If given the opportunity, 43% of young Canadians would vote to become American.
Ipsos’ Darrell Bricker told Global News that due to the current trajectory of the country, a particular group of people in Canada—mainly the youth—are going through tough times. Specifically, if given the chance to vote on merging Canada with the United States, most of them would prefer to seek opportunities in the U.S. They have expressed the same sentiment regarding holding their Canadian dollars in U.S. dollars and securing American citizenship if permitted. This is quite disheartening.
U.S. President Donald Trump has made multiple social media posts referring to Canada as the 51st state of the United States. However, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other Canadian politicians have dismissed such remarks outright.
In a new Ipsos survey, Canadians were asked whether they would want to become part of the United States. Four out of ten respondents said they would vote in favor of American citizenship if their assets could be converted to U.S. dollars. This sentiment was most common among those aged 18 to 34. Among older age groups, three out of ten shared the same opinion.
Bricker stated that Canadians are highly patriotic. When asked whether they would join the U.S. or remain in Canada, 80% said they would definitely stay in Canada. Additionally, 48% believed Trump’s remarks posed a serious threat to Canada’s independence, while 43% of respondents thought his comments should be taken seriously.
On a provincial level, two out of ten Canadians supported their province becoming part of the United States. However, this was particularly the case if Alberta and Quebec were to become independent states.
Furthermore, 20% of survey respondents said that a union between Canada and the U.S. is only a matter of time. However, 80% disagreed with this view. Meanwhile, 27% of Canadians believed that Alberta, Quebec, or both would separate from Canada within the next ten years.
