We are overly sensitive as a country, survey finds
Canadians may be notoriously polite, but many think we are becoming too sensitive.
Seventy-six per cent of respondents said political correctness has “gone too far,” while 72 per cent said they censor themselves to avoid offending others, according to a survey released Monday by the Angus Reid Institute.
It found people over 55 (82 per cent) are most likely to agree with this sentiment, while almost the same number (80 per cent) think it “seems like you can’t say anything” without upsetting someone these days.
Millennials (aged 18 to 34) are the most likely to be impatient with political correctness: 71 per cent say too many people are easily offended by word choice.
“We might be inclined to make assumptions that younger Canadians are more politically correct or more sensitive to these issues,” said Shachi Kurl, Angus Reid’s executive director.
“In fact, they are the most likely to say people are too easily offended by what others say, and by the language that others use.”
The youngest cohort is also least likely to say people need to be more careful about their language to avoid offending those from different backgrounds. Twenty-nine per cent agreed, compared with 39 per cent of the 55-plus group.
When it comes to political beliefs, Conservative voters are also less likely to think people need to watch their words.
Only about 20 per cent agree people should be more sensitive, compared with about 40 per cent of Liberals and 38 per cent of New Democrats.
“I think what’s really interesting about the results there is that our views north of the border on political correctness are much more uniform across the political spectrum than south of the border,” Kurl said.
U.S. leaders like Donald Trump can create divisions among their supporters when it comes to political correctness. The issue can be “one that sort of pulls voters apart across party lines.”
“Here, in Canada, majorities across the political spectrum — whether you’re left, or centrist, or to the right — everyone seems to think that political correctness has gone too far,” she said.
But even though most Canadians think correctness has got out of hand, more than half “hold their tongue” daily to avoid upsetting people around them. Almost 90 per cent of those who selfcensor say they do so to be polite.
“It’s just such a typical Canadian finding,” Kurl said. “On one hand, we feel that people are too easily offended, we feel that political correctness has gone too far as a country, and those same majorities then turn around and say that they are choosing to censor ... and they are doing it to be polite.
“Because they don’t want to offend.”