Quantitative Discrimination Survey

In March 2021, STELIP conducted a quantitative survey in partnership with Western University’s Network for Economic and Social Trends (NEST) to better understand experiences of discrimination faced by residents in St. Thomas and Elgin County.

Just over 400 respondents answered the survey. The results were divided into experiences of immigrants and visible minorities, experiences of Indigenous people, and experiences of white, non-immigrants, which was used as a comparison.

The survey was structured to complement large-scale national surveys examining discrimination to allow for comparison.

“Visible Minorities”

…is a category defined by the federal government under the Employment Equity Act, generally used when collecting social statistics, including on the Canadian Census.

Visible minorities are defined as, “persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour”.

Although this term has been criticized for being homogenous and not representative of areas where racialized people are the majority, it remains in widespread use.

Major findings from the survey include:

  • The majority of immigrant and visible minority respondents (7 in 10) and Indigenous respondents (9 in 10) reported experiencing discrimination. By comparison, only 4 in 10 white, non-immigrant respondents reported experiencing discrimination.
  • Respondents who had experienced discrimination indicated it was on the basis of multiple parts of their identity. Most commonly, they were discriminated against because of their race or skin colour (54% immigrant and visible minority respondents).
Download the full report
Download the fact sheet
A graphic that visualizes the statistic that 7 in 10 immigrant and visible minority respondents, and 9 in 10 Indigenous respondents, reported experiencing discrimination. It is titled, "Experiences of Discrimination in St. Thomas and Elgin County." Towards the bottom, the text reads, "These are statistics directly from members of our community. Discrimination is real. We need to take action." At the very bottom there are the logos for ST. Thomas Elgin Local Immigration Partnership (STELIP), Western University Social Science Network for Economic and Social Trends, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
A graphic that visualizes some of the different places where respondents reported experiencing discrimination. There are six images, each captioned as follows, "While attending school or classes", "At the workplace from supervisors, co-workers or clients", "When applying for a job or promotion", "When interacting with your neighbours", "While using public areas such as parks and sidewalks", and "When attending social gatherings". At the very bottom there are the logos for ST. Thomas Elgin Local Immigration Partnership (STELIP), Western University Social Science Network for Economic and Social Trends, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
A graphic that visualizes some of the different reasons why respondents reported experiencing discrimination. There are four cartoon images, each captioned as follows, "Race or skin colour", "gender", "ethnicity or culture", and "accent". At the very bottom there are the logos for ST. Thomas Elgin Local Immigration Partnership (STELIP), Western University Social Science Network for Economic and Social Trends, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
A graphic that visualizes some of the most common types of discrimination that respondents reported experiencing. There are four cartoon images, each captioned as follows, "Inappropriate Jokes", "Derogatory Language", "Verbal Abuse", and "Verbal Threat". At the very bottom there are the logos for ST. Thomas Elgin Local Immigration Partnership (STELIP), Western University Social Science Network for Economic and Social Trends, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
A graphic that visualizes who tends to be discriminating against others in St. Thomas and Elgin County. It is titled "Who is discriminating others in St. Thomas and Elgin County". There are three cartoon graphics with labels: a man with pale skin captioned "white", three men each increasingly taller with an arrow pointing up on the right-hand side captioned "middle-aged", and finally the male and female symbol interlocked captioned "males and females". At the very bottom there are the logos for St. Thomas Elgin Local Immigration Partnership (STELIP), Western University Social Science Network for Economic and Social Trends, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
A graphic that visualizes the major impacts of discrimination. It is titled "Impacts of discrimination in St. Thomas and Elgin County. There are three black circles with text in them that reads, "Feelings of exclusion, powerlessness and discouragement reported", "Significant experiences of psychological distress such as depression and anxiety" and "Passive coping strategies used more often than active coping strategies". Each of these black boxes have cartoon graphics around them to illustrate the point. At the very bottom there are the logos for ST. Thomas Elgin Local Immigration Partnership (STELIP), Western University Social Science Network for Economic and Social Trends, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Qualitative Discrimination Survey

Between November 2022 and September 2023, a total of 15 interviews were conducted with residents of St. Thomas-Elgin and Oxford region about an experience of discrimination they had experienced in the last three years in a workplace setting, public place, or by the police. This project was conducted by Western University’s Network for Social and Economic Trends, in partnership with the St. Thomas-Elgin Local Immigration Partnership and the Oxford Local Immigration Partnership.

These semi-structured interviews explored the instance of discrimination, assumed reason for discrimination, observers’ reactions, and respondent’s reactions, as well as the respondent’s sense of belonging, knowledge of coping strategies and supports, and suggestions of useful supports and reporting tool characteristics.

Download the full report
Share