No Longer the Exception: An exploration of factors affecting decreasing positive attitudes towards immigration in Canada post-COVID-19

Abstract

Canadians have historically been receptive towards high levels of immigration in Canada in comparison to other Western countries. However, in the post-COVID-19 era, public opinion polls have indicated that there has been a decline in positive attitudes towards immigration in Canada. The purpose of this paper is to analyze factors rooted in previous academic literature which have been correlated to affecting historical shifts in public opinion towards immigration. These factors will be analyzed and applied to the existing declining trends of public opinion towards immigration in the post-COVID-19 period, which is when surveys passed the majority threshold against immigration support in Canada. This paper will use an analysis of primary and secondary sources—including newspaper articles, academic journals, government reports, and survey research—to determine historical and societal factors that might be correlated to current shifts. The factors analyzed are economic perceptions, media, and a broad category of individual-level factors which will include education levels, labor market positions, and political party affiliation. This paper concludes that political party affiliation with a shift towards conservatism is highly convincing in affecting the decline. However, more research on the impacts of other interconnected factors discussed, such as salience in media and economic perceptions, is necessary. This study is significant because public immigration attitudes can affect policies, elections, and social cohesion in Canada. Identifying these potential factors impacting perceptions may provide direction for initiatives aimed at alleviating negative public opinions.