PN________
Instructions
In answering the questions that follow, please consider the words ethnic, ethnicity, and culture to refer to the group that you consider to be your ethnic or cultural group(s), the same group(s) that you described in part I of this study.
In the following pages you will find a list of statements. After reading each statement please circle a number that fits closest to your view on the following five point scale. Read each item and indicate to what degree it reflects your own thoughts and feelings. If a statement has more than one part, please indicate your reaction to the statement as-a-whole, taking both parts into consideration. Please answer all questions.
Strongly Disagree
Neutral Agree Strongly
Disagree Agree
(SD) (D) (N) (A) (SA)
1 2 3 4
5
___________________________________________________________________________
1. Most of my friends are of my ethnic group because I feel very comfortable
around them, but I don't feel as comfortable around Canadians from other
cultural groups.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
2. I'd rather be colorless
with respect to culture than have to choose between living around people from
ethnic or majority cultures.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
3. These days it's easy to
find someone I can really relate to and with whom I can share my inner feelings
and thoughts.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
4. If I had a choice
between Canadian food and food from my ethnic tradition, I would definitely not
choose the ethnic food because it really does not satisfy my taste.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
5. If I had children I
would mainly teach them Canadian values and customs so that they will become
assimilated, but not acquire the values and customs of my ethnic tradition.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
6. It is not worth reading
computer magazines and scientific journals, since they have no cultural content.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
7. Canadian society will
look after the interests of people from my ethnic group, so there is no need for
my "ethnics" to stick together and help each other to develop our own society.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
8. I would rather not wear
clothes from both Canada and from my ethnic tradition.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
9. Dance of my ethnic
group is an aspect of ethno-Canadian culture that we should be proud of and
introduce to other Canadians.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
10. The only good music is
new and keeps changing, so it's crazy to listen to old-fashioned Canadian or
ethnic music.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
11. If I were a parent, I
would not adopt the Canadian way of child rearing and instead I would take up
the practices of child rearing from my ethnic tradition.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
12. Marriage is an
out-dated custom, consequently I think no one should ever get married.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
13. When it comes to
furnishing a room, if possible, I would not want to fill the room with
furnitures from my ethnic culture because Canadian furnitures are so much more
attractive.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
14. I find the quality of
music nowadays is so bad that it's hard to find any music worth listening to.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
15. I like (or used to
like) going on dates because it's always worth the effort to meet someone new.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
16. Because we live in
Canada, we are always pressured to assimilate to a Canadian lifestyle. Thus, we
must not emphasize our distinct Ethno-Canadian identity by restricting our
association with mainstream Canadian society.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
17. I don't want to live
near ethnics or mainstream Canadians. I want to live away from them all.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
18. Ethnic-Canadian youth
should be encouraged to go on dates with other Canadians, even though sometimes
their parents and ethnic traditions might disagree with it.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
19. It is necessary to
have Ethnic-Canadian magazines so we do not have to read only mainstream
Canadian magazines and become fully assimilated to Canadian ways of life.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
20. Encouraging us
ethnic-Canadians to stay as a separate society only hinders our abilities to
belong with the rest of Canadian society.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
21. As a parent, I would
not adopt an approach that makes use of both the Canadian way of
child rearing while also making use the ways from my Ethnic tradition.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
22. Taking a course in
either Ethnic or Canadian history is not a waste of time since I feel a strong
connection to the people in both of these histories.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
23. Because we live in
Canada we do not need to know any ethnic languages; rather, we should focus our
attention on speaking English fluently.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
24. Events such as the
ethnic festivals of my heritage or Canada Day are examples of events supported
by governments just to keep the people quiet.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
25. I find folk or
classical music from my ethnic tradition very pleasurable, unlike the boredom
given to me by listening to Canadian music.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
26. Ethnic and Canadian
newspapers are not too concerned with culture and people, and the only bad thing
about them is the advertisements.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
27. When I have to furnish
a room, I would buy only furniture from my ethnic country because it looks so
beautiful, unlike so much of Canadian furniture which looks out-of-place.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
28. If a parent adopts the
Canadian way of child rearing the children will not be as well off as if a
parent would adopt the traditional way of my ethnic group.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
29. To be successful we
must participate fully in various aspects of Canadian society, while also
maintaining our traditional ethnic culture and heritage.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
30. If I had a choice
between eating only Canadian or food from my ethnic tradition, I would choose to
eat only Canadian food because I enjoy it much more.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
