By Mata Press Service

A new survey launched as Canada marked the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is challenging conventional understandings of prejudice in the country.

Conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies, the poll suggests that racism and bias in Canada are not confined to a simple “majority versus minority” framework.

Instead, prejudices are deeply woven across a wide range of communities, including among immigrants and visible minorities themselves.

The study, titled Beyond Binaries: In Diverse Societies, Prejudices Are More Complex Than Simply Us and Them, examined how various groups in Canada perceive others along ethnic and religious lines.

Drawing from a sample of 1,539 respondents surveyed in early March, the findings highlight the multifaceted and sometimes contradictory nature of discrimination.

Perhaps most strikingly, the data reveals that immigrants and visible minorities often hold negative views of other marginalized groups at rates equal to — and sometimes even higher than — those of non-immigrant or non-visible minority Canadians.

For example, 22% of visible minorities and 20% of immigrants reported holding unfavorable views of Jewish Canadians. This compares to 11% of non-visible minorities and 12% of non-immigrants.

Similarly, negative sentiment toward Indigenous people was expressed by 17% of visible minorities and 15% of immigrants, slightly higher than the 14% recorded among their counterparts.

The trend continues across multiple communities.

Black Canadians were viewed negatively by 19% of visible minorities and 16% of immigrants, while only 9% of non-visible minorities and 10% of non-immigrants reported similar attitudes.

Chinese Canadians were viewed negatively by 19% of both visible minorities and immigrants, again higher than the 11% and 14% among non-visible minorities and non-immigrants, respectively.

Only in the case of Arab Canadians did the survey find relatively equal levels of prejudice across all categories, with 26-27% of respondents in each demographic expressing negative views, the highest overall rate among the groups surveyed.

These findings disrupt the usual assumptions, said Jack Jedwab, President of the Association for Canadian Studies and author of the report.

His findings show that prejudice in Canada isn’t just something that happens between a white majority and racialized minorities — it can be expressed by anyone and directed at anyone. This adds a new layer to how we understand racism and how we should tackle it.

Language and age also emerged as influential factors in shaping prejudice. For instance, younger Canadians (ages 18–34) reported higher negative views of Jewish (18%) and Arab (22%) communities compared to older respondents.

Among French-speaking Canadians, negative sentiment was significantly more pronounced — 36% held unfavorable views of both Arabs and Jews, compared to 23% and 11% respectively among English speakers.

Religion was another flashpoint in the study.

 Islam was viewed negatively by nearly half (49%) of all respondents — a much higher rate than Christianity (27%) or Judaism (25%). The gap narrowed slightly among younger Canadians, but the contrast remained stark.

Francophone respondents again reported the highest levels of negativity toward Islam (61%) as well as toward Christianity and Judaism, signaling that cultural or regional dynamics also play a role in prejudice.

Interestingly, while visible minorities overall were less likely to express negative views of Islam compared to non-visible minorities (38% versus 51%), that same pattern didn’t hold when it came to other religious groups.

The study does not attempt to explain the underlying causes of these patterns, but it clearly indicates that assumptions about who holds prejudice and toward whom may need to be re-evaluated. In a country that prides itself on diversity and multiculturalism, these results present an uncomfortable but necessary reflection.

The report underscores that in a society as diverse as Canada, discriminatory views are not confined to one group or community. Rather, they circulate across many lines — racial, cultural, linguistic, and generational.

The findings point to the importance of addressing prejudice as a broader social issue that transcends traditional binaries and affects the social fabric in more complex ways than often acknowledged.

Here are the key findings from the report:

• Arabs are the most negatively viewed group in Canada:
  • 27% of immigrants, 26% of visible minorities, 27% of non-visible minorities, and 26% of non-immigrants expressed negative views toward Arabs.
• Immigrants and visible minorities show notable levels of prejudice:
  • Jews: 22% of visible minorities, 20% of immigrants (vs. 11% of non-visible minorities, 12% of non-immigrants).
  • Indigenous: 17% of visible minorities, 15% of immigrants (vs. 14% for both non-visible minorities and non-immigrants).
  • Black people: 19% of visible minorities, 16% of immigrants (vs. 9% of non-visible minorities, 10% of non-immigrants).
  • Chinese: 19% of both visible minorities and immigrants (vs. 11% of non-visible minorities, 14% of non-immigrants).
• Islam is viewed more negatively than other religions:
  • 49% of total respondents expressed negative views of Islam.
  • Compared to 27% for Christianity and 25% for Judaism.
• Francophones express the highest levels of religious and ethnic prejudice:
  • Islam: 61% of Francophones (vs. 45% English speakers).
  • Judaism: 36% of Francophones (vs. 22% English speakers).
  • Christianity: 36% of Francophones (vs. 26% English speakers).
  • Arabs: 36% of Francophones (vs. 23% English speakers).
  • Jews: 22% of Francophones (vs. 11% English speakers).
• Younger Canadians (ages 18–34) reported higher levels of prejudice in certain areas:
  • Jews: 18% negative views (vs. 10% among those 55+).
  • Arabs: 22% (vs. 26–30% in older age groups).
  • Islam: 41% (vs. 52–51% in older age groups).
• Religious prejudice by immigrant status:
  • Islam: 44% of immigrants, 50% of non-immigrants hold negative views.
  • Christianity: 20% of immigrants, 28% of non-immigrants.
  • Judaism: 26% of immigrants, 21% of non-immigrants.
• Community-specific findings:
  • South Asians: 29% reported negative views of Black people; 26% of Jews.
  • Chinese respondents: 30% negative toward Black people; 19% toward Indigenous people.