A new study released just ahead of Remembrance Day suggests the majority of young people score a failing grade on the subject of Canada's history.
That's despite major education initiatives over the past decade to try to boost the collective memory, such as the construction of the Canadian War Museum and television initiatives such as "Heritage Minutes" segments from The Historica Foundation.
The study by Ipsos-Reid and the Dominion Institute was designed to test whether those initiatives were having the effect that had been hoped for on Canadians between 18 and 24.
The pollsters conducted the survey by phone, posing the same 30 questions that were asked in a similar study a decade earlier in 1997. It found the numbers have actually worsened, with only 18 per cent of respondents scoring a grade of 16 out of 30, or greater -- the result is one percentage point lower than the results of the earlier study.
After nearly a decade of working to counter the problem, the results were disappointing, said Rudyard Griffiths, co-founder of the Dominion Institute.
"After 10 years and a lot of water under the bridge, we haven't really seen the upswing in knowledge we would have hoped for," Griffiths told CTV.ca.
"The dowel hasn't moved, it has remained frozen with barely one-in-five young adults being able to pass this fairly simple quiz on Canadian history."
Here are some key findings from the study:
- In 1997, 36 per cent of Canadians knew the year of Confederation compared to just 26 per cent in 2007;
- In 1997, 54 per cent of those polled knew the name of Canada's first prime minister, while just 46 per cent now know that John A. Macdonald held this position;
- Respondents' scores on questions about Canada's military history increased. In 1997, 31 per cent knew that the Battle of Vimy Ridge was fought in the First World War, a percentage that has now risen to 37 per cent;
- In the recent study, 37 per cent knew Nov. 11 marked the end of the First World War, compared to 33 per cent in the earlier study.
Interestingly, although most people received a failing grade on the quiz, only 5 per cent said the questions were too difficult.
Among immigrant respondents, nine per cent of those polled passed the test, while 19 per cent of those born in Canada received a passing grade.
It's not all bad news. Griffiths said he was encouraged by the fact that 70 per cent of those polled felt that requiring students to pass a citizenship exam in order to graduate high school was a good idea -- a move Griffiths believes would be a positive step.
Among the other findings:
- 89 per cent of respondents think history should be a mandatory subject in every province; and
- half of respondents think history courses should focus on the history of 'Canada, the nation' as opposed to 11 per cent who prefer regional history.
Griffiths was also happy to see that more respondents passed the section of the quiz that dealt with military issues, suggesting that is due to major events such as the anniversary of Vimy Ridge.
"In other words, if there is a will and a focus then it shows we can turn these kinds of survey results around."
That will require greater efforts by government at the provincial and federal level, Griffiths said, suggesting non-government groups such as the Dominion Institute can only really effect change with the support of government.
Their efforts over the past 10 years have included the creation of a program that brings veterans into classrooms to share their experiences with students, resulting in more than half a million students meeting with a veteran in the past 10 years.
They have also produced a host of teaching resources, books and documentaries "all aimed at making Canada's history more engaging, more interesting," Griffiths said.