31. If I had a choice, I
would only marry someone who was either brought up in my homeland, or who
practices the customs of our traditional lifestyle.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
32. The only forms of art
and entertainment that are not worth pursuing are those that are made in
revolt against culture or tradition.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
33. Other Canadians cannot
appreciate or understand our Ethnic culture (such as our fine ethnic dance), so
it is best to keep our culture only to ourselves.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
34. Newspapers rarely
distort reality and they should always be trusted.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
35. Events or festivals
from my ethnic tradition have cultural importance, like Christmas or Easter,
which lies beyond the fact that they give a holiday from work.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
36. While living in
Canada, we can retain our ethnic-Canadian cultural heritage and lifestyle, and
yet also participate fully in various aspects of Canadian lifestyle which come
from other cultures.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
37. It's alright to
encourage the traditional values and customs of our ethnicity even if it creates
a barrier between us and other Canadians, so I would not bother to encourage
other ethnics to adopt the values that most Canadians have.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
38. Living in Canada as an
ethnic-Canadian, I am not interested in knowing how to speak both English
and my traditional ethnic language.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
39. Food is eaten for
survival, not because it comes from some culture or has a special kind of
flavor.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
40. We should not bother
to focus our attention in developing ethnic magazines but instead read only
mainstream Canadian magazines.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
41. Having a traditional
"ethnic festival" only emphasizes our difference, while it hinders our
acceptability to other Canadians.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
42. To be successful in
Canada, we must not give up our traditional ethnic occupations in order to have
careers like other Canadians.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
43. I think it's okay to
date like other Canadians and still not have to abandon my ethnic heritage.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
44. I don't think that it
is a good idea to encourage people to develop both Canadian values, by
participating in various aspects of mainstream Canadian society, and also
ethnic-Canadian values by participating in the traditional customs of our
homeland.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
45. Realistically
speaking, ethnic-Canadians should not try sticking together and working only to
help each other to be successful.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
46. It doesn't make sense
to study the history of people because it cannot offer a better future as can
the study of technology.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
47. Listening to music is
pleasurable, but the only music that I find to be noisy and unintelligible is
music from our ethnic tradition.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
48. For students who are
raised in Canada, I would encourage them to take a course only in Canadian
history, but not in the history of our ethnic tradition.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
49. If I had to name a
child, I would give only a traditional name from our culture because it is
important that the child maintain his/her ethnic identity.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
50. I feel that
ethnic-Canadians should have their own standard practices for marriages(like
many traditional people do) and that there is no need for us to be worried about
everyone getting married by the same standards.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
51. What matters in life
the most is making a good living and being happy, and one need not belong to any
culture to attain that.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
52. Currently, magazines
reflect society's sickness. None of them are worth reading.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
53. To really appreciate good food, one must make an effort to know the cultural heritage and practices that are associated with the making and the eating of it.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
54. If I had to name a
child, I would choose only a Canadian name because having an ethnic name would
only emphasize his/her differences with other Canadians.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
55. Ethnics living in
Canada should live together in distinct clusters to avoid the influence of other
Canadians.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
56. One shouldn't worry
about ethnic or majority ways of child-rearing because modern social scientists
can tell us how to best raise our children.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
57. I can't worry about
something as trivial as the heritage of furniture when I can't stand being
around people in general.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
58. We're living in Canada
and that means not having to give up our traditional way of life and adopt a
Canadian lifestyle by thinking and acting like most other Canadians.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
59. The relationships that
I have with ethnic-Canadians are not particularly valuable, while neither are
the ones I have with other Canadians.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
60. It's better to marry
someone who can share a rich cultural background with you rather than someone
who offers to make a good income.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
61. I would encourage
students raised in Canada not to take Canadian and ethnic histories,
because it's not important for them to know the histories of both
countries.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
62. Ethnic festivals are
important events where ethnic-Canadians can share their rich cultural heritage
with Canadians from other backgrounds.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
63. Although present
society everywhere is changing so fast, it's not hard to teach children how to
live and be happy.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
64. Ethnic-Canadians
should go out on dates with other Canadians even though it represents giving up
one's cultural heritage.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
