While 54% of Americans say country is “very important” to them personally, only 47% of Canadians concur.
Vancouver, BC [January 6, 2025] – The perceptions of Canadians and Americans on specific features of life have shifted over the past couple of years, a new two-country Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of representative national samples, 76% of Canadians and 74% of Americans say family is “very important” to them personally. This represents a three-point increase in Canada since 2023 and a three-point drop in the United States since 2022.
More than half of Canadians (51%, +2) say friends are “very important” to them. The proportions are lower for country (47%, +2), career (38%, +6), religion (26%, +1) and affluence (15%, +2).
In the United States, majorities of residents consider friends (56%, +1) and country (54%, +3) as “very important”. Fewer Americans feel the same way about career (41%, +1), religion (40%, +2) and affluence (21%, +9).
Just over two-in-five Americans aged 55 and over (43%) say religion is “very important” to them. The numbers are significantly lower among Canadians aged 55 and over (22%).
“In 2020 and 2021, only 29% of Canadians said career was very important to them,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “The proportion in 2024 is nine points higher.”
Fewer than three-in-five Canadians (57%, +2) describe themselves as “very spiritual” or “moderately spiritual.” In the United States, seven-in-ten residents (70%, +3) feel this way.
More than half of Canadians (51%, +2) and almost two thirds of Americans (65%, +2) describe their religious faith as Christian. Just under a third of Canadians (32%, -2) and fewer than one-in-four Americans (23%, -2) say they are atheist, agnostic or have no religious faith.
The Canadian province with the largest proportion of atheist, agnostic or non-religious residents is British Columbia (45%, +4). In the United States, residents of the Midwest are more likely to not have a specific religious faith (31%, +4) than their counterparts in the remaining census regions.
Just over one third of Canadians (34%, +4) say they never attend religious gatherings, while 23% (+1) go to a church, temple or synagogue at least once a week.
In the United States, almost a third of Americans (32%, +9) go to a church, temple or synagogue at least once a week, while more than one-in-four (27%, =) never do.
Methodology: Results are based on an online survey conducted from November 8 to November 10, 2024, among 1,000 adults in Canada and 1,001 adults in the United States. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in each country. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, for each country.
Find our data tables for Canada here, data tables for the United States here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca