Nearly two-fifths of Canadians hold an unfavourable view of Islam, according to a new study from the Angus Reid Institute..In total, 39% of those surveyed held a “Negative” or “Very Negative” view towards the religion amid ongoing discussions across Canada about Islamophobia..Participants in the study were asked six questions about five religions — Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Hinduism, and Judaism..The favourability of each religion, along with views on people wearing distinctive religious symbols in public, opinions on the establishment of different places of worship in their neighbourhood, and the issue of child marriage, were among the dimensions measured..Responses to the survey were analyzed with four groups created, dividing views on Islam into Very Positive, Positive, Negative, and Very Negative..More than one-third of Canadians hold a “Very Positive” view on Islam (37%), with a further 27% holding generally positive opinions. There were 16% of Canadians who held “Very Negative” opinions on the religion..Nevertheless, support for Quebec’s Bill 21, which prohibits the wearing of religious symbols for individuals in certain public positions of authority while they are on the worksite, remains low across the rest of the country, with one-quarter of respondents in favour of the concept for their own province. .The poll was conducted online from February 8 to 10 with a representative randomized sample of 1,623 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. It has a margin of error of +/- two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
