title: Impact of the Charter of Quebec Values on psychological well-being of francophone university students.
abstract: This paper discusses results from a pilot study conducted in the spring of 2014 among young adults living in Montreal. The main objective of this study was to assess the relation between perception of the Charter of Quebec Values,1self-identification, perception of intercommunity relations, perceived discrimination, and psychological well-being in young students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs of a francophone university in Montreal. A total of 441 students (30.5% male, 69.5% female) took part in a web survey designed by the research team. The data analyses and results suggest that the debate around the Charter of Quebec values was associated with a shift from a predominantly positive perception of intercommunity relations to a predominantly negative one, particularly among women, immigrants, and those who self-identified as cultural or religious minorities. In addition, more than 30% of participants reported having experienced some form of ethnic or religious discrimination since the Charter was released (personally or as a witness). This was particularly the case among immigrants, as well as those who self-identified as bicultural or from cultural or religious minority groups. This study's results thus highlight the exacerbation of intercommunity tensions linked to the public debate around identity and intercommunity relations in Quebec.
authors.affiliation: Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).|SHERPA, CIUSSS Centre-Ouest de l'île de Montréal.
authors.forename: Ghayda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.affiliation: Université Laval.
authors.forename: Abdelwahed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mekki-Berrada
authors.affiliation: McGill University.|SHERPA- CIUSSS Centre-Ouest de l'île de Montréal.
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rousseau
authors.affiliation: Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).
authors.forename: Gabrielle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lyonnais-Lafond
authors.affiliation: McGill University.
authors.forename: Uzma
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Jamil
authors.affiliation: SHERPA- CIUSSS Centre-Ouest de l'île de Montréal.
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cleveland
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011792:Quebec / Q000208:ethnology; D012933:Social Identification; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Muslims; intercommunity relations; minorities; psychological wellbeing; religious discrimination; secularism