By Carlito Pablo
With the many problems plaguing the Philippines, it’s not surprising that a lot of Filipinos in Canada don’t feel good about things back home.
While some may have given up on their native country, many Filipinos in Canada feel “very hopeful” about how democracy works in their adopted country.
Additionally, Filipinos are more likely to be optimistic about democracy compared to other racialized groups in Canada.
Generally, an overwhelming majority of Canadians feel hopeful about democracy in the country.
In 2024, 71 percent of Canadians indicated to Statistics Canada that they are a “little or somewhat hopeful” about the system.
Meanwhile, 12 percent said that they are “very hopeful” about democracy in the country.
Significantly, 24 percent of Filipinos or double the national rate indicated that they are “very hopeful” about democracy in Canada.
For comparison, 18.9 percent of the South Asian population reported the same level of optimism; 10.4 percent, Chinese; 23 percent, Black; 21 percent, Arab; 22.9, Latin American; 19.4 percent, Southeast Asian; 22.7 percent, West Asian; and 9.5 percent, Korean or Japanese.
These findings are contained in a Statistics Canada report titled “Taking the pulse: Perceptions of democracy in Canada”.
Released on September 29, 2026, the report was written by Ian Walker, Samuel MacIsaac and Andrew Canning.
“Canadians’ views about their institutions and their participation in democratic activities may indicate how well democracy is functioning in Canada,” the authors noted.
Further, “Confidence in elections, trust in information sources and trust in public institutions are important indicators of a well-functioning democracy. However, recent trends suggest that voter turnout and confidence in institutions remain relatively low.”
The new study bolsters findings in a June 2, 2026 report by Statistics Canada titled “Portrait of the Filipino Populations in Canada: A Sociodemographic and Socioeconomic Analysis”.
The said report, which was released in time for Filipino Heritage Month in Canada, noted that Filipinos have “higher levels of confidence in key Canadian institutions”.
In 2020, 68.5 percent of Filipinos had high confidence in the justice system and courts, which is significantly higher than the 53 percent reported by the non-racialized, non-Indigenous population, the report stated.
Moreover, “Compared with the non-racialized, non-Indigenous population, confidence in the federal Parliament was also notably higher among Filipinos (63.3% versus 40.7%), as was confidence in the school system (67.3% versus 57.2%).”
Filipinos in Canada also reported a stronger sense of belonging to Canada than the non-racialized, non-Indigenous population, according to the June 2, 2026 report.
In 2020, 92 percent of Filipinos had a strong sense of belonging to Canada, compared with 84.7 percent among the non-racialized, non-Indigenous population.
“This trend was consistent across all geographic levels, with 89.9% of Filipinos expressing a strong sense of belonging to their province, compared with 80.0% of the non-racialized, non-Indigenous population. Similarly, Filipinos were more likely to report a strong sense of belonging to their town or city (89.4% versus 75.0%) and their local community (87.7% versus 70.7%),” the report also noted.
Meanwhile, Filipinos back home still prefer democracy despite its flaws.
In an October 26, 2025 report, the Manila Standard newspaper noted that a survey by OCTA Research showed that eight in 10 or 80 percent favour the democratic system.
The survey also revealed that only four in 10 Filipinos (41 percent) are satisfied with how democracy works in the country, while one-third (31 percent) are dissatisfied and one-fourth (26 percent) remain ambivalent, wrote journalist Katrina Manubay.
“Overall, the data indicate a public desire not to abandon democracy but to see it improve through more accountable leadership, stronger institutions, and effective, inclusive governance that delivers on its promises,” Manubay noted in the report.
Manubay also wrote that “ongoing preference for democracy, despite widespread dissatisfaction, demonstrates a form of civic maturity”.
“Filipinos are not rejecting democracy; rather, they are calling for its renewal,” Manubay reported.
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