Notable differences

Just because Canadians and Americans evaluate the humanity of their society similarly does not mean these two nations are identical. Absolutely not. Behind the score given, there are variables called dimensions. There are fourteen of them. There is also the entire perception of this humanity based on the sociodemographic characteristics of the inhabitants of these two countries.

Here, in rapid-fire fashion, are a few elements that allow for a more nuanced analysis of the results.

The world turned upside down

The comparative results reveal a more polarized society in the United States.

First, gender

Regardless of nationality, it emerges that women show themselves to be harsher and more critical regarding the humanity of their society than men, but this is even more true for American women. This harsher vision of American women takes on its full meaning when we observe that they evaluate all of the 14 dimensions lower than men, and often in a distinctly significant way.

On the other hand, women, both American and Canadian, show themselves to be more indulgent when it comes to their own level of humanity, which they evaluate higher than that of men.

Next, age

While in Canada, the evaluation of the humanity index and the 14 dimensions improves with age, it is completely the opposite phenomenon that we observe in the U.S. Is this good news for the United States? Possibly, because the youngest are the ones who will shape the humanity of tomorrow.

Then, income

In Canada, the results are poorly correlated with income. Only 5 dimensions are more strongly influenced by income, but in the U.S., it is almost systematic, both for the evaluation of the dimensions and the index, whether collective or individual. Money, in the United States, is king and influences how Americans perceive their society.

While passing through democracy

Democracy is weakening, particularly in the United States, but despite this observation, Americans accord less influence to this dimension as well as to the truth dimension, which forms the basis of a healthy democracy.

Finally, ethnicity

Systematically, whether for the evaluation of the index or the 14 dimensions, ethnic minorities, including Black people, are clearly more positive in their perception of the humanity of their society. In 2026, White people and humanity are not words that easily go together.

The strength of communities

In light of these results and others gathered over the past two years, it appears that stronger and more engaged communities, along with generosity, seem to be meaningful and promising avenues allowing for more hope and the adoption of a more positive stance toward life and humanity. The dynamism of certain communities constitutes their humanistic strength, whereas it represents the humanistic weakness of individualistic White people.

This final observation should motivate us to implement actions that foster the emergence of engaged, involved, and resilient communities.