A recent study conducted by the Angus Reid Institute found that Canadians view their country more positively than their American counterparts - but only a slim majority of people in Canada believe their system of government is good.

The results of the online survey, released on Thursday, showed that 78 percent of Canadians see their country as a caring country, compared to 36 percent of Americans who said the same about the United States.

And 89 percent of Canadians said they live in a safe country, while 43 percent of Americans said they live in a safe country.

Also, 62 percent of Canadians believe their country contributes positively to global affairs compared to only 39 percent of Americans.

The report said: "Canadians' perceptions of their country have become more positive over the past 12 months. In January 2022, the country was dealing with an Omicron wave of COVID-19 with public health restrictions. A majority of Canadians on the eve of the pandemic’s second anniversary said COVID-19 separated Canadians from each other and brought out the worst in people. Perhaps time has healed some of these divisions."

The institute also said the survey was conducted online between March 15 and 17 and included a "representative random sample" of 1649 Canadians and 1025 Americans.

Government system:

Although Canadians are more likely than Americans to believe their system of government is good, only a slight majority of Canadians - 51 percent - said so compared to 34 percent in the United States.

The rest of the respondents said their system of governance is not good or were unsure.

Positive attitudes toward the system of governance in Canada were highest in Quebec at 57 percent and lowest in Alberta (38 percent) and Saskatchewan (33 percent).

Looking more closely at the data, men are less likely than women - 47 percent compared to 54 percent - to say that the system of governance in Canada is good.

The same is true for younger Canadians who are less likely to say the country has a good system of governance, with 44 percent of those aged 18 to 34 and 48 percent of those aged 35 to 54, compared to 56 percent of Canadians aged 55 and older.

However, there are some differences when comparing men and women of different generations and when dividing them into smaller age groups.

Canadians earning $50,000 a year or less were the only group where less than 50 percent said Canada has a good system of governance.

Less than half of Canadians with a university or business school education or less also view the Canadian government system positively.

Additionally, 48 and 45 percent of respondents from Indigenous and visible minority populations, respectively, said the Canadian government system is good, compared to 52 percent of respondents from non-visible minorities.

Political and regional divides:

Canadians see their country differently depending on their political affiliations, with those who voted for the Liberals in the 2021 federal election viewing Canada more positively compared to Conservative, Bloc Québécois, and New Democratic Party voters.

Regarding the same question about whether Canada has a good system of governance, Liberal voters were most likely to say yes at 77 percent, while only 30 percent of Conservative voters said so.

Regionally, Canadians generally agreed that Canada is a safe and caring society.

Respondents in Quebec were also more likely to say Canada is a country they are proud to live in at 83 percent, while participants in Saskatchewan had the lowest rates at 60 percent.

Those in Quebec were also more likely to say Canada is a prosperous country at 75 percent compared to 54 percent in Saskatchewan.

In the same context, the report said: "Those in Quebec and Saskatchewan find themselves at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to evaluating the country they live in. Saskatchewan residents tend to be more critical, while Quebec residents offer more praise."

However, regarding racial divisions, participants in Quebec were the least likely to say the country is racially divided at 25 percent. Saskatchewan was the only region where a majority of respondents - 51 percent - believed the country is racially divided.