65. Reading an ethnic
newspaper can provide news of the community and the old country while it also
makes reading other Canadian newspapers unnecessary.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
66. If I had to name a
child, I would give her/him both an ethnic name and a Canadian name.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
67. I'd like to decorate
my home with artifacts that have some particular "cultural stamp"; either from
my ethnic background or from the majority culture.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
68. Modern societies have
lost their values; thus it doesn't make sense to talk about or encourage
anything to do with values and society.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
69. Pursuing a lifestyle
which emphasizes a secure economic future is less important than pursuing one
which emphasizes the comfort of belongingness to a culture of either an ethnic
minority or majority group.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
70. People wear clothes
because they are appropriate for work or leisure; so it doesn't matter from
which country they have come.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
71. Since it's not
important to know what's happening in our homelands nor in Canada, both ethnic
and Canadian newspapers need not be read.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
72. Most Canadians are
concerned about keeping the country together because of a genuine sense of
belonging that we have with each other.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
73. I wish we didn't have
to worry about names because they all have problems whether they are mainstream
or minority in nature.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
74. Classical and folk
dances from my ethnic tradition are not worth learning when there are so many
other acceptable Canadian classical and folk dances.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
75. In the age of science
and technology it is still meaningful to talk about pride in belonging to a
particular ethnic or national culture.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
76. We ethnic-Canadians
should join together and participate in organizations which represent our
interests in Canada, but we also should actively participate in other Canadian
organizations.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
77. I would not think that
performing any classical or folk dance is just an expression of the declining
nature of human beings.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
78. I enjoy listening to
music from both our ethnic tradition as well as music from Canada.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
79. To maintain our ethnic
heritage in Canada, we must concentrate our efforts in maintaining and teaching
our ethnic languages rather than maintaining English.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
80. It is important to
consider culture in making friends because it plays a major role in the kinds of
activities in which friends can engage.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
81. It is more important
for everyone to share scientific knowledge and master technology rather than try
to preserve our out-dated cultural traditions.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
82. I am disturbed by
having to worry about proper lifestyle and whether we are like ethnics or
Canadians.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
83. I want to wear only
Canadian clothes, because I prefer not to wear more traditionally ethnic clothes
that would show my cultural background.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
84. "Mainstream" Canadians
are not genuinely interested in traditional ethnic culture, so we should promote
our ethnic cultural festivals only amongst ourselves.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
85. It is important to
live nearby people from many cultural backgrounds because we can all learn from
the traditions of others.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
86. It's easy to work with
other people since most people are interested in something more than their own
selfish gains.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
87. I don't feel that a
blend of ethnic and Canadian furniture can make my home look very attractive.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
88. I find it easy to get
involved in various organizations because they usually make me feel like I
belong.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
89. It was not an
important step for ethnic-Canadians to have magazines; who cares that we can now
read magazines about both Canada and our homelands
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
90. It is important for
Ethnic-Canadians to live together in clusters and not live amongst other
Canadians.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
91. I would rather that
people use the language of science and technology than the languages of their
ancestral cultures.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
92. Reading Canadian
newspapers can provide any relevant news one needs; making the reading of ethnic
newspapers unnecessary.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
93. Eating both
Canadian and ethnic food is something that should be avoided.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
94. Most of my friends are
not ethnic-Canadians because I don't enjoy their company as much as that of
other Canadians.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
95. I often feel helpless
because I can't seem to express my feelings and thoughts into words.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
96. For students who were
raised in Canada, I would encourage them to take a course only in Canadian
history since there isn't much worth learning about our ethnic traditions.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
97. I would rather wear
traditional ethnic clothes and not have to wear particular clothes just because
I am in Canada.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
98. My energies will be
better spent finding my cultural identity rather than worrying about a career
path.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
99. People everywhere
should be most concerned about survival in a world of international trade and
developing technology and they should not be so interested developing a sense of
belonging to a particular culture.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
100. I think that it's
okay to maintain ethnic traditions by having families arrange marriages, but in
keeping with other Canadians the people getting married should agree to the
choice of their partners.
