Canada has been ranked the most accepting of migrants among all the countries on Earth, according to a Gallup’s Migrant Acceptance Index.

The global analytics and advice firm released its ranking late last month based on data from 2019. While overall, the world became less accepting of migrants, Canada rose up to the top of the list score of 8.46 out of nine on the index. Iceland came in second at 8.41 and New Zealand third at 8.41. The United States came in sixth with a score of 7.95.

Scores in the U.S. depended largely on political affiliation, with those who approved of President Donald Trump scoring a 7.10 out of nine, compared to disapproving Americans at 8.59. Young Americans were also more accepting of migrants than older ones.

In Canada, those who approved of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were only slightly more accepting of migrants at 8.73 versus 8.21 for the disapproving respondents. There was little difference in how accepting various age groups were.

The three countries that were least accepting of migrants were North Macedonia at 1.49, Hungary at 1.64 and Serbia at 1.79.

Gallup’s Migrant Acceptance Index was created from strong global reactions to the migrant crisis in Europe in 2015, which caught the world’s attention when photos of three-year-old Alan Kurdi’s body washed up on a Turkish beach circulated across the internet.

RAED MORE: Irregular migrants to be turned away at U.S.-Canada border


@katslepian

[email protected]

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Want to support local journalism during the pandemic? Make a donation here.