Majority of British Columbians optimistic about Canada’s future: poll

A new poll finds Canadian pride is surging as the country prepares to mark its 158th birthday on Tuesday.

An Angus Reid poll released Friday asked respondents about their levels of Canadian pride and what they feel Canada has to offer. 

It found 67 per cent of Canadians felt “proud” or “very proud” to be Canadian. That’s up from 58 per cent in December.

Angus Reid says Canadians appear more optimistic overall about the future of the country than they were at the end of last year. It found 56 per cent of respondents felt positive about the future – a marked rise compared to 39 per cent who said they felt optimistic in December 2024.

“There has been a major rebound in optimism as the country swapped an unpopular [Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau for the currently well-appraised [Prime Minister Mark] Carney,” said the report.

Close to 60 per cent of British Columbians polled said they were optimistic about the future of Canada – the highest rate since November 2018.

Angus Reid reports more than 70 per cent said Canada offers a good quality of life. About 23 per cent disagreed, though middle-aged respondents (ages 35-54) and those who voted Conservative in the April federal election were more likely than average to say the country doesn’t offer a good quality of life.

Younger people were less certain than retirement-age Canadians about whether Canada is a good place to start a family. The poll found 60 per cent of of 18- to 34-year-olds agreed, compared to 79 per cent of older Canadians. 

Fewer than half of respondents said Canada is a good place to start a business — dropping to less than 40 per cent in B.C. 

Half of Canadians said it would be inaccurate to call Canada a country where “everyone has the same opportunities”.

Angus Reid said it conducted the online survey from June 20-23, among a randomized sample of 1,619 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum.