Canadians maple-syrupy sweet on their country, poll suggests

The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey asking Canadians to rank their pride in Canada on a scale of one to 10 found that 57 per cent gave their country the highest mark. Another 25 per cent gave it an eight or a nine, while just three per cent ranked their pride lower than a five.

The average score for pride in Canada was 8.85. Women, with an average pride level of 8.94, were slightly more proud of their country than men, who averaged 8.75.

Albertans were the proudest of Canada, with an average ranking of 9.43. Quebecers, with an average of 7.82, were the least proud of Canada. However, only a small fraction of Quebecers rated their pride lower than a five out of 10.

A majority in all other provinces and territories rated their pride in Canada a 10.

Bruce Anderson, president of Harris-Decima, said the poll suggests that while Canadians may not be as overtly patriotic as their American neighbours, there's still a strong sense of pride across far-flung corners of the country.

"There is something abidingly pride-building about the notion of Canada, and that's true right across the country," he said.

Along political lines, Liberal supporters had the highest national pride at 9.26, followed by the Conservatives at 9.18, the Green party at 8.94 and the New Democrats at 8.70.

A majority of Bloc Quebecois supporters said they were proud of their country, with a quarter of those surveyed saying their pride was a nine or a 10 out of 10.

Another 31 per cent of BQ backers put their pride levels between six and eight, and 21 per cent said their pride was a five. About a fifth of Bloc supporters put their pride below five.

The survey also suggests Canadians' pride in their country hasn't wavered in recent years, with 68 per cent of respondents saying their pride hasn't changed. The 15 per cent of those who said their pride has decreased were offset by the 15 per cent whose pride increased.

Asked what made them most proud of Canada, 30 per cent of Canadians said freedom. That was followed by nine per cent for health care, seven per cent for diversity, six per cent for beauty and the environment, and four per cent for the lifestyle.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper touched on the theme of togetherness in his annual Canada Day message.

"Fellow Canadians, every day in countless ways, we are working together to achieve the greatness our country deserves," he said in a statement.

"That's why on this Canada Day, we are prouder than ever to call ourselves Canadian."

The telephone poll of 1,000 Canadians was conducted June 26-29 and is considered accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times in 20.