INDIVIDUALISM IN CANADIAN AND AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURES

By: Julia Parado Gavieta

Since its conservative conception, the Canadian political culture is less individualistic than its American counterpart due to its embedded collectivistic elements of group responsibility, selflessness and obedience. Despite recent trends of increasing individualism in both countries, the United States (US) remains significantly more individualistic than Canada since the Trump administration intensified pre-existing neoliberal beliefs of personal responsibility, selfishness and rebellion. First, I define and establish a set of criteria to assess the degree of individualism or collectivism in a political culture. Next, I describe how the US and Canada’s diverging state-formation cultivated different political cultures, with neoliberalist attitudes in Americans and socialist beliefs among Canadians. Last, I research the ongoing individualistic trend in Canada and the US and reveal similar growing distrust in society. Although Canadians and Americans possess individualistic elements, there is still a gap between these two that has distinguished them since the beginning.

Political culture is a generalized pattern representing the citizens’ attitudes and values regarding their political institutions (Adams and Nesbitt-Larking 2012. 6; Yoon 2010, 13). Historical experiences shape these fundamental ideas that later affect the political system (2010, 14). Political cultures exist on a spectrum ranging from individualistic to collectivist, so there is often a struggle between them in most political cultures (2010, 21; Adams and Nesbitt-Larking 2012, 8). Through an investigation of Canadian and American political cultures, I will express this ideological dichotomy in the following section.

The core definition of individualism and collectivism hinges on the relationship between the individual and the group. Individualism asserts that people are independent of each other, while collectivism claims that people depend on each other (2010, 39). Hence, individualism promotes a society where people only protect themselves and their loved ones (2010, 29). However, collectivism creates a society where people belong to groups that protect them in exchange for their loyalty (2010, 29).

Based on Yoon’s (2020) identified traits for individualism and collectivism, this essay categorizes them into three broad themes: personal/group responsibility, selfishness/selflessness, and rebellion/obedience. Personal responsibility, selfishness, and rebellion are individualistic traits. Meanwhile, group responsibility, selflessness, and obedience are collectivistic features. (1) Personal/group responsibility refers to whether the protection costs lie on the individual alone or the state. (2) Selfishness/selflessness refers to the tolerance for people beyond one’s immediate group, such as family and friends. (3) Rebellion/obedience measures the degree of compliance and trust towards authority and society. By analyzing a political culture through these categories, I determine that Americans lean more towards individualism than Canadians.

Collectivism in Canada and Individualism in the US

Canada is fundamentally more collectivistic than the US due to their initial state formations. These ideological beginnings eventually sprouted into their current ideological status. Dalton argues that the American Revolution created two new countries: the classical liberals in the US and the Whigs in Canada (Dalton 2019). Thus, the classical liberals in the US provided a revolutionary heritage that encouraged distrust in the state and emphasized individual rights (2019). Meanwhile, the Whigs in Canada endowed the conservative heritage that respected the state and underlined collective solidarity (2019). Thus, classical liberals developed into American neoliberalism, and the Whigs cultivated Canadian socialism— highlighting the historical persistence of collectivism in Canadian politics.

The basic foundations of American liberalism include its classical liberal beliefs in private property and freedom from state regulation (Ventura 2012, 10). These beliefs are inherently individualistic because they promote personal responsibility separated from the state. Neoliberalism magnifies these beliefs through its increasingly privatized economic sphere through a self-regulating market for individuals to act freely.

As a result, welfare provisions that benefit the whole group, such as accessible education and healthcare, are largely ignored (Regilme 2019, 158). Ultimately, the free market encourages selfishness through the well-enforced notion that people should only care for their own gains—independent of social obligations and state control.

Neoliberalism’s erosion of the welfare state equates to the decline of the collectivistic society as it creates a collective identity for citizens to identify with (Ventura 2012, 29). The welfare state provides social services to its members, producing a shared identity through their shared assistance. However, neoliberalism dismantles this collective identity by supporting the individual and his or her family through independent entrepreneurial ventures, shifting social responsibilities and costs from the state to the individual alone (Ventura 2019, 29). To afford these responsibilities, people need to compete in the economic sphere. Therefore, neoliberalism fosters individualistic competition between people as it refuses to provide social provisions.

Compared to American neoliberalism’s weak welfare system, the Canadian socialist culture embraces its welfare state. From its conservative Whig heritage, Canadian socialist culture derived its collectivistic sentiments.

Although Whiggery eventually declined everywhere, it endured longer in Canada and later influenced Toryist ideas of the common good (Horowitz 1966, 1520-152; 159). Thus, Canadian socialism enables the welfare state by emphasizing public good over private freedoms, highlighting group responsibility and selflessness. Additionally, Canadian socialism’s welfare system encourages obedience toward authority because citizens must recognize and comply with a centralized authority’s redistribution of welfare aid. Although Canadian socialism does not encompass the entire Canadian political culture, social democratic parties possess continuous influence at all government levels. For example, there is the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation party in British Columbia and the New Democrat Party at the federal level (1966, 149). Therefore, Canada contains a collectivistic spirit in its political culture, pushing the state to provide for the common good.

In Canada, the welfare state creates a shared identity among citizens through their shared social protections from the government. For instance, Prince (2014) describes Canada’s universal healthcare as a defining feature of its national identity because it permeates every individual, unifying Canadians under the same services (351). Access to healthcare for all permanent residents is a widely uncontested subject among Canadians (Banting 2010, 805). Although there is a minority that is less supportive of universal healthcare, they tend to still support general redistribution (Banting 2010, 804). This shared expectation of universal healthcare further cements collectivistic notions in Canada because this group responsibility creates a group identity through interdependence. Therefore, most Canadians are selfless compared to Americans because they tolerate “strangers,” extending group responsibility beyond themselves and their immediate families.

Overall, Canadian society is more collectivistic than the highly individualistic American society. American neoliberalism is fundamentally based on individualistic ideas that promote personal responsibility, selfishness and rebellion. Meanwhile, Canadian socialism promotes group responsibility, selflessness, and obedience to the state. First, the US’ economic freedoms weaken welfare supports and encourage individuals to be “selfish” and responsible for only themselves and their close relations. Contrastingly, Canada’s promotion of welfare policies cultivates group responsibility and selflessness. Everyone relies on the state for social provisions and thus, tolerates everyone receiving the same social benefits. Second, the US’ weaker welfare systems also indicate rebellion rather than obedience toward authority compared to Canada’s stronger welfare state, which requires obedience towards the state as citizens need to comply with the government’s redistribution of benefits.

Increasing Individualism in Canada and the US?

Recent data suggest Canada and the US are moving towards individualism due to declining trust in the government and society. Nonetheless, this trend still demonstrates their fundamental differences because the US is augmenting its pre-existing individualistic elements while Canada is undergoing conflict between individualism and collectivism.

In the US, Trump exacerbated neoliberalism’s individualistic effects, encouraging rebellion against social morals and the government itself. In Canada, some scholars argue that Canada is undergoing a “Progressive’s dilemma” with rising tensions between its multicultural identity and its welfare system. However, this section later finds that these frictions remain low due to survey data indicating Canadians' high group responsibility and selflessness towards immigrants.

Since 2017, President Trump has aggravated neoliberalism’s effects, creating socio-political instability in the US. His presidency increases the welfare state's erosion by promoting a “probusiness” strategy that decreases taxes for businesses and the economic elites, diminishing the already shrinking welfare aid (2019, 161). These actions further relocate the protection costs from the state to the individual, emphasizing personal responsibility. Moreover, since Trump’s administration, public distrust and rebellion against the American government have steadily climbed. Because the US opts for “pro-business” ventures over universal welfare, economic inequality has increased alongside citizen disdain against Trump and the American government. A 2018 Gallup World Poll Survey evidence that Americans have reported a low average of 30% approval towards their government (2019, 161). In another 2018 Gallup World Poll, 16% of Americans wanted to permanently leave the US during the first two years of the Trump administration, almost a 6- point difference from the Obama (10%) and Bush (11%) eras (Ray and Esipova 2019). Thus, these statistics exhibit the rebellion against the state as Americans become dissatisfied with the “pro-business” strategy and the eroding welfare.

