Feelings of fraternity towards old and new Canadians: The interplay of ethnic and civic factors

How are feelings of fraternity distributed within nation‐states? Most theories of citizenship take for granted that citizens of modern societies will extend higher levels of fraternity towards fellow citizens than towards ‘foreigners’ who are citizens of other states. At the same time, past research on the status dimension of ethnic stratification in Canada shows that status evaluations are highest for the British and European groups, and lowest for non‐white groups. This article formulates a series of hypotheses on the way ethnic and civic factors combine in shaping feelings of fraternity in Canada. The hypotheses are empirically assessed through a secondary analysis of data from a 1991 survey of the Canadian population. The results show that Canadian civic experience is universally valued throughout the Canadian population, even as ethnic characteristics of fellow citizens continue to be differentially evaluated.