I think maybe it’s time we take a break from the potty talk. Don’t worry, we’ll get back to that soon. Instead, I want to tell you about this fabulous book I got for my birthday from Beloved and the boys called What Canadians Think … About Almost Everything. It’s a book of collected public opinion research on Canadian opinions on everything from politics to parenting, sex to stress, work life to death. It’s fascinating!
I love reference books. I was in Chapters the other day, and they had all the dictionaries and thesauri (thesauruses?) and atlases displayed prominently for the back-to-school crowd, and I began to salivate with desire. Heck, even the phone book is an interesting read if you just stop to think about what’s behind each entry, how there’s an entire life just like yours hidden behind that seven-digit entry, and rows and rows and rows of them on every single page. But I digress…
This book, What Canadians Think, has just the right mix of prose and statistics, with a healthy sense of humour running through. The authors, senior execs with the public opinion research firm Ipsos-Reid, make interesting the most humble minutia from daily life. I could go on forever pulling strangely compelling stats out to show you — did you know 6% of Canadian women don’t read washing instruction labels at all? Or that the average age at which birth control is first used is 16.4 years old? Or that firefighters, pharmacists and nurses are seen as the three most trustworthy occupations, while local politicians, used car salesmen and national politicians are the least trusted occupations? I love this stuff!
What I really wanted to share with you, though, was the polling data on our cousins to the south. I’ve always been interested in comparisons between Americans and Canadians, and I know that despite my rabid Canadianism (there’s an oxymoron for you), most of you are American. It’s one of our oldest debates – how different are we? Here’s what they found:
Percentage of Americans who claim that “my religious fath is very important to me in my daily life: 82
Percentage of Canadians who do: 64
Rate by which an American is more likely than a Canadian to “very much” agree that faith is important in day to day life: 100%
Percentage of Americans who believe same-sex marriage is “wrong and it should never be lawful”: 47
Percentage of Canadians who do: 27
Percentage of Americans who support the death penalty: 71
Percentage of Canadians who do: 42
Percentage of Americans who believe their children are getting a good education: 59
Percentage of Canadians who do: 84
Percentage of Americans who think decriminalizing marajuana is a “sound idea”: 36
Percentage of Canadians who do: 51
Percentage of Canadians who thought Chretien did the right thing by not supporting the US in its war against Saddam Hussein: 74
Percentage of Americans who think Canada is just another state: 30
Percentage of Americans who think they have a king: 13
Percentage of Canadians who can name Canada’s largest trading partner (the US): 82
Percentage of Americans who can name the US’s largest trading partner (Canada): 14
Before this begins to look like gratuitous American-bashing, I must admit that not all the stats looked favourable to Canadians. While 63% of Americans could score five out of ten correct responses on a quiz of their own history and civics, only 39% of Canadians could pass a similar quiz about Canada. And while 79% of Americans could identify the first line of their own national anthem, only 37% of Canadians could identify the first line of our national anthem. Which begins, by the way, with the words “O Canada.”
Aside from that last stat about the national anthem, I seem to be a fairly typical Canadian. What about you?
Categories: Canadianisms Books
I used to be able to Sing O Canada in English and French…now just english I’m soo embrassed.
I think the facts are right although I in the opposite catagory on some. Although I think alot of Canadians are on the fence about alot of things…I know I am. That fact should have been asked. I did a similar Quiz about Canadian history in a periodial not too long ago and they HAD ONE Fact very wrong…I emailed and told them about it. Apparently I was the only one that noticed. Gosh don’t they think they should get their facts stright.
I may get that book for a friend of mine for her Birthday. She loves that sort of thing.
Sounds likes a great gift Dani!
I think I might be Canadian & just now be finding out about it!
I think I might be a closet Canadian.
Hmm. It looks like I am also a typical Canadian, which is odd since I live in Kentucky.
Sure, you people have a rational health care system, a civilized attitude towards gays, a non-militarized culture, Diana Krall, a distinctive and very funny sense of humor, and a government not dominated by blithering morons, but it’s not like you’re perfect! Presenting…
How to Annoy a Canadian
1. Oil, you say? Long, undefended border, you say? Hmm…
2. Canadia? Where the hell is that?
3. You’re from Canada? Do you know Steve?
4. Anne Murray sucks. (alternates: Shatner, Gordon Lightfoot)
5. You don’t look like an Eskimo…
6. Where?
7. The efficiency of the French, the food of the British, the culture of the Americans…
8. Why don’t your quarters work in vending machines?
9. Take off, you hoser! (That never gets old!)
10. How’s it goin’, eh? (See above.)
11. I’ve heard of Canada. They have Canadians up there. Hundreds of ‘em!
12. What’s Quebec’s problem, anyway?
13. The metric system is for wussies.
14. End a declarative sentence with ‘eh.’ Drives ‘em nuts, eh.
15. Pot’s legal there, right? Woooo!!
16. You know, that Ann Coulter makes some pretty good points…
17. Two words: Montreal Expos.
18. Curling? Curling?
19. I like your bacon.
20. ‘Colour?’ Don’t you people know how to spell?
I would add more, but I have to get back on the phone with my private health insurance provider to fight for payment for the birth of my daughter 13 months ago…
Touché, Dean Dad! I was thinking of you when I wrote this post.
Alas, poor Expos…
xo Danigirl
Holy Shit Dean Dad has me in stitches!!! Those are terrific! I was once personally asked about being a Canadian (when I was a teenager) how I got to school, and if it was on a dog sled and did I really live in igloo. These were questions asked to me from a family who lived in a smalltown Gardner, Mass. nera Boston.
I also LOVE it when someone asks me #3. And I tend to agree 110% with the Anne Murray sentiment.
Thanx for the idea Dani – gonna get this book for my Dad for Christmas, he’ll love it!
although i’m on the wrong continent altogether, it sounds like a good read, have always been attracted to canada for some reason…
Excellent, another element of my Master Plan for Canadian World Domination falls effortlessly into place. *insert friendly cackle here*
I have long been in the business of making disaffected Americans into Honourary Canadians when they’re interested.
But more seriously, I think that list has it just about right. Which just makes every word out of Harper’s mouth even more mind-boggling than it is already.