4. Perceived Benefits of Bilingualism
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Perceived benefits of bilingualism: Canada, Quebec, Canada except Quebec % agree 2006 (2003)
The five statements all garner strong majorities in terms of agreement.
| Q.8 I am going to read you a series of statements. For each of the following please tell me if you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree... | CANADA 2006 | QUEBEC 2006 (2003) | Can - QC 2006 (2003) |
|---|---|---|---|
| a) In today's global economy, people with an ability to speak more than one language will be more successful. | 89% | 91% (87%) | 88% (88%) |
| b) Learning a second language is one of the more fulfilling things that you can do for yourself as a person. | 84% | 93% (94%) | 81% (82%) |
| c) In Canada, if you speak French as well as English, you have a better chance of finding a good job. | 84% | 96% (97%) | 80%(77%) |
| d) Having two official languages has made Canada a more welcoming place for immigrants from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. | 73% | 86% (86%) | 69% (63%) |
| e) Living in a country with two official languages is one of the things that really defines what it means to be Canadian. | 69% | 74% (73%) | 67%(64%) |
- The strongest levels of agreement are found in response to statements with economic overtones (a and c) as well as for the statement that learning a second language is personally fulfilling (b).
- Levels of agreement above 90% for the first three statements (a, b, c) in Quebec also convey the linguistic reality: learning to speak English increases the chances of landing a well-paying job and ensures the ability to interact more fully with the continent's English-speaking majority.
- The remaining assertions (d & e) touch on aspects of national identity. These assertions generated lower levels of agreement.
- Overall, however, both linguistic groups produced solid majorities on all issues. Quebecers, however, consistentlydemonstrated higher levels of agreement than Canadians from other provinces. The gap between Quebec and the rest of Canada may be an indication of different conceptions of national identity; specifically, that language is a more important component of national identity for Quebecers.
- When asked if "Living in a country with two official languages is one of the things that really defines what it means to be Canadian", the difference between Quebec and the rest of Canada is only 7%. Furthermore, support for this statement among respondents in the rest of Canada has grown since 2003.
Perceived benefits of bilingualism (by gender)
| Francophones in Quebec | Anglophones Can, except QC | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q.8 I am going to read you a series of statements. For each of the following please tell me if you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree... | Men | Women | Men | Women |
| a) In today's global economy, people with an ability to speak more than one language will be more successful. | 91% | 90% | 87% | 88% |
| b) Learning a second language is one of the more fulfilling things that you can do for yourself as a person. | 89% | 96% | 79% | 84% |
| c) In Canada, if you speak French as well as English, you have a better chance of finding a good job. | 96% | 96% | 76% | 84% |
| d) Having two official languages has made Canada a more welcoming place for immigrants from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. | 85% | 87% | 66% | 72% |
| e) Living in a country with two official languages is one of the things that really defines what it means to be Canadian. | 71% | 75% | 65% | 68% |
- Throughout this study, Francophones have consistently been more supportive of bilingualism than Anglophones, and women have been more supportive than men.
Perceived benefits of bilingualism % agree (by age), 2006 (2003)
Sub-sample: Anglophones, Canada, except Quebec
| Sub-sample: Anglophones, Canada, except Quebec 2006 (2003) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q.8 I am going to read you a series of statements. For each of the following please tell me if you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree... | 18-29 | 30-44 | 45-59 | 60+ |
| a) In today's global economy, people with an ability to speak more than one language will be more successful. | 84% (88%) | 90% (88%) | 89% (86%) | 85% (90%) |
| b) Learning a second language is one of the more fulfilling things that you can do for yourself as a person. | 81% (81%) | 80% (80%) | 80% (81%) | 85% (86%) |
| c) In Canada, if you speak French as well as English, you have a better chance of finding a good job. | 80% (76%) | 82% (74%) | 78% (78%) | 81% (82%) |
| d) Having two official languages has made Canada a more welcoming place for immigrants from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. | 80% (72%) | 68% (63%) | 64% (58%) | 67% (64%) |
| e) Living in a country with two official languages is one of the things that really defines what it means to be Canadian. | 72% (68%) | 66% (65%) | 62% (59%) | 68% (64%) |
- Among Anglophones (Canada - Quebec), there is basically no change since 2003 in terms of their views regarding learning a second language and personal fulfillment (b).
- There has been a slight rise in the number of young Anglophones from outside Quebec between the age of 18 and 44 who believe in the economic benefits of knowing both official languages with respect to their job prospects in Canada (c).
- With respect to the national identity assertions (d & e), there is a swelling of support across all age groups, especially among the youngest (e). As mentioned earlier, young people tend to be the strongest supporters of bilingualism. Therefore, over time, support for bilingualism may continue to grow. A corollary to this would be increasing levels of agreement with and support for the aspects of Canadian society that flow from it, such as openness to and tolerance of difference (as embodied in assertions d & e).
