A survey shows bilingual Canadians value the importance of Canada’s two official languages much more highly than those who only speak one language.
That is one of the most striking findings of the poll conducted last spring for the federal Heritage department by Montreal-based Ad hoc Research, said Jack Jedwab, head of the Association for Canadian Studies.
The report submitted to the Heritage department in November found francophones are far more likely to value bilingualism and to believe French is threatened than their English-speaking counterparts.
“Overall, francophones are more positive and engaged than anglophones with regard to bilingualism and the linguistic duality of Canada,” the report states.
For example, 84 per cent of francophones think having two languages is culturally enriching, compared with only 60 per cent of anglophones who think so.
Francophones are also more open to language exchange programs in schools than anglophones (94 per cent vs. 73 per cent) and more likely to think knowing both official languages improves the chances of finding a job (94 per cent of francophones compared with 76 per cent of anglophones).
But when you break down the numbers, there is a sharp divergence within both language groups between bilingual respondents and unilingual ones, Jedwab noted.
For example, 84 per cent of bilingual anglophones think linguistic duality is culturally enriching, while only 49 per cent of unilingual anglophones think so.
Ninety-one per cent of bilingual francophones think having two languages is culturally enriching, compared with 77 per cent of unilingual francophones.
Ninety per cent of bilingual anglophones say they would be interested in school language exchanges, while only 66 per cent of unilingual anglophones are interested.
Eighty-eight per cent of bilingual francophone say they would be interested in language exchanges, while only 81 per cent of unilingual francophones are.
When it comes to the advantages of bilingualism on the job market, 91 per cent of bilingual anglophones think knowing both official languages improves the chances of finding a job, while only 71 per cent of unilingual anglos do so.
Among francophones, 94 per cent of both bilingual and unilingual respondents agreed being bilingual makes you more employable.
Eighty-three per cent of bilingual anglophones think the two official languages are an important part of what it means to be Canadian, but only 56 per cent of unilingual anglophones think so.
Asked if the two official languages are an important part of what it means to be Canadian, 92 per cent of bilingual francophones think it is, compared with 78 per cent of unilingual francophones.
On whether “learning the two official languages contributes to better understanding among Canadians,” 95 per cent of bilinguals in both language groups agreed it is, compared with 70 per cent of unilingual anglophones and 86 per cent of unilingual francophones.
The federally commissioned survey on bilingualism sparked controversy in some French-language media last week for suggesting “Two Solitudes” persist between French- and English-speaking Canadians on the value of having two official languages.
The expression comes from a 1945 novel by Hugh MacLennan that depicted the separate lives of the two language groups.
But Jedwab said when you dig deeper into the responses from bilingual anglophones and francophones, you realize knowing a second official language significantly alters attitudes on language.
“If you look at this globally, anglophones and francophones do have differences in their attitudes toward bilingualism.
“But some of that is conditioned by … their ability to speak the other (official language). And that’s what is being masked by the ‘Two Solitudes’ paradigm,” he said.
Bilingualism is highest among francophones living outside of Quebec, of whom 84 per cent speak both official languages, according to the 2011 Census.
The second-most bilingual group is Quebec anglos, of whom 68 per cent speak both languages.
Thirty-eight per cent of francophones in Quebec are bilingual.
Only seven per cent of anglophones outside Quebec speak French.
While bilingualism has a significant impact on how Canadians perceive the benefits of knowing both languages, it does not decrease the differences of opinion between francophones and anglophones on whether French is endangered.
The survey found 74 per cent of French-speaking Canadians think French is threatened, compared with only 34 per cent of anglophones.
There was no significant difference between bilingual anglophones (35 per cent) and unilingual anglophones (34 per cent) on whether French is threatened in Canada.
But bilingualism decreased francophones’ likelihood of believing French to be threatened, with 66 per cent of bilingual francophones saying it is under threat, compared with 78 per cent of unilingual francophones.
The survey was commissioned to gauge attitudes and develop programs on official languages. It was conducted April 27-May 26, 2016 by telephone among 1,501 respondents. The results are said to be accurate within 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
