Supplier Name: Environics Research Contract Number: 0D160-213591/001/CY Contract Value: $114,512.83 (including HST) Award Date: 2020-12-10
Delivery Date: 2021-03-31
POR Registration Number: POR 080-20
For more information on this report, please contact Public Safety Canada at: ps.communications- communications.sp@canada.ca
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Attitudes towards Bias Sensitivity, Diversity, and Identity in National Security and Law Enforcement
Prepared for Public Safety Canada by Environics Research Supplier name: Environics Research
March 2021
Permission to reproduce
This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes only. Prior written permission must be obtained from Public Safety Canada. For more information on this report, please contact Public Safety Canada at: ps.communications-communications.sp@canada.ca
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2021.
Catalogue Number: PS4-278/2021E-PDF
International Standard Book Number (ISBN): 978-0-660-38223-4
Cette publication est aussi disponible en français sous le titre Attitudes à l'égard de la sensibilité aux préjugés, de la diversité et de des identités dans le domaine de la sécurité nationale et des forces de l'ordre
Background and Objectives
A major function of government is to provide national security to its people and to oversee law enforcement. However, the need to provide these must be balanced with the need to be cognizant of human rights concerns and of issues around bias sensitivity, diversity, and identity (BSDI). Many sub- groups of the Canadian population (including non-citizens) may have had particular experiences and issues with national security and law enforcement activities. Public Safety Canada therefore needed to conduct a quantitative study that would provide data to better assess the Canadian public’s understanding of BSDI considerations in national security and law enforcement’s policies, programs, and operations and of the public’s perspectives on ways to enhance the application of BSDI considerations in the contexts of national security and law enforcement.
The public opinion research will serve as a means to understand the opinion and concerns of the general public across Canada on the current application, gaps, and opportunities for the enhancement of BSDI considerations in national security and law enforcement’s policies, programs, and operations. It is an opportunity to gather and analyze accessible public opinion data in national security and law enforcement to build organizational capacity and support the development of evidence-based policy. This study did not attempt to analyse the intersectional experiences of those with multiple identities.
This research project was commissioned to address the following key research objectives:
Establish a baseline of the current state of public opinion in Canada on issues related to national security and law enforcement with a particular focus on bias sensitivity, diversity, and identity issues (BSDI). This includes topics such as:
Awareness and perceptions of the perceived threats to, and the current state of national security in Canada.
Concerns and perceptions of the government’s application of BSDI considerations in national security and law enforcement.
Awareness and perception of anti-bias and diversity training among national security personnel.
Interactions with national security agencies and perceptions of bias.
Attitudes towards bias sensitivity and diversity as they apply to local policing and law enforcement.
Perspectives on current national security and law enforcement policies to determine gaps and areas of improvements.
Provide data to identify gaps in knowledge to enhance national security and law enforcement policies, programs, and operations.
Identify how key sub-groups of the Canadian population view the issues around bias sensitivity and diversity in national security and law enforcement experience.
Methodology
This research project consisted of a 12-minute online quantitative survey of 2,590 Canadians aged 18 and over. The survey was completed between February 5 and 25, 2021. Survey respondents were selected from registered members of an online panel. Since the samples used in online panel surveys are based on self-selection and are not a random probability sample, no formal estimates of sampling error can be calculated. The online sample was sourced from Delvinia’s AskingCanadians panel and its French counterpart Qu’en pensez-vous, which is able to generate a large sample with representative coverage of all groups of interest. Although opt-in panels are not random probability samples, online surveys can be used for surveys of the general public and of sub-groups therein provided they are well designed and employ a large, well-maintained panel.
In addition to the Canadian general public, there were specific segments of the population who were of particular interest for this survey. To ensure diversity, data collectors ensured that at least 200 surveys were completed by people self-identifying with each of these eight segments:
Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Métis, Inuit etc.). n = 203
Racialized peoples including:
Blacks (African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Canadian, etc.) n = 218
South Asians (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Indo-Caribbean) n = 233
East/Southeast Asians (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, etc.) n = 270
Middle East/West Asians (Arab, North African, Iranian, Afghan, Turkish, etc.) n = 221
Recent immigrants (arrived in Canada in the past 5 years). n = 208
People living with a disability. n = 286
Low-income Canadians (annual personal income of less than $30,000 if single or a household income of less than $40,000 if in a multi-person household). n = 323
Contract value
The contract value of this research project was $114,512.83 (including HST).
Main Findings
National Security in Canada
In general, most Canadians do not feel well informed about the measures the Government of Canada is taking to protect national security, but a majority of Canadians believe the government is doing at least a fair job in protecting national security. The main findings were as follows:
Two in ten Canadians feel well informed about the measures the Government of Canada is taking to protect national security.
Four in ten Canadians feel the federal government does a good or excellent job of protecting our national security.
Four in ten Canadians consider Canada to be safe from threats to our national security.
Cyber-security threats, right-wing extremism and economic threats are Canadians’ biggest concerns when it comes to threats to Canada’s national security.
One quarter of Canadians are confident that the Government of Canada is taking steps that will be effective in preventing and countering radicalization to violence.
Canadians are most familiar with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police(RCMP), Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). Awareness of the other agencies dealing with national security is lower.
Four in ten Canadians have high levels of trust in Canada’s national security agencies when it comes to keeping Canadians safe from, and responding appropriately to, national security threats. Canadians have lower levels of trust in these agencies when it comes to the agencies reflecting Canada’s diversity within its senior ranks as well as being unbiased when engaging with people from a variety of backgrounds.
National Security in Canada
Bias among national security personnel is a concern to many Canadians. One third or more of Canadians express concern about biases towards specific groups, mistakes being made due to assumptions about different races, and/or stereotypes being a problem among Canada’s security agencies. The main findings were as follows:
Over one third of Canadians are concerned about each of the following: that national security staff may have biases and prejudices towards specific groups, that security measures may infringe on human rights or that national security policies may unfairly target people from certain communities.