Furthermore, Trump’s public image exemplifies individualism due to his disregard for social conventions. Osborn (2019) argues that Trump represents the crudest form of American expressive individualism. Expressive individualism presents humans as self-indulgent beings that maximize their pleasure and detach from social conventions (Osborn 2019). These ideas align with individualistic features of rebellion against authority and selfishness. Expressive individualism rebels against the state or collective by acting upon one’s own selfish interests. Trump exemplifies this characteristic in his infamous quote, “grab ’em by the p*ssy” (Makela 2016). He ignores societal convention that dictates what should and should not be said through his explicit language. Due to his crude attitude, Trump supporters view him as a champion of individualistic virtues (Osborn 2019). Hence, Trump amplifies rebellious attitudes among Americans, creating a divided culture where his supporters rebel against social morals and opponents rebel against his government.

In contrast to the US’ intensification of individualism, Canada’s conflict between individualism and collectivism is not as drastic enough to cause socio-political instability. Some scholars argue that Canada is experiencing a “Progressive’s dilemma,” the tension between “diversity and solidarity” as multiculturalism weakens societal cohesiveness (obedience), which is essential to support welfare redistribution (Banting 2010, 799). Strangely, as one of the most multicultural countries, there is little tension in public attitudes regarding national harmony and welfare policies (2010, 799). Regardless of the low degree, there is distrust in the Canadian government. The 2015 Canadian Election Study found a wide gap among respondents regarding trust level in their society; 46% of phone respondents and 69% of online respondents distrusted society (Breton et al. 2017, 1022). Thus, Canadian obedience (trust) in the government is not entirely cohesive but relatively better than the Americans’ extremely high rebellion (distrust).

However, other information depicts the endurance of collectivism over individualism in Canada. According to a 2019 Gallup World Poll, Canada is the most accepting country for immigrants than the US in sixth place (Ray et al.) Although Canadians are more likely to believe immigrants are beneficial for the economy, earlier surveys suggest they are likely to promote cultural integration over preserving cultural differences (Banting 2010, 803). Despite this discrepancy, most Canadians generally support extending redistribution to immigrants (2010, 804). Since the 1960s, Canada has defined its national identity through bilingualism and multiculturalism (2010, 809). Thus, the data above confirms that Canadians still maintain high selflessness levels through their tolerance of immigrants in the welfare system and normalization of multiculturalism through every generation.

Regardless of their similar trajectory toward individualism, Canada and the US face different conflicts. President Trump’s individualistic “pro-business” strategy continuously displaces social responsibilities from the state onto the individual. Meanwhile, Canada’s growing multiculturalism may reduce civil trust in the government and among each other. Statistics reveal that Canadians are divided in their trust in society —vital for the redistribution of welfare. However, Canadians continue to expect universal healthcare, a welfare benefit, for all permanent residents, including immigrants, indicating the persistence of selflessness and group responsibility in Canadian culture.

Conclusion

rIn conclusion, Canada is more collectivistic than the extremely individualistic US. I explore both political cultures from a macro-level through scholarly consensus to determine any overarching patterns of attitudes. Then, I research micro-level information about individual beliefs towards the government to support or challenge the previously abolished political cultures in the prior section. I create a nuanced assessment of the Canadian and American political cultures through this approach. American political culture originated from its classical liberal birth, cultivating neoliberalism's personal responsibility, selfishness, and rebellion against a strong state. Hence, neoliberalism fosters the American private economy for individuals to act freely without state control, promoting individualism. Meanwhile, Canadian political culture developed from its conservative Whig heritage, influencing Canadian socialism's group responsibility, selflessness, and obedience towards authority. Thus, Canadian socialism underlines the Canadian welfare system wherein a centralized state provides universal healthcare, necessitating collectivism. Despite this fundamental difference, the American and Canadian political cultures face tension because of growing individualism. The US is experiencing socio-political instability as Trump further erodes the weak welfare system, emphasizing personal responsibility and enticing rebellion among citizens who distrust the government and society. Meanwhile, Canada seemingly faces friction between individualism and collectivism as socio-political distrust among Canadians will challenge welfare distribution. However, recent surveys evidence that Canadians continue to welcome immigrants to their welfare systems. Thus, the Canadian political culture continues to remain more collectivistic than its American counterpart today