Most Canadians say they know all the words to O Canada, survey suggests

You're at a hockey game. Do you belt out the national anthem or just move your lips once you get past "O Canada, our home and native land?"

A survey conducted for the Association for Canadian Studies suggests about three quarters of Canadians believe they know all the words to the anthem, Postmedia reporter Randy Boswell reports.

But the poll of 2,350 people for the Montreal-based association discovered there are differences between English- and French-speaking respondents, and between immigrant and Canadian-born citizens, as well as younger and older people.

The poll found 62 per cent of French-Canadian respondents said they could sing the French version without effort. The percentage of francophones who knew the words was lowest in Quebec, at 61 per cent, and highest on the Prairies at 83 per cent.

Association executive director Jack Jedwab said the results reflect the fact it's not common practice in Quebec schools to require students to sign or listen to the anthem regularly.

"I would think (the results) are associated with the extent to which people watch hockey," Jedwab said. "Without hockey, I'm sure the results in Quebec would be even lower."

The survey also found 62 per cent of respondents aged 18 to 24 claimed to know all the words to O Canada, compared with 78 per cent for those 45-54.

Jedwab pointed out the poll asked respondents to say whether they knew all the lyrics but didn't actually test them. Younger people might have been more willing to admit they didn't know the words while older Canadians "may feel it's politically correct to say 'I do know it.' "

The poll indicated 77 per cent of respondents born in Canada said they knew the entire anthem, compared with 64 per cent of foreign-born citizens.

The national anthem has been the subject of controversy in recent years. It sparked a debate in 2009 when a New Brunswick school principal banned daily singing of O Canada _ except for assemblies and sports events _ in the name of inclusiveness.

The Conservative government triggered an uproar last year with suggestions it might make changes to the lyrics of O Canada, replacing "true patriot love in all thy sons command" with "thou dost in us command" from an earlier version. It quickly backed off after hearing from Canadians.

For those who want a refresher on the anthem, the Department of Canadian Heritage has a web page that includes the lyrics and a detailed history of how O Canada came to be.

It's also featuring individual lines from the anthem on the main federal government home page.