Trump is helping Canadians find their common identity again.
February 17, 2025
In recent years we have seen distrust with institutions in Canada grow, a fraying sense of community between neighbors and a bit of an existential crisis among Canadians about what brings us together as, Canadians. But then Janaury 2025 came with a flurry of announcements from the United States that had us re-examining what it means to be Canadian.
Taking an interest in the idea of Canadian identity for some time, I asked some questions earlier in January (in field Janaury 22nd to 26th). Days later there were announcements of tariffs and the 51st state prompting many to question what it really does mean to be Canadian.
This release includes data from two waves of research that allowed us to measure, in real time, the impacts of these announcements on our collective identity. What we captured are big shifts in what makes us Canadian.
Janaury data is from an online survey fielded with n=2,205 gen pop adults in Canada from Janaury 22nd to 26th) and February data is from an online survey fielded with n=2,205 gen pop adults in Canada from February 5th to 11th).
Do we have an identity?
Perhaps the biggest shift we measured (and remember this shift is over a ten-day period) is the number of Canadians saying that there really is a Canadian identity. A few weeks ago in January 69% of Canadians said ‘right now, there is a strong Canadian identity’, including 30% who strongly agreed.
In just 10 days, the number surged to 79% in our latest survey. Also important to note- the surge is concentrated among those who ‘strongly agree’ meaning Canadians haven’t just changed their minds on this a little. Now 40% strongly agree with this statement. Perceptions have shifted a lot.
What makes us Canadian?
In their own words, Canadians believe our attitude is a defining feature of our identity. Asked as an open-end question, 17% say being polite and kind is a defining feature of Canadian identity, 15% say it’s our respect for diversity and inclusion. These features of our identity have remained consistent- before and after announcements south of the border.
What has increased however are feelings about togetherness and pride. Now, 10% include unity and community support in their definition of what it means to be Canadian- a notable 5-point increase from days before. There has also been a notable surge in national pride. Canadians are feeling more patriotic and they feel this from their neighbours too.
A stronger Canadian identity
Canadians truly are recognizing and feeling this surge in a uniting identity. In Janaury 29% of Canadians said our Canadian identity was getting stronger, 27% said there has been no change in the last couple of years, 38% said it was getting worse.
Today, the trend has shifted. Now 42% say our identity has gotten stronger, up 13 points in 10 days.
If we ask Canadians what’s driving this, a quarter say it’s directly related to what’s happening south of the border.
Back in January we also asked Canadians to evaluate the strength of different dimensions of our Canadian identity. How strong is our sense of community? Shared values? Strong democracy? Social services? Public institutions.
For each dimension, we saw a considerable increased in strength between Janaury to February.
Sense of community rose 9 points (from 54% to 63%), and strength of shared values rose 8 points (from 53% to 61%). Significantly more Canadians also believe we have a strong democracy, social services and public institutions. All around there is a swell of support for what it means to be Canadian and the institutions that make us Canadian- given the short time period and previous trends we have seen these are significant jumps.
While the jump is less than other dimensions- more Canadians also feel more connected to our sense of collective identity. At the end of Janaury, 80% of Canadians said they feel connected to a greater Canadian identity. Today this is at 84%- again a big shift in those who strongly agree with the statement.
UPSHOT
My colleagues have explored what this surge means for Canadians as consumers, but there are plenty more consequences for this surge in pride and a reconnection with a collective identity. As just one example, those who feel connected to a greater Canadian identity are far more likely to vote than their peers who don’t feel any sense of connection. A connection among those around us means we are more likely to believe in and participate in our democracy. A sense of collective identity can have positive impacts on us as individuals, but also on our communities as we have a stronger sense of duty and connection to our neighbours.
We will continue tracking our sense of identity as our relationship with the United States will undoubtedly evolve, and understand if the surge we experienced remains stable or continues to evolve as well.
METHODOLOGY
The survey was conducted with 3,000 Canadians residents from February 5 – 11, 2025. A random sample of panelists were invited to complete the survey from a set of partner panels based on the Lucid exchange platform. These partners are typically double opt-in survey panels, blended to manage out potential skews in the data from a single source.
The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- 1.78%, 19 times out of 20.
The data were weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Canada’s population according to age, gender, educational attainment, and region. Totals may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
Abacus Data follows the CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards and Disclosure Requirements that can be found here: https://canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca/standards/ this new environment, that difference is more important than ever.
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