A majority of Canadians say there is too much immigration to this country, a new poll suggests, but the percentage of people who believe this has remained stable after a sharp rise over two previous years.
The poll, which was conducted by the Environics Institute for Survey Research in partnership with other groups, also found a widening partisan divide among respondents. Supporters of the federal Conservatives are much more likely to be critical of immigration levels compared with people who support the Liberals or New Democrats.
The survey interviewed 2,004 Canadians via telephone (landline and cellphone) between Sept. 8 and 21. The margin of error for this sample size is plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The survey has been conducted over decades using broad questions to track Canadians’ feelings about immigration.
Fifty-six per cent of respondents said they agreed with the statement, “Overall, there is too much immigration to Canada,” while 38 per cent said they disagreed with it.
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In 2022, only 27 per cent agreed; in 2023, 44 per cent said they agreed.
In 2024, that number was 58 per cent.
“From a broad national public opinion point of view, that steep increase that took place over two years has levelled off,” said Keith Neuman, a senior associate with the Environics Institute.
“The overall proportion of agree versus disagree is comparable, but it’s not going up any more.”
The shift suggests that people have recognized the government’s changes to immigration levels, he said.
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When respondents were asked why they thought there was too much immigration, they cited concerns such as the system being poorly managed by government, that it is bad for the economy, and that immigrants place pressure on housing prices and supply.
On a partisan basis, the poll found that 82 per cent of Conservative supporters agree there is too much immigration, which is up two percentage points from 2024.
Forty per cent of Liberal supporters say the same, a drop of five percentage points from last year, with 30 per cent among NDP supporters agreeing, a drop of six percentage points.
Fifty-seven per cent of Bloc Québécois supporters agree there is too much immigration, which is up seven percentage points from last year.
Toronto Metropolitan University professor Anna Triandafyllidou, who is the Canada Excellence Research Chair in migration and integration, said the political polarization around immigration is a concern. “We need a sober conversation,” on the issue, she said.
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The results suggest public opinion is volatile and being driven by economic or cost of living challenges, she said.
In the survey, Canadians were asked other questions on how they felt about immigration.
When asked if “Canada accepts too many immigrants from racial minority groups,” 39 per cent agreed and 47 per cent disagreed.
And more than one-third – 36 per cent – agreed that immigration increases the level of crime in Canada, though 56 per cent said they disagreed with the idea.
The poll noted that opinion for both of those questions did not vary between racialized Canadians and people who identify as white.
Additionally, the survey found that the majority of respondents – 60 per cent – think there are too many people coming to Canada who are not adopting Canadian values.
Despite the concerns, 81 per cent of Canadians think an immigrant can make just as good a citizen as someone born here. Seventy per cent also think the economic impact of immigration is positive.
When asked what makes Canada unique, 36 per cent of respondents cited multiculturalism or identity, including diversity and accepting immigrants and refugees.