Among Quebecers aged 18 to 34, the youngest in the group seem to consider it less important to be served in French in stores than the oldest in the same group.
A study by the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) on the use of languages by Quebecers aged 18 to 34, released Friday, showed this trend, both among francophones and among allophones aged 18 to 34.
Among francophones, 85 per cent of those aged 30 to 34 said they preferred to be served in French. However, among francophones aged 18 to 23, the proportion drops to 76 per cent.
Among allophones, 63 per cent of 30- to 34-year-olds reported a preference for being served in French in businesses. The proportion drops to 29 per cent among allophones aged 18 to 23.
Among anglophones, 29 per cent of those aged 30 to 34 said they preferred to be served in English and 49 per cent of those aged 18 to 23 had a greater preference for service in English.
Without examining by subcategory, we note that, more generally, 68 per cent of those aged 18 to 34 said they preferred to be served in French. Another 20 per cent said they had no preference, as they felt they had sufficient command of English and French.
For anglophones, 40 per cent said they preferred to be served in English and 40 per cent said they had no language preference.
The OQLF said that under the Charter of the French Language, businesses are required to respect the right of consumers to receive service in French.
The OQLF noted that during the 2021-2022 fiscal year, it received 6,292 complaints, and about 31 per cent of them were complaints about the language of service.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 16, 2022.
