Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T19:46:32.621Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Small Worlds of Diversity: Views toward Immigration and Racial Minorities in Canadian Provinces

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2012

Antoine Bilodeau ,
Luc Turgeon  and
Ekrem Karakoç
Antoine Bilodeau*
Affiliation:
Concordia University
Luc Turgeon*
Affiliation:
Université d'Ottawa
Ekrem Karakoç*
Affiliation:
Binghamton University, SUNY
*
Antoine Bilodeau, Department of Political Science, Concordia University, 1455 boulevard de Maisonneuve Ouest, Montréal, Québec H3G 1M8, [email protected].
Luc Turgeon, École d'études politiques, Université d'Ottawa, 120 Université, pièce 7005, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, [email protected].
Ekrem Karakoç, Department of Political Science, Binghamton University, SUNY, Binghamton, NY, [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Abstract. Canadian provinces have long been considered as “small worlds,” each with its own cultural distinctiveness and province-building dynamics. This article examines whether these same provincial specificities are observed in terms of attitudes toward immigration intakes and racial diversity. Three questions are asked. First, are there important variations in views toward immigration and racial minorities across Canadian provinces within the native-born white Canadian population? Second, have the differences and similarities changed between 1988 and 2008? And third, do specific provincial economic, demographic, and cultural realities shape provincial public opinion on these matters? The findings indicate that there are significant differences and commonalities in how all provinces react to immigration and racial diversity, that native-born white Canadians have grown increasingly accepting of immigration and racial diversity over time and that views toward immigration and racial diversity are distinct from each other and each responds to a specific set of provincial realities.

Résumé. Les provinces canadiennes constituent de “petits univers,” chacune possédant sa propre culture et sa propre dynamique politique. Cet article explore si de telles spécificités provinciales peuvent être également observées en ce qui a trait aux attitudes par rapport à l'immigration et à la diversité raciale. Nous posons trois questions. Premièrement, y a-t-il des différences d'opinions quant à l'immigration et aux minorités raciales entre provinces canadiennes au sein de la population blanche née au Canada? Deuxièmement, est-ce que les similarités et les différences entre les provinces ont changé entre 1988 et 2008? Et troisièmement, est-ce que les réalités économiques, démographiques et culturelles provinciales influencent l'opinion publique provinciale sur ces questions? Les résultats de l'étude indiquent qu'il y a à la fois des similarités et des différences quant aux attitudes des différentes provinces sur l'immigration et la diversité raciale, que la population blanche née au Canada s'est montrée de plus en plus ouverte à l'immigration et à la diversité raciale au cours de la période à l'étude, et que les attitudes par rapport à l'immigration et la diversité raciale ne sont pas identiques et qu'elles répondent chacune à leur façon à un certain nombre de réalités provinciales.

