More Canadians than ever view Islam as damaging to Canadian society, a new poll reveals.
The survey from the Angus Reid Institute, conducted online from Nov. 24 to Dec. 1 among 3,749 Canadian adults, asked respondents to rate eight faith groups on whether they were benefitting or damaging to Canada and Canadian society.
The results show that Canadians are largely consistent in their views of religions since the last time the survey was conducted in 2022, with one notable exception.
Islam, which was already seen as the most damaging religion by a plurality of Canadians in 2022, has seen its negative perception increase significantly in 2023.
Now, 43% of Canadians say Islam is a harmful presence to Canada, compared to 14% who say it is a positive contributor. This is a threefold increase in the proportion of Canadians who view Islam negatively since 2022.
The survey also finds that Canadians are aware of and concerned about the discrimination faced by both Jewish and Muslim communities in Canada.
Three-quarters of Canadians say that both antisemitism and anti-Muslim discrimination are significant issues in the country, while only 11% say that they are not really problems.
However, there are some differences in how Canadians perceive the severity of these problems based on their age. Older Canadians are more likely to see antisemitism as a major problem than younger Canadians.
Meanwhile, younger Canadians are more likely to see anti-Muslim discrimination as a major problem than older Canadians.
The survey also includes a sample of 114 Canadian Jews and 111 Canadian Muslims, who were asked about their own experiences and opinions on religious issues in Canada.
The full report and methodology can be found on the Angus Reid Institute website.