Four in ten Canadians are concerned that national security staff may mistakenly miss or exaggerate potential security threats as a result of assumptions or stereotypes about race, nationality, or country of birth.
Two in ten Canadians feel that biases and stereotypes among people working in Canada’s national security agencies is a big problem another four in ten feel it is somewhat of a problem.
Over six in ten Canadians believe it is important that Canada’s national security agencies employ a diverse mix of people.
Most Canadians are supportive of anti-bias training for national security personnel, and most have at least some confidence that it will succeed in reducing bias.
Two-thirds of Canadians assume that national security personnel in Canada undergo anti-bias, cultural awareness and or diversity training before they interact with people from different backgrounds and communities.
Over seven in ten Canadians believe it is important for Canada’s national security personnel to undergo anti-bias training.
Over seven in ten Canadians express at least some confidence that anti-bias and diversity training will succeed in reducing the impact of biases in national security work.
Most Canadians have not personally interacted with any national security agencies. Those who have tend to report that the interaction was positive.
Just over two in ten Canadians report having had a national security related interaction. These interactions are most commonly with CBSA or the RCMP.
A majority of those who have interacted with a national security agent report that the interaction was positive.
Eight percent of those who interacted with a national security agency feel they were treated differently or discriminated against in their last interaction because of their personal characteristics.
Policing and Law Enforcement in Canada
Canadians have mixed views on their local police, with high ratings for keeping communities safe, but less certainty across all other areas. Most see bias in policing as at least somewhat of a problem, but most also feel that police budgets should at least be maintained. Findings were as follows:
Over six in ten Canadians give their local police a good rating for keeping their communities safe. Just under half feel they do a good job on using force only when necessary, treating people of different genders and sexual orientations equally and being respectful of different cultures.
Ratings of local police are lower when it comes to treating people equally regardless of race and employing enough officers from diverse backgrounds.
Canadians are divided in their preferences for police funding models. In nearly equal parts, Canadians feel that police budgets and staffing should either be increased; maintained at current levels; or reduced with the money reallocated to social services.
Three in ten Canadians believe that bias in policing and law enforcement is a big problem and another four in ten consider it somewhat of a problem.
Three in ten Canadians have interacted with the police in the last five years and most report that their interaction with the police was a positive experience. Just under two in ten of those who had a police interaction had a negative experience and feel they were treated differently because of their personal characteristics.
A third of Canadians are confident that anti-bias and diversity training will succeed in reducing the impact of biases in police work and another four in ten are somewhat confident about this.
Over a third of Canadians feel that incorporating mandatory body-worn cameras should be highest priority in an effort to reduce bias across local police forces. Another three in ten feel the highest priority should be either more anti-bias training or by hiring more officers from diverse communities.
Attitudes of racialized and Indigenous peoples
Those who identify as Black or Middle Eastern/West Asian are more likely to see themselves as well informed about government national security measures, more likely to give the federal government a good rating on protecting our national security, and more likely to consider Canada to be safe from threats to national security. Those who have arrived in Canada in the last five years and those from other racialized groups also have a greater tendency to regard Canada as safe from these threats.
When it comes to specific threats to Canada’s national security, right-wing extremism is of particular concern to those who identify as Black, South Asian, or Middle Eastern/West Asian.
Those identifying as South Asian or as Middle Eastern/West Asian and those who arrived in Canada within the last five years have significantly higher levels of trust in Canada’s national security agencies on all attributes. In contrast, those who identify as Indigenous have lower levels of trust across all attributes. Those who identify as Black have particularly low levels of trust in national security agencies when it comes to being unbiased when engaging with people from a variety of backgrounds, as well as reflecting Canada’s diversity by employing diverse senior staff.
Those who identify as Black are much more concerned that people working in national security may be prejudiced or that national security policies may unfairly target certain communities. They are also much more likely to feel that biases and stereotypes among national security staff are a big problem.
Those born outside of Canada and those who identify as Black, South Asian, or Middle Eastern/West Asian place a particularly high importance on Canada’s national security agency staff undergoing anti- bias training.
Those who identify as South Asian or Black, those who speak a language other than English or French at home, and those born outside of Canada are more confident that anti-bias training will succeed in reducing the impact of bias in national security work.
Those who identify as Black, South Asian, Middle Eastern/West Asian, or Indigenous who had an interaction with national security agencies were more likely to feel they were treated differently or discriminated against.
Those who identify as Black, Middle Eastern/West Asian, or Indigenous are more likely to have interacted with the police in recent years. Black people were much more likely to report that their interaction with the police was negative and that they were discriminated against.
Those who identify as Black or Indigenous are more likely to rate their local police poorly when it comes to treating people equally regardless of their race or ethnic origin and for reflecting the community by employing enough officers of diverse backgrounds.
The perception that police bias is a big problem is particularly high among those who identify as Black. It is also high among those who identify as Indigenous or South Asian. Those who identify as Black are also more likely than others to want to see police budgets reduced.
Political Neutrality Statement and Contact Information
I hereby certify as senior officer of Environics that the deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, and Procedures for Planning and Contracting Public Opinion Research. Specifically, the deliverables do not include information on electoral voting intentions, political party preferences, standings with the electorate, or ratings of the performance of a political party or its leaders.
Derek Leebosh
Vice President, Public Affairs Environics Research Group derek.leebosh@environics.ca (416) 820-1963
Supplier name: Environics Research Group
PSPC contract number: 0D160-213591/001/CY
Original contract date: 2020-12-10
For more information, contact: ps.communications-communications.sp@canada.ca
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