Canadians View Non-Christian Religions With Uncertainty, Dislike – Hindu Press International – Hindu Press International – Hinduism Today Magazine
CANADA, October 2, 2013 (Canadian Public Opinion Poll): The last of three national surveys about values and religion in Canada shows English and French Canadians most favorable towards Christianity and least favorable towards Islam. Favorability of all religions is down since 2009.
The results from the last of three comprehensive national surveys about religion, religious freedom and values by Angus Reid Global show, as a whole, (54%) of Canadians view Islam unfavorably, while almost three quarters (73%) hold a favorable opinion of Christianity. Favorable opinions of other religions vary, with Buddhism (56%) and Judaism (51%) coming second and third to Christianity, followed by Hinduism (44%) and the Sikh faith (29%).
Demographics tell another story, with younger and university educated Canadian adults holding more favorable opinions of non-Judeo-Christian religions. The same trend emerges when Canadians were asked whether it would be acceptable or unacceptable if their children married people from non-Judeo-Christian religions. Canadian adults aged 18-34 and those with a university education were most accepting of this scenario. Scenarios where children were to marry a Christian partner were the only ones to garner widespread acceptance across regional, age and educational lines.
“The Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees our ability to practice the religions of our choice in Canada,” says Kurl. “However, how much we choose to educate our neighbors about our faiths may be one factor in the deep disconnect between how we perceive different religions in this country.”