Post by Souriquois on Feb 8, 2018 1:32:58 GMT -4
Been hearing this question pop up on the news a lot here recently.
Two studies of the Canadian population show that the Maritime provinces are the least xenophobic and the least prone to populist sentiment.
Newfoundland was rated as the most open province:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/st-johns-canada-most-open-city-1.4509997
In Nova Scotia, 90% of asylum claimants are accepted:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/refugee-claims-atlantic-canada-1.4522381
This trend also seems to be true in other countries too, not just Canada.
One thing that seems surprising to many, is that this area is quite ethnically homogenous, up to 96% white, so you would expect some "stranger danger" kind of.
Also, some have thought that economic problems in this area would cause some xenophobia as people sometimes felt insecure.
But others have said because it is the coast, people in these areas have a history of meeting people from different cultures all the time: tourists, people on business, military, folks just passing though, etc., so they're used to it.
I dunno, I grew up in Nova Scotia, and I just see it as part of our culture. Hospitality is big, it just is, and always has. I think too, people here are very proud of their heritage and are eager to share their food, culture, history, etc. with people from other places. Also, community and family values are important to us, we are conservative folks in that way, and we want new people to integrate in our communities as quickly as possible, and often the whole community takes part.
I also think the economic troubles we faced in the past actually served to make us more generous, because we know hardship... obviously not what some people in the world go through, but a lot of what we went through sucked and because of that, we want to help out. Economic troubles are probably the main reason the area is still very white, though. When the economy here was booming, all of Canada was still pretty white, but as people from other races started moving here, they were more likely to find a better job in places like Toronto. Now the economy has improved and we have the opposite problem, lots of jobs and no people, so people want immigrants to stay and we don't really care where they are from... however, we still have a reputation of being an area with not many jobs so attracting talent is still hard... so basically, when immigrants come, we kiss their asses because we want them to stay and work, and then they will spend money at local businesses helping people from here make more money. I bet this is a factor in the refugee acceptance rate, because job recruiters are talking to people at the refugee centres all the time, looking for people to hire.
Another theory, though, is that living close to the ocean makes people more relaxed. I guess some devices to promote relaxation do play ocean sounds, and people who live near the ocean actually get sick less often (the myth is fishermen never get colds).
Is it true in your country? What do you think?
Two studies of the Canadian population show that the Maritime provinces are the least xenophobic and the least prone to populist sentiment.
Newfoundland was rated as the most open province:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/st-johns-canada-most-open-city-1.4509997
In Nova Scotia, 90% of asylum claimants are accepted:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/refugee-claims-atlantic-canada-1.4522381
This trend also seems to be true in other countries too, not just Canada.
One thing that seems surprising to many, is that this area is quite ethnically homogenous, up to 96% white, so you would expect some "stranger danger" kind of.
Also, some have thought that economic problems in this area would cause some xenophobia as people sometimes felt insecure.
But others have said because it is the coast, people in these areas have a history of meeting people from different cultures all the time: tourists, people on business, military, folks just passing though, etc., so they're used to it.
I dunno, I grew up in Nova Scotia, and I just see it as part of our culture. Hospitality is big, it just is, and always has. I think too, people here are very proud of their heritage and are eager to share their food, culture, history, etc. with people from other places. Also, community and family values are important to us, we are conservative folks in that way, and we want new people to integrate in our communities as quickly as possible, and often the whole community takes part.
I also think the economic troubles we faced in the past actually served to make us more generous, because we know hardship... obviously not what some people in the world go through, but a lot of what we went through sucked and because of that, we want to help out. Economic troubles are probably the main reason the area is still very white, though. When the economy here was booming, all of Canada was still pretty white, but as people from other races started moving here, they were more likely to find a better job in places like Toronto. Now the economy has improved and we have the opposite problem, lots of jobs and no people, so people want immigrants to stay and we don't really care where they are from... however, we still have a reputation of being an area with not many jobs so attracting talent is still hard... so basically, when immigrants come, we kiss their asses because we want them to stay and work, and then they will spend money at local businesses helping people from here make more money. I bet this is a factor in the refugee acceptance rate, because job recruiters are talking to people at the refugee centres all the time, looking for people to hire.
Another theory, though, is that living close to the ocean makes people more relaxed. I guess some devices to promote relaxation do play ocean sounds, and people who live near the ocean actually get sick less often (the myth is fishermen never get colds).
Is it true in your country? What do you think?