Poll: Asia 'important' to Canada

Most Canadians believe that Asian technology, immigrants, culture and economic growth will positively impact Canada in the next 10 to 20 years, according to a poll released by the Asia Pacific Foundation (APF) of Canada.

The 2021 National Opinion Poll: Canada's Generational Perspectives on Asia hosted by APF Canada surveyed 2,592 Canadian citizens and permanent residents across the country.

It found that 70 percent Canadians believe that technology and innovation in Asia will have a positive impact; 62 percent say the same for immigration from Asia; 58 percent for the influence of Asian cultures and traditions in Canada, and 57 percent for economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

"We also found that our younger generations, particularly millennials, hold warmer feelings toward Asia than Canada's older generations, while the majority of Canadians across all generations believe it is important for Canada's future to build competency about Asian culture, society, languages, protocols and religions — although younger generations are more likely to believe that this is true," said Dr Sreyoshi Dey, the program manager for Perspectives Asia at APF Canada, at the survey's virtual launch on Tuesday.

Interestingly, according to Dey, they found that while 15 percent of all respondents self-identified as being of Asian descent, 29 percent of Generation Z (ages 18 to 24) identify as being of Asian heritage.

"Canadians of Asian descent across the survey reported a higher interest and awareness about Asian culture, languages and current events and express warmer feelings toward Asia than Canadians who do not share Asian heritage," said Dey.

The poll also found that 70 percent of respondents across all age groups had "too little" or "no exposure" to Asia in high school, while 46 percent of respondents who said they are interested in learning more about Asia believe an increased emphasis on teaching about Asia in the Canadian education system would be an "effective" method of building Canadians' awareness about Asia and Asians.

"Our latest poll also touched on languages and found that 13 percent of Canadians have conversational fluency in at least one Asian language," Dey continued. "The majority are Canadians of Asian descent, with younger Canadians more likely to speak an Asian language than older generations. And, while younger generations are more enthusiastic about learning an Asian language than older generations, 70 percent of all Canadians said they would be open to learning an Asian language."

Among respondents who can speak an Asian language, 70 percent know Cantonese or Mandarin (Chinese); about 21 percent speak Hindi, and 15 percent speak Punjabi.

When asked about languages Canadians would like to learn the most besides English or French, Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese (12 percent), and Japanese (6 percent) were the second and fourth top choices. Spanish was first at 46 percent; Italian third at 8 percent.

"Canada's younger generations are considerably more diverse than our older generations in terms of their ethnicity and lived experiences of multiculturalism," said Jeff Nankivell, president and CEO of APF Canada. "As our latest poll shows us, these young Canadians have a heightened awareness and greater enthusiasm for engagement with Asia and Asian peoples and culture. This bodes well for Canada, as we seek to strengthen and build relationships across this growing and dynamic region."

Almost half of Gen Zers and millennials believe it is "important" or "very important" to understand Asian society and culture for Canada's future economic growth and social diversity, compared with about 35 percent of the two older generations.

Notably, twice as many Canadians of Asian descent said understanding Asia is "important" or "very important" for Canada's future economic growth and social diversity compared with the rest of the respondents, according to the report.

"Importantly, this year's poll also underscores the important work being done in building Asia competency here at home," added Nankivell. "It helps identify gaps in Canadians' awareness about Asia — and effective ways to fill those gaps to help prepare young Canadians for the changing socioeconomic realities of Canada and the global economy."