‘Most if not all’ of P.E.I.’s visible minorities experienced discrimination: survey

One in 10 Prince Edward Islanders report having experienced racial discrimination in their lifetime, says a survey conducted by Corporate Research Associates Inc.

To better understand the prevalence in P.E.I., residents were asked when, if at all, they last experienced racial discrimination.

Overall, 12 per cent of Islanders indicated they have been racially discriminated against, with seven per cent having most recently experienced racial discrimination within the last five years.

The CRA survey also found five per cent most recently experienced racial discrimination five years ago or more, while nine in 10 (88 per cent) have never been racially discriminated against.

“While on the surface, the percentage of those who have experienced racial discrimination appears low, it must be remembered that the percentage of visible minorities in Prince Edward Island is also low,” said Don Mills of CRA.

“The results suggest, most, if not all, of those in visible minorities have faced some form of racial discrimination in the past.”

Across Atlantic Canada, the likelihood of experiencing racial discrimination in P.E.I. is similar to that of New Brunswick (16 per cent) and Newfoundland and Labrador (13 per cent) but is lower than that of Nova Scotia (22 per cent).

Across the P.E.I. population, residents under 35 are more likely than their older counterparts to have most recently experienced racial discrimination within the last five years.

The results are based on a telephone sample of 291 adult Island residents, conducted from Feb. 2 to 28, with overall results accurate to within plus/ minus 5.7 percentage points, 95 out of 100 times.

To view full release, graphs, and data tables, visit https:// cra.ca/newsroom/.