Back to accessibility links

Are you a good Canadian citizen?

Take our quiz to see how you compare

CBC News

Last Updated: February 15, 2012

Waving the Canadian flag is an easy act of patriotism. But beyond that what are hallmarks of being Canadian? The Institute for Canadian Citizenship, a group of five national organizations including the CBC, commissioned a public opinion poll that asked Canadians what they think are characteristics of a good citizen. Take our survey to find out how your views compare to the people surveyed.

A good citizen knows something about Canada's history.

62%
32%
4%
1%

Did you know?

Immigrants are more likely to feel they have a very strong grasp of Canadian history than those born in Canada.

— Association for Canadian Studies

Sample size: 1196

A good citizen shows off their pride by celebrating Canada Day, displaying the flag or singing the anthem.

51%
29%
13%
6%

Did you know?

Only 67 per cent of Canadian high school students can sing all the words to O Canada — and even fewer could hum the entire melody.

— University of Victoria study

Sample size: 1103

A good citizen votes in elections.

82%
13%
2%
1%

Did you know?

Turnout at the polls dropped to a historic low in 2008 with only 58.8 per cent of eligible voters casting a ballot.

— Elections Canada

Sample size: 1070

A good citizen volunteers.

49%
41%
6%
2%

Did you know?

In the span of a year, volunteers in Canada contribute hours equal to 1.1 million full-time jobs.

— Statistics Canada, 2007

Sample size: 1119

A good citizen is bilingual, speaking both English and French.

19%
37%
24%
17%

Did you know?

Over five million Canadians say they speak both English and French. But about 520,000 people say they speak neither official language.

— Statistics Canada, 2006 census

Sample size: 1152

A good citizen gives to charity.

42%
44%
9%
3%

Did you know?

About 80 per cent of the population donates to charities. But a quarter of donors account for the majority of donations.

— Statistics Canada, 2007

Sample size: 1148

A good citizen protects the environment.

80%
18%
1%
*%

Did you know?

Nearly all Canadians have access to recycling, but only half divert all their recyclable waste.

— Statistics Canada, 2007

Sample size: 1148

A good citizen is tolerant or respectful of those who are different.

82%
14%
1%
1%

Did you know?

Hate crimes account for less than one per cent of police reported incidents.

— Statistics Canada, 2006

Sample size: 1130

A good citizen is an entrepreneur or owns a business.

18%
37%
29%
13%

Did you know?

Small businesses employ about 5 million people in Canada – or 48 per cent of the total labour force in the private sector.

— Industry Canada, 2011

Sample size: 1100

A good citizen learns about Aboriginal peoples.

40%
43%
11%
4%

Did you know?

First Nations, Métis and Inuit people account for 3.8 per cent of the Canadian population. Almost half are aged 24 or under.

— Statistics Canada, 2006

Sample size: 1069

How did you compare?

Your responses are highlighted in blue.

Know Canadian history

Displaying Canadian pride

Voting

Volunteering

Bilingualism

Giving to charity

Protecting the environment

Tolerance and respect of others

Entrepreneurship

Learning about Aboriginal people

Choose the response that you agree with or click "show results" to skip ahead without answering.



Story Social Media

End of Story Social Media



This week in Canadian news