Type
Symposium: Immigration, Multiculturalism, and Identity Politics in Canada and the United States
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 45 , Issue 3 , September 2012 , pp. 579 - 605
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, Cameron. 2010. “Regional Heterogeneity and Policy Preferences in Canada: 1979–2006.” Regional and Federal Studies 20(4-5): 447–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Banting, Keith G. 2010. “Is There a Progressive's Dilemma in Canada? Immigration, Multiculturalism and the Welfare State.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 43(4): 797–820.Google Scholar
Berry, John W. and Kalin, Rudolf. 1995. “Multiculturalism and Ethnic Attitudes in Canada: An Overview of the 1991 Survey.” Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science 27: 301–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berry, John W., Kalin, Rudolf and Taylor, Donald M.. 1976. Multiculturalism and Ethnic Attitudes in Canada. Ottawa: Supply and Services Canada.Google Scholar
Binder, Norman E., Polinard, J. L. and Wrinkle, Robert D.. 1997. “Mexican American and Anglo Attitudes toward Immigration Reform: A View from the Border.” Social Science Quarterly 78(2): 324–37.Google Scholar
Blake, Donald E. 2003. “Environmental Determinants of Racial Attitudes among White Canadians.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 36(3): 491–503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blumer, Herbert. 1958. “Race Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position.” The Pacific Sociological Review 1(1): 3–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bobo, Lawrence and Hutchings, Vincent L.. 1996. “Perceptions of Racial Group Competition: Extending Blumer's Theory of Group Position to a Multiracial Social Context.” American Sociological Review 61(6): 951–72.Google Scholar
Brown, Rupert. 1995. Prejudice: Its Social Psychology. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Capozza, D. and Brown, Rupert. 2000. Social Identity Processes: Trends in Theory and Research. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publications.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elkins, David J. and Simeon, Richard. 1980. Small Worlds: Provinces and Parties in Canadian Political Life. Toronto: Methuen.Google Scholar
Epenshade, Thomas J. and Hempstead, Katherine. 1996. “Contemporary American Attitudes toward US Immigration.” International Migration Review 30(2): 535–70.Google Scholar
Escandell, Xavier and Ceobanu, Alin M.. 2010. “Nationalisms and Anti-Immigrant Sentiment in Spain.” South European Society and Politics 15(2): 157–79.Google Scholar
Ford, Robert. 2008. “Is Racial Prejudice Declining in Britain?” British Journal of Sociology 59(4): 609–36.Google Scholar
Ford, Robert. 2011. “Acceptable and Unacceptable Immigrants: How Opposition to Immigration in Britain is Affected by Migrants' Region of Origin.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 37(7): 1017–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garcea, Joseph. 2006. “Provincial Multiculturalism Policies in Canada, 1974–2004: A Content Analysis.” Canadian Ethnic Studies 38(3): 1–20.Google Scholar
Gidengil, Elisabeth, Blais, André, Nadeau, Richard and Nevitte, Neil. 2002. “Language and Cultural Insecurity.” In Quebec: State and Society, ed. Gagnon, Alain G.. 3rd ed.Toronto: University of Toronto Press.Google Scholar
Glaser, James M. 1994. “Back to the Black Belt: Racial Environment and White Racial Attitudes in the South.” The Journal of Politics 56(1): 21–41.Google Scholar
Hainmueller, Jans and Hiscox, Michael J.. 2007. “Educated Preferences: Explaining Attitudes toward Immigration in Europe.” International Organization 61(2): 399–442.Google Scholar
Henderson, Ailsa. 2010a. “Why Regions Matter: Sub-state Polities in Comparative Perspective.” Regional and Federal Studies 20(4-5): 439–45.Google Scholar
Henderson, Ailsa. 2010b. “‘Small Worlds’ as Predictors of General Political Attitudes.” Regional and Federal Studies 20(4-5): 469–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hood, M. V. and Morris, Irwin L.. 1997. “¿Amigo o Enemigo?: Context, Attitudes, and Anglo Public Opinion toward Immigration.” Social Science Quarterly 78(2): 309–23.Google Scholar
Hox, J. J. 2002. Multilevel analysis: Techniques and applications. Mahwah NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Johnston, Richard, Banting, Keith, Kymlicka, Will and Soroka, Stuart. 2010. “National Identity and Support for the Welfare State.” Canadian Journal Political Science 43: 349–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalin, Rudolf. 1996. “Ethnic Attitudes as a Function of Ethnic Presence.” Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science 28: 171–90.Google Scholar
Kalin, Rudolf. and Berry, J.W.. 1994. “Ethnic and Multicultural Attitudes.” In Ethnicity and Culture in Canada: The Research Landscape, ed. Kalin, Rudy and Laponce, Jean. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.Google Scholar
Kymlicka, Will. 2008. “Marketing Canadian Pluralism in the International Arena.” In The Comparative Turn in Canadian Politics, ed. White, Linda, Simeon, Richard, Vipond, Robert and Wallner, Jennifer. Vancouver: UBC Press.Google Scholar
Lambert, Ronald D. and Curtis, James E.. 1983. “Opposition to Multiculturalism among Québécois and English-Canadians.” Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology 20(2): 193–206.Google Scholar
Meuleman, Bart, Davidov, Eldad and Billiet, Jaak. 2009. “Changing Attitudes Toward Immigration in Europe, 2002–2007: A Dynamic Group Conflict Theory Approach.” Social Science Research 38(2): 352–65.Google Scholar
Mulder, Marlene and Krahn, Harvey. 2005. “Individual and Community-level Determinants of Support for Immigration and Cultural Diversity in Canada.” Canadian Review of Sociology 42(4): 421–44.Google Scholar
Muthen, Bengt O, and Satorra, Albert. 1995. “Complex Data in Structural Equation Modeling.” Sociological Methodology 25: 267–316.Google Scholar
Nanos, Nik. 2010. “Canadians Strongly Support Immigration, but Don't Want Current Levels Increased.” Policy Options: 10–14.Google Scholar
Niemi, R.G. and Hepburn, M.A.. 1995. “The Rebirth of Political Socialization.” Perspectives on Political Science 24: 7–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Rourke, Kevin H. and Sinnott, Richard. 2006. “The Determinants of Individual Attitudes toward Immigration.” European Journal of Political Economy 22(4): 838–61.Google Scholar
Palmer, Douglas L. 1996. “Determinants of Canadian Attitudes toward Immigration: More than Just Racism?” Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science 28: 180–92.Google Scholar
Paquet, Mireille. 2011. “The Canadian Mosaic of Reception: Provincial Integration Regimes.” Paper presented at the 13th National Metropolis Conference, Vancouver.Google Scholar
Quillian, Lincoln. 1995. “Prejudice as a Response to Perceived Group Threat: Population Composition and Anti-Immigrant and Racial Prejudice in Europe.” American Sociological Review 60(4): 586–611.Google Scholar
Scheve, K., and Slaughter, M.. 2001. “Labor Market Competition and Individual Preferences over Immigration Policy.” Review of Economics and Statistics 83(1): 133–45.Google Scholar
Sears, D. O. 1993. “Symbolic Politics: A Socio-Psychological Theory.” In Explorations in Political Psychology, ed. Iyengar, S. and McGuire, W. J.. Durham NC: Duke University Press.Google Scholar
Seidle, F. Leslie. 2010. The Canada–Ontario Immigration Agreement: Assessment and Options for Renewal. Toronto: Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation.Google Scholar
Semyonov, Moshe, Raijman, Rebeca, Tov, A.Y. and Schmidt, Peter. 2004. “Population Size, Perceived Threat, and Exclusion: A Multiple-Indicators Analysis of Attitudes toward Foreigners in Germany.” Social Science Research 33(4): 681–701.Google Scholar
Semyonov, Moshe, Raijman, Rebeca and Gorodzeisky, Anastasia. 2006. “The Rise of Anti-foreigner Sentiment in European Societies, 1988–2000.” American Sociological Review 71(3): 426–49.Google Scholar
Sniderman, Paul M., Hafendoorn, Louk and Prior, Markus. 2004. “Predisposing Factors and Situational Triggers: Exclusionary Reactions to Immigrant Minorities.” American Political Science Review 98: 35–49.Google Scholar
Wilkes, Rima and Corrigall-Brown, Catherine. 2011. “Explaining time trends in public opinion: Attitudes towards immigration and immigrants.” International Journal of Comparative Sociology 51(1-2): 79–99.Google Scholar
Wilkes, Rima, Guppy, Neil and Farris, Lily. 2008. “‘No Thanks, We're Full’: Individual Characteristics, National Context, and Changing Attitudes Towards Immigration.” International Migration Review 42(2): 302–29.Google Scholar