By Mata Press Service

Canadians remain broadly supportive of multiculturalism and racial diversity even as concern about the country’s immigration levels has climbed to a striking 71 per cent, according to a major new national study.
The apparent contradiction is at the centre of the Canadian Diversity Study 2026, which finds that dissatisfaction with the number of newcomers entering Canada has not translated into widespread rejection of immigrants, multiculturalism or the country’s changing racial composition.
Two-thirds of Canadians, or 66 per cent, agree multiculturalism has contributed positively to the Canadian identity. Just 25 per cent disagree.
When respondents were asked in their own words what multiculturalism meant to them, 64 per cent gave positive descriptions, often referring to acceptance, peaceful coexistence, equal rights and freedom to practise different cultures or religions. Only six per cent described it negatively, while 30 per cent did not offer an answer.
The findings suggest the public debate over immigration is more complicated than a simple divide between those who welcome diversity and those who oppose it.
“Even among Canadians who currently hold more negative opinions about immigration, a majority, about three in five, has a positive opinion about the impact of multiculturalism,” the report said.
The study was produced by the Environics Institute for Survey Research and the Bridging Divides research program at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Global Migration Institute.
It is based on an online survey of 6,818 adults conducted between March 4 and April 24, 2026. The researchers oversampled immigrants, Indigenous Peoples and Canada’s main racial identity groups to allow comparisons among communities.
The strongest public agreement was found around equal treatment.
Eighty-seven per cent said no one in Canada should experience discrimination because of who they are or where they come from. Eighty-one per cent agreed young Canadians are fortunate to grow up among friends from different races and religions.
Nearly two-thirds, or 64 per cent, said they would be happy if someone in their family married a person of another race. Only 31 per cent said they felt uncomfortable hearing languages other than English or French spoken on Canadian streets, while 63 per cent disagreed.
Two-thirds also supported stronger government action, with 67 per cent agreeing that governments should do much more to ensure racialized Canadians are treated fairly.
Support weakened when multiculturalism involved creating separate institutions rather than ensuring equal treatment within shared ones.
Fifty-eight per cent said immigrants should be encouraged to retain their cultures and languages if they choose. But only 40 per cent supported allowing specific ethnic or religious communities to operate schools separate from the public system. Forty-seven per cent opposed the idea.
The report describes this as a clear gradient in public opinion: Canadians strongly support protection against discrimination and generally value diversity but are less comfortable with arrangements that treat communities differently or place them in separate institutions.
Attitudes also vary considerably by background.
Eighty-one per cent of racialized Canadians said multiculturalism has strengthened the Canadian identity, compared with 62 per cent of white Canadians and 63 per cent of Indigenous respondents.
Support reached 77 per cent among first-generation immigrants and 73 per cent among second-generation immigrants. Among Canadians born to Canadian-born parents, the figure fell to 58 per cent, though supporters still outnumbered opponents by almost two to one.
Muslim respondents were among the most supportive, with 80 per cent agreeing multiculturalism had contributed positively to Canada. The figure was 66 per cent among Christians and 63 per cent among those with no religion.
Regionally, support was highest in British Columbia at 73 per cent and lowest in Quebec at 56 per cent.
The sharpest warning for policymakers comes from attitudes toward immigration volume.
Seventy-one per cent agreed there is too much immigration to Canada. The report said the rise in concern followed rapid population growth during a housing and affordability crisis, after which Ottawa began reducing targets for permanent and temporary arrivals.
Yet 60 per cent still agreed that Canada should be a country that fully welcomes immigrants from around the world.
The study divided Canadians into three broad camps. About one in five held consistently positive views, supporting current immigration and a welcoming Canada. Thirty-six per cent held mixed views, saying immigration levels were too high while still supporting the principle of welcoming immigrants.
About one-third expressed negative views on both questions. That figure rose to 41 per cent among Canadians born in Canada to Canadian-born parents.
Researchers said the large mixed group shows that concern about immigration levels cannot automatically be interpreted as hostility toward immigrants.
That distinction also emerged when respondents were asked how Canada should choose newcomers.
By a margin of more than four to one, Canadians preferred selecting immigrants for their education and skills, regardless of their country of origin. Sixty-five per cent supported that approach, while 15 per cent favoured accepting immigrants from some countries but not others. Twenty per cent were uncertain.
Even among those who strongly believed immigration was too high, only about one in five preferred selection based on country of origin. A clear majority still favoured choosing the strongest applicants based on their qualifications.
The study also found a strong sense of attachment to Canada across racial and immigration groups.
Eighty-two per cent reported a strong or somewhat strong sense of belonging to the country, with little significant variation among immigrants, non-immigrants and different racial identities.
Among immigrants who arrived within the past decade, nine in 10 said they and their families had been made to feel welcome in their local communities. Thirty-three per cent felt very welcome and 58 per cent generally welcome.
Three-quarters of Canadians said their cultural identity is respected. Agreement was slightly higher among racialized respondents, at 81 per cent, than among white respondents, at 74 per cent.
Still, one in four Canadians said they felt pressure to hide or downplay their cultural identity, a feeling that was more common among younger people.
The wider picture of race relations remains positive, though the report detected some weakening. Sixty-one per cent said people from different ethnic and racial backgrounds generally get along well in Canada, nearly three times the 22 per cent who said relations were bad. The positive rating, however, was lower than when the question was asked in 2024.
The study concludes that Canada’s multicultural consensus remains intact, but should not be taken for granted.