FRANCOPHONE LIFE SATISFACTION AND CIVIC CULTURE - A METAANALYSIS OF THE CANADIAN CASE

Inglehart's notion that variation in civic culture accounts for cross- national differences in life satisfaction is tested for the case of Ca nadian Francophones. The data base is 15 national level surveys, conta ining in total 96 satisfaction questions asked between 1963 and 1991. It is contended that Quebec, the home of the majority of Canada's Fran cophones, historically has had a comparatively weak civic culture, whi ch from Inglehart's hypothesis would predict low satisfaction. Using g raphical analysis of general life satisfaction data this prediction is upheld, with the exception of a brief interval in the late 1970s. The same conclusion is reached using all 96 data points in a weighted lea st squares meta regression analysis, containing variables to denote fi ve separate domains of satisfaction