Jack Jedwab Executive Director

Association for Canadian Studies December 6, 2012

Part of the rationale behind reinforcing Quebec language laws is the presumption that the English language is on the rise in Montreal. Anglicization, however defined, is the reason that language legislation needs reinforcing. Too much exposure too the English language will diminish the use of French and heighten existing insecurities felt by francophones. This widely held assumption is never really tested. That which follows offers insight into the impact that contact with either anglophones or consumption of English TV or film has on Quebec francophones feelings of insecurity about their first language. The findings reveal that insecurities are most deeply felt not by those francophones with the highest degree of contact with anglophones or with English culture but amongst those with little or no contact.

The survey was conducted by the firm Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies via web panel over the weekend of November 9, 2012. The national survey included 2200 Canadians with some 656 Quebecers. The margin of error for an equivalent telephone survey on the basis of the national sample would be 2.9% 19 times out of 20.

When asked 42% of Quebec francophones report often having contact with anglophones, 32% occasionally, 18% rarely and 7% never

When asked 35% of Quebec francophones often “watch movies or TV shows” in English, 27% occasionally, 17% rarely and 20% never

47% of Quebec Francophones worry that they will lose their first language compared to 51% that aren’t worried (2% don’t know).

But Contact with English actually reduces insecurity

Quebec

FrancophonesDo you often, occasionally, rarely or never… Have contact

with Anglophones

I worry that I'll

lose the

language I first

learned Often Occasionally Rarely Never

Total

Strongly agree 14.8% 19.6% 32.2% 34.3% 22.2%Somewhat agree

22.2% 27.5% 24.1% 25.7% 24.6%

Total Agree 37.0 47.1 56.3 60.0 46.8%

Somewhat disagree

34.8% 33.3% 25.3% 20.0% 30.7%

Strongly disagree

25.9% 19.6% 13.8% 17.1% 20.3%

Total Disagree

60.7 52.9 39.1 37.1 51.0

I don't know .7% 4.6% 2.9% 1.7%I prefer not to answer

1.5% .5%

Quebec

FrancophonesDo you often, occasionally, rarely or never / Watch movies or

TV shows in the other official language than my own

I worry that I'll

lose the

language I first

learned Often Occasionally Rarely Never

Total

Strongly agree 13.2% 24.1% 21.8% 33.7% 22.4%

Somewhat agree

13.2% 28.4% 33.3% 27.2% 24.5%

Total Agree 26.4% 52.5% 55.1% 60.9% 46.9%

Somewhat disagree

39.5% 27.6% 30.8% 22.8% 30.8%

Strongly disagree

31.0% 19.0% 12.8% 13.0% 20.2%

Total Disagree

70.5% 46.6% 43.6% 35.8% 51.0%

I don't know 1.6% .9% 1.3% 3.3% 1.7%I prefer not to answer

1.6% .5%