Building the New West survey. Methodological information is provided at the end of this fact sheet. Western Canadians perceive themselves as part of a distinct region. Agreement is not influenced greatly by income, gender, employment status, education or length of residence in province. Despite believing the West is a distinct region, respondents do not primarily identify as western Canadians.
Identities are near-evenly mixed between local, provincial and national.
Identities are influenced somewhat by income, gender, employment status, education or length of residence in province. The reverse pattern is seen with national identifications. By and large, western Canadians do not feel separation would benefit their provinces economically. While levels of disagreement vary, in all four provinces a strong majority disagrees with the idea that their province would be better off economically if it were to separate from Canada. While a majority in all provinces strongly disagreed, important provincial variations exist.