While Canada is known for its politeness, it turns out certain cities across the country are home to some rude residents.
Last year, E-learning platform Preply surveyed almost 1,518 people from 44 Canadian cities who had lived there for at least one year to rate the average rudeness of their fellow residents.
“We asked participants to answer how often they witness 26 common disrespectful behaviours where they reside. We then made an average score of the resulting data to calculate each city’s average ‘rudeness score’ to rank them,” Preply’s team shared.
“To determine which cities in Canada swear and apologize the most, we asked respondents how often they use foul language each day and how often they apologize/say sorry. With the resulting data, we have calculated a daily average number.”
Respondents were also asked, “Do you think that the stereotype of Canadians being polite is accurate?” to determine the accuracy of the stereotype.
So, which city won the top spot for being the rudest?
According to the results, Vaughan, Ontario, won first place, scoring 8.05 10 for average rudeness.
Rudest Canadian cities/ Preply
Preply noted that Vaughan has become a hub for many commuters, which has resulted in more traffic.
“This may be part of why residents have become frustrated and why you’re more likely to encounter people who won’t wave a thank you if you let them merge here than anywhere else,” the platform stated.
It also dove a bit deeper into some of Canada’s most common rude behaviours, noting that Vaughan’s rudest trait was people “being absorbed” by their phones in public.
Most common rude traits in Canada/ Preply
The second rudest city in Canada was Coquitlam, BC, scoring 7.85 on the rudeness scale.
Preply said that a combination of heavy rainfall in the West Coast city and its steep hills “may leave residents feeling moody and less inclined to fulfill the polite stereotypes.”
Cities in Ontario and BC dominate the list as Brampton (7.05), Surrey (6.91), and Windsor (6.88) took third, fourth, and fifth place, respectively.
Preply also looked into which cities engage the most in one particularly rude trait: swearing.
It found that Canadians swear an average of nine times a day, but in some cities, residents appear to be more keen on cussing.
Canadian cities that swear the most/ Preply
Burlington, Ontario, claimed the top spot, with an average of 15 swears daily, followed by Guelph, Ontario, with 14. Chatham, Ontario; Gatineau, Quebec; and Regina, Saskatchewan, tied for third with 13 daily swears.
Preply didn’t just focus on rudeness; it also highlighted Canadian cities that were the most polite.
Survey participants were asked to rank their city on a scale of one to 10, where one was the most polite.
Most polite Canadian cities/ Preply
With a score of 2.91, Markham, Ontario, topped the list as the politest.
“Markham’s cultural richness and varied residents may contribute to them being the most tolerable and polite, unlike some other cities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA),” stated Preply.
Saguenay, Quebec (3.87) and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (3.88) rounded out the top three spots.
Preply noted that although some cities are ruder than others, Canadians are still “relatively polite in public.”
“With an average rudeness score of 5.41 on our scale of one to 10 (10 being the rudest) and a strong tendency to apologize, Canada’s reputation still rings true,” it stated.
This article was originally published on August 17, 2023.