Canada tops the list of countries that welcome migrants

If you are sure about it, so many around the world share your view that Canada is the world’s most welcoming country for migrants. A new global survey has the data to back this statement and it's interesting to look at.

This survey, a public opinion poll done in 2019, was conducted by Gallop, a US analytics and advisory company. The study involved about 1000 people each from 145 countries.  

The nationals of these countries were asked whether they thought it was good or bad to have migrants in their countries, becoming their neighbors, and getting married into their families. From the responses received, an index was created with each country involved given a score in the range of 0 to 9. The higher scores indicated higher acceptance of migrants in those countries and lower scores quite the opposite.  

The survey results showed that Canada got the highest score among all the countries surveyed. It scored 8.46 out of 9 points. Even the US ranked just 7.95, falling behind Canada in the acceptance of migrants.   

The result of the 2019 survey is a huge leap for Canada from 4^th place in the 2017 survey results. The US also climbed in position from 9^th in the 2017 survey results. 

The results are even more profoundly significant as in 2020, Canada and the US have taken polarised approaches towards immigration. While Canada has become even more willing to accept immigrants, the US has increasingly shut immigrants off. Nevertheless, the popularity of both these countries among immigrants has stood highest and hence putting these 2 countries under the most desired list under immigration. Most migrants from around the world are ready to come to study, settle, and work in Canada as well as in the US.  

Survey Question	Canadian acceptance	U.S. acceptance
...migrants living in your country?	94%	87%
...migrants living in your neighbourhood?	95%	90%
...migrants marrying into your family?	91%	85%

Certainly, political opinions have a large role to play in a scenario where migrants are receiving more or less accepted in a nation. In 2017, as Donald Trump had more supporters the number of people against immigration, which is the policy advocated by Trump, was also more. On the contrary, a majority of Canadians supported Justin Trudeau, who was very much in favor of immigration. This led to the growth of Canada immigration in the years since.  

The survey also interpreted by relating the migrant acceptance levels with political preferences. It was found that when the majority supports immigration friendly political entities, that country becomes more migrant-friendly.  

It was also found that there’s a difference in migrant acceptance among those who identify themselves more with their city/country and those who do the same with their race/religion. For example, in the US, those who identified themselves more with their geographical location accepted migrants more than those who identified themselves more with their social identities. But interestingly, in Canada, this difference was not at all found.  

Political Divides on Migration in Canada, U.S.
	Migrant Acceptance Index U.S.		Migrant Acceptance Index Canada
Approve of Trump	7.10	Approve of Trudeau	8.73
Disapprove of Trump	8.59	Disapprove of Trudeau	8.21
Approve of country's leadership	7.10	Approve of country's leadership	8.59
Disapprove of country's leadership	8.49	Disapprove of country's leadership	8.31

Another factor that affected migrant acceptance was age. The US respondents to the survey who were more aged (55+) were less willing to accept migrants. This difference was absent with regard to Canada.  

Migrant Acceptance by Age in Canada, U.S.
Age	Migrant Acceptance Index U.S.	Migrant Acceptance Index Canada
15-29	8.34	8.32
30-44	8.11	8.54
45-54	8.04	8.53
55-64	7.79	8.41
65+	7.37	8.51

 It was also found in the survey that acceptance of migrants was higher among those who lived in urban areas and are more educated.   

Here are the consolidated results of the survey to determine the migrant acceptance level in different countries of the world. 

Most Accepting Countries for Migrants
Country	Migrant Acceptance Index
Canada	8.46
Iceland	8.41
New Zealand	8.32
Australia	8.28
Sierra Leone	8.14
United States	7.95
Burkina Faso	7.93
Sweden	7.92
Chad	7.91
Ireland/Rwanda	7.88

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.   

If you found this blog engaging, you may also like…   

Quebec’s largest draw of 2020 invites 365 immigrants