A new study by Angus Reid Institute (ARI) found Canadians believe hard work, education and ambition lead to success in the country, rather than social identity..ARI, in partnership with the University of Alberta Sociology Department, surveyed 8,000 Canadians to “explore social class and inequality in Canada” to find out how it has “been affected by the growing wealth inequality seen across the world in recent decades.” .According to ARI, only 7% of Canadians believe social identity is “important to individual success in Canada.”.The results show “most Canadians have either weak attachment” (40%), or “no attachment” (34%) to their “social class identity.” .Instead, the majority of people believe “hard work,” “education,” and “ambition” are “more likely to lead to accomplishment” in Canada.. MeritocracyMeritocracy .The study found 42% of Canadians identify as middle class, while an equal percentage, 17% in each class, identified as working class, lower middle class or upper middle class, while 6% identified as lower or poverty class, and 1% identified as upper class. .The majority of Canadians consider themselves to be in the same social strata as their parents, at 42%, while 35% say they have advanced and 23% have gone down a class..“Canadians’ class mobility experiences appear to play a role in their perception of what it takes to succeed in Canada,” said ARI..“The upwardly-mobile are more likely than those who believe they have underperformed their parents’ class to say hard work, education, and ambition are essential for achievement in the country.”.“The downwardly mobile are more likely than class ascenders to believe who you know and your social class are important factors.”.Canadians who identify lower on the class hierarchy tend to have “less education and income” and “less likely to own a home” than their counterparts in other social classes, according to ARI. .The institute reported it found Canadians who assign themselves to the poverty class are less satisfied with their healthcare options and education prospects, as well as “more pessimistic about their own future.”
