For decades, the United States and Canada have been viewed as cultural cousins, sharing a border, a language, and many of the same democratic ideals. But a recent deep dive into the perceptions of morality in the US and Canada reveals a divide that is more than just political—it is existential.
In a global survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, which asked respondents from 25 different countries if they felt the ethics and morals of others in their own country were good, the results were jarring. Canada finished first, with approximately 92% of respondents rating their fellow citizens as having somewhat good or very good ethics and morals. The United States, conversely, finished last.
The U.S. Was the only nation among those surveyed where more than half of the respondents rated the morality of their fellow citizens as somewhat bad or very bad. This stark contrast suggests that even as Americans and Canadians may live side-by-side, they possess fundamentally different views of the people they share their streets with.
The psychology of a moral divide
Social scientists are struggling to explain the gap. Joshua Conrad Jackson, a behavioral scientist at the University of Chicago, notes that there is currently no academic paper that fully explains the discrepancy, stating, “We don’t really know what’s going on in the survey.”
One theory suggests the results might be a matter of framing. Adam Mastroianni, a social psychologist and author of the newsletter Experimental History, posits that Canadians might be answering the question relatively rather than absolutely. “When you ask Canadians: ‘How moral are Canadians?’ they hear that question as, ‘How moral is Canada compared to other relevant countries?’” Mastroianni said in an email, suggesting Canadians may view their own country as moral simply as they see more extreme conflict in global news.
For the United States, the issue may be “affective polarization.” Unlike political polarization, which is a disagreement over policy, affective polarization is rooted in how people perceive about others. It is characterized by a strong connection to like-minded peers and intense negative emotions toward those perceived as “the other.” Dr. Jackson points out that when this specific type of polarization is mapped globally, the rank order of countries roughly matches the Pew morality findings.
Interestingly, some researchers believe Canada’s high score may have been a temporary spike caused by external pressure. Keith Neuman of the Environics Institute suggests the survey may have coincided with a period when U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to annex Canada. “Canada was feeling an existential threat; that has a unifying tendency,” Neuman said.
| Country | Positive Rating (%) | Relative Standing |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 92% | 1st |
| Indonesia | 92% | 2nd |
| Sweden | 88% | 4th |
| United States | <50% | Last (25th) |
Shared identities and founding philosophies
The survey highlights that high levels of internal moral trust often stem from shared identities. Indonesia, which ranked fractionally second to Canada, provides a compelling case. Despite having some of the strictest views on specific behaviors—such as gambling and extramarital affairs—92% of Indonesians view their fellow citizens as moral.
This cohesion is attributed partly to a dominant shared religion, with nearly 90% of the population being Muslim, and partly to the state ideology of Pancasila. Established in 1945, Pancasila promotes religious tolerance and the embrace of diverse moral traditions. Nadia Yovani, a sociologist at Universitas Indonesia, notes that these values are reflected in daily social rules and a culture of discipline.
Canada’s cohesion may be rooted in a different kind of historical necessity. Essayist John Ralston Saul argues that Canada was built on a “triangular foundation” of Indigenous, French, and English peoples who had to cooperate to survive a harsh northern climate. This fostered a culture of cooperation between differences without removing those differences.
Michael MacMillan, co-founder of the Samara Centre for Democracy, points to the diverging founding goals of the two nations. While the U.S. Was founded on “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Canada was founded on “peace, order, and good government.” This fundamental difference in priority may contribute to why Canadians are more likely to view their neighbors as moral agents within a stable system.
Breaking the “revenge cycle” in America
In the U.S., the erosion of social trust is often fueled by a “revenge cycle.” Amanda Ripley, author of High Conflict: Why We Acquire Trapped and How We Get Out, explains that the conflict is less about facts or policy and more about emotion, identity, and fear. This creates a feedback loop where people assume others dislike them, leading them to reciprocate that dislike.
Jan Voelkel, an assistant professor of public policy at Cornell University, suggests that the problem isn’t a lack of morality, but a disagreement over what morality looks like. He notes that while Democrats may prioritize reducing harm and fostering fairness, Republicans may place a higher moral value on loyalty, patriotism, and tradition.
The solution, according to Ripley, lies in building relationships across divides to prove that the “other side” is not as immoral as perceived. This echoes the observations of Alexis de Tocqueville, who in the 1830s praised the American “art of associating”—the tendency of citizens to unite across class and condition to build hospitals, schools, and churches.
While the U.S. Currently struggles with a steep rise in affective polarization, the historical precedent of community-building suggests that the path back to trust is through shared local action rather than national political agreement.
As researchers continue to analyze the Pew data, the next phase of study will likely focus on whether these perceptions are shifting in real-time or if they represent a permanent structural change in how Americans view one another. Future surveys will be critical in determining if the U.S. Can rediscover its “art of associating” to close the moral gap with its northern neighbor.
Do you feel the morality of your neighbors has changed in recent years? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
