Americans more likely to feel favourably about Canada than own country

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There are few countries on the planet that get along as well as the United States and Canada do.

Sharing the world’s largest international border, the two nations have been cooperating, trading resources, and mixing cultures for generations. But amidst all our similarities are a world of differences — especially on the emotional front.

According to a new study from the Angus Reid Institute, Canadians are more unified than Americans in viewing their country as a caring, safe place and a positive contributor to the globe.

The survey, which features results based on the responses from a randomized sample of 1,649 Canadian adults and 1,025 American adults, found that four-in-five Canadians (78%) say their country is a caring society, while just one-in-three Americans say the same (36%).

The topic of safety produced similar results. According to Angus Reid, 89% of Canadians believe their country is safe, while about half of Americans (46%) say the same about their homeland.

Angus Reid

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The data also shows that Canadians are more critical of the US than Americans. When asked whether the United States had a good system of government, was a safe country, and a caring society, Canadians were less likely to respond favourably than the other country’s citizens.

Interestingly, though, Canadians are more likely (67%) than Americans (51%) to feel that the United States is a “prosperous” country.

Angus Reid

The opposite was true when Americans were asked about Canada. On every question asked, Americans are more likely than Canadians to favour the neighbouring country over their own nation. This is most obvious in two locations. A large portion (64%) of Americans agree that Canada is a safe country. Additionally, more than half (56%) say that Canada is a caring country, 20 points more than say this of the US (36%).

Click here to read the entire Angus Reid report.