Canadians divided over benefits of legal immigration: poll
Canadians are divided among age, voter affiliation and regions when it comes to increasing or decreasing the number of legal immigrants arriving in the country, but a strong majority agreed immigration works best when Canadian values are adopted.
A new poll has found Canadians are divided over the benefits legal immigration provides to the country, according to data from polling firm Research Co.
Just over half (51%) of Canadians aged 55 and over believe fewer legal immigrants should be allowed into the country, while 31% of the same age bracket say the numbers should be decreased. Only 7% of respondents aged 55+ felt Canada should welcome an increased number of legal immigrants.
"Do you think immigration is having a mostly positive or a mostly negative effect in Canada?"
— Polling Canada (@CanadianPolling) August 20, 2025
🟢 Positive: 43%
🔴 Negative: 39%
⚪️ Unsure: 18%
Free article here -> https://t.co/atEEWqU6kt pic.twitter.com/L489VVFsMF
The strongest support for more legal immigration is found among younger respondents, with a little over a quarter (26%) of those aged 18-34 saying they would support more immigration.
When broken down by who individuals voted for in the 2025 election, Conservatives (55%) were most opposed increased immigration levels, ahead of Liberals (33%) and New Democrats (28%). Conversely, support for increased immigration levels was strongest among NDP voters (23%), with just 18% of Liberals and 12% of Conservatives favouring higher levels.
Welcome to your new Canada… Where the streets are unsafe, public defecation is becoming the norm, once pristine landscapes become littered with garbage, and housing and healthcare buckle under the weight of immigration without integration. pic.twitter.com/sT3wNBY13s
— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) August 19, 2025
Despite the Conservatives' dominance in Alberta, a smaller share (49%) of Albertan respondents said they would like to see decreased immigration levels. Ontario respondents felt similarly, with 46% supporting the same immigration decline.
In Manitoba and Saskatchewan, whose numbers were combined in the poll, a plurality (41%) believed immigration levels should stay the same, while just 29% called for a decrease.
Those in Atlantic Canada, a bastion for the federal Liberals, were the demographic most opposed to increasing immigration levels, with 62% supporting a reduction.
Canadian taxpayers fund $73 BILLION refugee empire
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) August 20, 2025
As Canadians grapple with soaring living costs and escalating tax burdens, questions are mounting over the government's allocation of nearly $73 billion in grants and contributions linked to refugee programs since 2006.
Data… pic.twitter.com/p8IarBvdXI
British Columbia, meanwhile, largely supported the status quo, with 49% saying immigration levels should remain the same.
Indigenous Canadians (30%) were most welcoming of increased immigration, though 28% wanted to see levels stay the same and 36% supported a decrease.
No group had a plurality of support for increasing legal immigration numbers, but East Asian (47%) and South Asian (43%) respondents favoured immigration levels remaining the same. Half of European Canadians (50%) preferred a decrease.
While respondents were split on whether Canada should be a melting pot where new arrivals assimilate into Canadian culture, strong majorities across all demographics agreed when asked if “immigrants should only be allowed in Canada if they adopt Canadian values” and if “the hard work and talent of immigrants makes Canada better.”
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