http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/01/15/mtl-racism.html


Fifty-nine per cent of Quebecers admit to being racist to some degree, according to a Léger Marketing survey published Monday in Le Journal de Montréal.

In comparison, only 47 per cent of those outside of Quebec say they are racist to some degree. One per cent of Quebecers surveyed said they were very racist, 15 per cent said moderately racist and 43 per cent responded that they were mildly racist.

The findings stunned Jean Dorion of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste.

"I do not perceive the Quebec society as being racist," he told Le Journal de Montréal.

The findings come from three surveys done in late December and early January. The first two surveys were conducted over the internet, with 2,228 Quebecers taking part, while the third survey interviewed 3,092 people across Canada.

The survey looked at Quebecers' views of a variety of cultural groups.

It found 36 per cent of Quebecers have a bad opinion of Jewish people, while 27 per cent have a poor opinion of blacks. Fifty per cent have a bad opinion of Muslims.

Jean-Marc Léger, president of Leger Marketing, said Quebecers are influenced by the images of Muslims seen after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

"The Arab community carries the weight of September 11 and religious extremists," Léger told Le Journal de Montréal. "People were thinking of them when they answered the survey."

Bashir Hussein, who represents Quebec in the Council of Muslim Communities of Canada, said people are also shaped by the media coverage of violence in the Middle East.

"Whatever people read in the newspapers, they form their opinion from," he told CBC News.

Survey methods questioned
Jack Jedwab, a Montrealer who has done extensive statistical and demographic work, questions how the survey was structured, especially the sections asking Quebecers if they consider themselves racist.

Quebecers were asked if they consider themselves very racist, moderately racist, slightly racist or not racist at all.

Jedwab said in three out of four answers, respondents end up labelling themselves racist.

If Jedwab were writing the question, he would have made the ratio two questions out of four, asking people if they are very racist, somewhat racist, not racist or not at all racist.

Jedwab, who's the executive director of the Montreal-based Association of Canadian Studies, said it's dangerous to have a survey that shows such a high level of racism.

"It will lead people to say, 'Let's face it, everyone's racist,'" he told CBC News Online. "They'll think it's to be expected. That will minimize the resolve to combat this problem of racism that needs to be addressed."

The Quebec portion of the survey is considered to have a margin of error of 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20. The one done outside Quebec had a margin of error of 1.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.



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So much for this haven of tolerance, huh?

That sounds about right. When you see the leader of their political party (Bosclair) at a protest against Israel standing in front of a "Star of David = Swastika" banner, as he did this summer, you know something's wrong.

What i find even more alarming is that 47 percent of the remaining population admit to being some degree of racist...i honestly thought it would have been much lower. Of course we all knew the Quebecios were racist, those separatist chain smoking fucks

I find that interesting. I don't think I've ever met anyone around here with any especially negative opinions about Jewish people. I would, however, expect a far greater number than 27 percent to have a poor opinion of blacks. It's unfortunate, but true.

Am I just completely clueless? Any other Philly people notice a huge chunk of Jewish racism I haven't?

I don't live in Quebec, and i have no idea what the Jewish population is like there, but here in New Brunswick they are an extremely small minority. I've never encountered any real anti-semetism though.

In my experience, the whole "black vs white" issue is quite different in canada than in the US.

As for anti-semitism however, Quebec is different from the rest of Canada. I don't know why, but there is definately more anti-semitism here than the rest of the country... and most of it is quite venomous IMO.

Cool, I'm from NB too (SJ). Oddly enough, the only anti-semitism I encountered was in grade 1, haha.

Canada is full of teh gay.

SJ here too

:high fives:

Johners all the way

Isn't it because they are wannabe French?

Well they are French. Just different.

Fun, but who really gives a shit about Quebec anyway?

Ha, as if people give a shit about stinky Ohio.

Well... Everybody in Japan is racist, and nobody cares.

Are they racist against anglo-Canadians or just racist in general?

is anglo-canadian even a race?

I don't know, but everyone driving the roads in Quebec seem to be in a race

FACT: All cars in sold in Quebec do not come factory equipped with turn signals.

Makes you wonder why you can't make a right turn on a red light in Montreal