More Canadians think sharing gender pronouns or other identity markers encourages rather than breaks down stereotypes

March 4, 2025

Gender pronouns are the terms people choose to refer to themselves that reflect their gender identity. These might be he/him, she/her or gender-neutral pronouns such as they/them. Those advocating the use of pronouns generally contend that they foster inclusion, makes people feel respected and valued, and make a difference in reducing stereotypes. That view however isn’t shared by most Canadians who feel that the use of gender pronouns is more likely to encourage stereotypes rather than break them down. This finding emerges from a survey conducted by Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies over the period January 17-19, 2025. The survey reveals that most Canadians think that the use of gender pronouns have no impact. Nonetheless, there is a generational divide on the issue with more respondents aged 18-24 narrowly believe that pronouns encourage stereotypes rather than break them down. The survey was conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies with 1578 respondents A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes. A probability sample of 1578 respondents would have a margin of error of ±2.5%, 19 times out of 20.