Despite a perception of negativity from non-aboriginal people, Canada's urban aborginal people say they are very proud of their identity. (CBC)

Most urban-dwelling aboriginal people believe their non-aboriginal counterparts see them in a negative light, a national study released Wednesday suggests.

The Urban Aboriginal Peoples Study, published by Toronto-based Environics Institute, was created from a survey of 2,614 face-to-face interviews with First Nations, Métis and Inuit adults from 11 different cities across Canada between March and October 2009.

A telephone survey of 2,501 non-aboriginal adults living in 10 of those cities was also conducted.

'A majority say they have personally been teased or insulted because of their aboriginal background.'— Study findings

Among the study's main findings is that a majority of aboriginal people believe people of non-aboriginal descent view them in negative ways.

"Three in four participants perceive assumptions about addiction problems, while many feel there are negative stereotypes about laziness (30 per cent), lack of intelligence (20 per cent) and poverty (20 per cent)," the study stated.

Despite this, six in 10 aboriginal people interviewed stated they feel they can make their city a better place to live. That's in proportion with non-aboriginals, according to the study.

Nearly eight in 10 said they were "very proud" of their aboriginal identity, and only slightly fewer said the same about being Canadian.

Winnipeg experience studied as special case

Two teams involved in creating and conducting the survey were formed specifically to study Winnipeg "in light of the uniqueness of the Métis and First Nations populations" who live there.

More than 250 non-aboriginal Winnipeggers were also surveyed by telephone.

The study notes those negative national perceptions of aboriginals were also strong in Winnipeg, which has one of the largest urban aboriginal populations in the country.

Almost all aboriginal people in Winnipeg agree that others behave in an unfair or negative way towards them, the study said.

"A majority say they have personally been teased or insulted because of their aboriginal background … At the same time, aboriginal peoples in Winnipeg are more likely than not to feel accepted by non-aboriginal people, although this is more widespread among Métis."

Half the aboriginal people in Winnipeg say the legacy of residential schools has affected them, either personally or through a relative, the study notes.

"Most aboriginal peoples in Winnipeg (both Métis and First Nations) with such experience say it has had at least some impact in shaping their life and who they are today."

The top life aspiration for aboriginal peoples living in Winnipeg is to have a good job or career, the study said – a factor that proved stronger in that city than in other Canadian cities.

"This is more important to them than to urban aboriginal peoples in general. They also aspire to be well-educated, to successfully raise their families and to own their own homes."

However, almost half of those surveyed expressed concern about crime in Winnipeg, "which ranks by far the highest on their list of dislikes," the study said.

Environics said because the sample for the main survey is based on individuals who "self-selected" for participation, no estimate of sampling error can be calculated for it.

"It should be noted that all surveys, whether or not they use probability sampling are subject to multiple sources of error, including but not limited to sampling error, coverage error and measurement error," the study's sole footnote stated.

The complete findings of the study can be found here.