SD D N A SA
1 2 3 4 5
Coding Sheet for
Canadian Acculturative Attitude Survey
(CAAS)
Domains of Acculturation
Child rearing: 28s; 11a; 21i; 63m; 56d.
Clothes: 8i; 70d; 83s; 97a.
Dance (entertainment): 9i; 32d; 33s; 74a; 77m.
Dating: 15m; 18a; 43i; 64s; *d.
Festivals (culture): 24m; 41a; 62i; 84s; 35d.
Food: 4s; 30a; 53m; 93i; 39d.
Friendship: 1s; 3m; 59i; 94a; 80d.
Furniture: 13s; 27a; 57m; 87i; 67d.
History: 22m; 48a; 61i; 96s; 46d.
Language: 23a; 38i; 79s; 91d; 95m.
Lifestyle: 16s; 36i; 58a; 69d; 82m.
Magazines: 6d; 19a; 40s; 52m; 89i.
Marriage: 31s; 100i; 12m; 50a; 60d.
Music: 14m; 25a; 47s; 78i; 10d.
Names: 49s; 54a; 66i; 73m; 99d.
Newspapers: 34m; 65s; 71i; 92a; 26d.
Organizations: 76i; 75d.**
Proximity: 55s; 85i; 90a; 17m; 2d.
Society: 7s; 29i; 20a; 72m; 81d.
Values: 5s; 37a; 44i; 51d; 68m.
Work: 42a; 45s; 86m; 98d; *i
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assim: Integ: Margin: Separ: Decult:
P N P N P N
P N P N
18 11 9 8 12 3 1 4 10 6
20 19 29 21 14 15 28 7 46 26
23 25 36 38 17 22 13 2 32
30 27 43 44 24 34 33 16 39 35
41 37 62 59 52 53 31 40 51 60
48 42 66 61 57 63 49 45 56 67
54 50 76 71 68 77 55 47 70 69
74 58 78 89 73 86 65 64 81 75
92 90 85 87 82 88 79 83 91 80
94 97 100 93 95 72 84 96 99 98
5
P
- positive wording
N - negative (reversed) wording
Score Sheet for CAAS
PN __________
1s__ 2d__ 3m*__ 4s*__ 5s*__ 6d*__ 7s*__ 8i*__ 9i__
10d__
11a*__ 12m__ 13s*__ 14m__ 15m*__ 16s*__ 17m__ 18a__ 19a*__ 20a__
21i*__ 22m*__ 23a__ 24m__ 25a*__ 26d*__ 27a*__ 28s__ 29i__ 30a__
31s__ 32d*__ 33s__ 34m*__ 35d*__ 36i__ 37a*__ 38i*__ 39d__ 40s*__
41a__ 42a*__ 43i__ 44i*__ 45s*__ 46d__ 47s*__ 48a__ 49s__ 50a*__
51d__ 52m__ 53m*__ 54a__ 55s__ 56d__ 57m__ 58a*__ 59i*__ 60d*__
61i*__ 62i__ 63m*__ 64s*__ 65s__ 66i__ 67d*__ 68m__ 69d*__ 70d__
71i*__ 72m*__ 73m__ 74a__ 75d*__ 76i__ 77m*__ 78i__ 79s__ 80d*__
81d__ 82m__ 83s*__ 84s__ 85i__ 86m*__ 87i*__ 88m*__ 89i*__ 90a*__
91d__ 92a__ 93i*__ 94a__ 95m__ 96s*__ 97a*__ 98d*__ 99d__ 100i__
Integration ____/100 Assimilation ____/100
Marginalization ____/100 Separation ____/100
Deculturation ____/100
*-Denotes negatively worded items (to be s