.

Q.7 - If your children / children in your community were to learn to speak another language, which language other than English (French in Quebec) would it be most important for them to learn?

Q.7 - If your children / children in your community were to learn to speak another language, which language other than English (French in Quebec) would it be most important for them to learn?

• French was the second language of choice in all regions. Even in British Columbia, support for French was more than twice that of the second and third most popular choices combined (44% chose French compared to a total of 20% - Chinese at 13% and Spanish at 7%).
• There is also an economic angle to consider: Spanish is seen as an asset for business within the Americas. China is seen as a vast, untapped market. BC's proximity to that market, coupled with a sizable Chinese immigrant community, adds a further incentive to learn Chinese.

Which second language? (by age group)

Sub-sample: Anglophones, Canada except Quebec

Q.7 - If your children / children in your community were to learn to speak another language, which language other than English (French in Quebec) would it be most important for them to learn?

Q.7 If your children / children in your community were to learn to speak another language, which language other than English (French in Quebec) would it be most important for them to learn?

• French is clearly the second language of choice for the vast majority of Anglophones in Canada.
• There has been a decline in those who chose French as their second language of choice among all age groups other than the youngest (18-29), where it has remained stable (73%).
• The decline is most marked among Canadians 45 to 59 (-9%) and those over 60 (-7%).

More likely to learn French (English in Quebec) if classes were easily accessible

Please note: asked exclusively to those who speak English only (French in Quebec)

Q.9a - I would be personally more likely to take advantage of French language training (English in Quebec) if classes were easily accessible.

Q.9a - I would be personally more likely to take advantage of French language training (English in Quebec) if classes were easily accessible.

• Quebec (77%) and Atlantic Canada (74%) record the highest levels of support. This proposal splits respondents in Manitoba/Saskatchewan (50% agree) and Alberta (49% agree).
• The youngest Canadians (18-24) demonstrate the highest agreement (70%). Each successive age group registers lower levels of agreement, with the 55+ cohort registering the lowest level (55%).

• Furthermore, a majority of Anglophones who speak English only (58%) and Francophones who speak French only (77%) would be more likely to take advantage of language training in their second official language if classes were more accessible.
• Women are more likely to agree (65%) than men (59%).

More likely to learn French (English in Quebec) if classes were easily accessible (by language spoken and age group)

Please note: asked exclusively to those who speak English only (French in Quebec)

Q.9a - I would be personally more likely to take advantage of French language training (English in Quebec) if classes were easily accessible.

Q.9a - I would be personally more likely to take advantage of French language training (English in Quebec) if classes were easily accessible.

• Francophones in the 30-44 age group who speak French only, and especially in the 45-59 age group, express higher levels of agreement. There may be an economic component to this. Learning to speak English could be perceived to enhance job opportunities and economic security and as such would be of particular interest.
• In Quebec, it is the youngest age group (18-29) that demonstrates the lowest level of agreement (69%).
• For Anglophones who speak English only, however, the highest level of agreement (69%) is found among the youngest age group (18-29) demographic.
• For unilingual Anglophones outside of Quebec, the economic argument to learn French would appear to be less compelling.

Willing to pay for French language training (English in Quebec) if it were subsidized

Please note: asked exclusively to those who speak English only (French in Quebec)

Q.9b - If French language training (English in Quebec) was subsidized, I would be willing to pay part of the cost.

Q.9b If French language training (English in Quebec) was subsidized, I would be willing to pay part of the cost.

• Support is above 50% in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, and British Columbia. Of the other regions, agreement in Ontario (47%) is the closest to majority status.
• In all age groups except the oldest (55+) and the youngest (18-24), the majority were willing to pay for language training. The low level of support among 18 to 24-year-olds reminds us that their disposable income is generally limited and it is subject to many demands (education and discretionary spending to name two). It is, therefore, not all that surprising to find a rift between their idealism and their fiscal capacity.

• Furthermore, 47% of Anglophones who speak English only would be prepared to assume part of the cost of French language training, compared to 72% of Francophones who speak French only.
• Women are more prepared to pay (55%) than men (48%).

Willing to pay for French language training (English in Quebec) if it were subsidized

Please note: asked exclusively to those who speak English only (French in Quebec)

Q.9b - If French language training (English in Quebec) was subsidized, I would be willing to pay part of the cost.

Q.9b If French language training (English in Quebec) was subsidized, I would be willing to pay part of the cost.

• Among Francophones who speak French only, those who would be willing to pay for English language training if it were subsidized form solid majorities across all age groups (81% for the 30-44 age cohort, down to 63% among those 60+).
• The highest level of agreement among Anglophones who speak English only (54%) is found among those aged 30-44. In the two older demographic groupings, the level of agreement falls below majority threshold, and rather dramatically among those aged 60+.
• These findings appear to indicate that for uniligual Anglophones outside Quebec, paying for French language training, even if it were subsidized, is not a priority. If this is the case, it is clearly not so for unilingual Francophone Quebecers, especially among the two youngest age groups (18-29 / 30-44).
• Once again, the status of French as a minority language in North America may explain why Francophone Quebecers consistently demonstrate greater enthusiasm for personal bilingualism than Anglophones do.