Public opinion data from 2026 suggests yes, with conditions. A recent Abacus Data poll found 54% of Atlantic Canadians are optimistic about the region’s future, and only 17% see immigration as a top national issue, well below cost of living and healthcare. Residents broadly support growth, including from immigration, as long as it comes with matching investment in housing, healthcare, and affordability. 

How Do Atlantic Canadians Actually Feel About Immigration and Growth? 

According to Abacus Data’s June to July 2026 survey of Atlantic Canadians, immigration ranks well down the list of top concerns, at 17%, far behind the rising cost of living at 68% and healthcare at 48%. That is a meaningful signal for newcomers considering the region: immigration is not the flashpoint issue it can be elsewhere in the country. 

At the same time, 54% of Atlantic Canadians say they are optimistic about the region’s future, and a majority see momentum building. The catch is that residents want that growth, including population growth, to be visibly connected to improvements in housing, healthcare access, and everyday affordability. 

Which Atlantic Provinces Are Most Optimistic About Growth? 

Optimism is not evenly spread. Prince Edward Island  leads with 69% of residents optimistic about the region’s future, followed by Newfoundland and Labrador at 63%. Nova Scotia sits at 52%, while New Brunswick trails at 46%. For a newcomer weighing where in Atlantic Canada to settle, this data suggests PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador currently carry the strongest sense of forward momentum among long-term residents themselves. 

Views on whether the region is currently headed in the right direction follow a similar pattern, with Newfoundland and Labrador and PEI again leading in optimism. 

Do Atlantic Canadians Want Immigration-Driven Growth, or Just Growth? 

The polling draws an important distinction. When asked to choose between prioritizing basic affordability, healthcare, and demographic challenges first, or being ambitious about growth and major projects, a majority of 51% chose addressing the basics first. Only 15% wanted growth prioritized on its own, while 30% saw both as equally important. 

This is not opposition to immigration or growth. It is a condition. Atlantic Canadians across party lines, including a striking 70% of NDP voters and 57% of Conservative voters, want growth paired with visible progress on affordability, healthcare, and housing, rather than presented as a separate, standalone story. 

Source: Why Atlantic Canada a Good Place to Immigrate 

Does This Sentiment Affect Provincial Immigration Programs Like the Atlantic Immigration Program? 

Public sentiment shapes political appetite, and political appetite shapes program funding and expansion. A region where immigration ranks low as a source of public anxiety, and where residents link growth to tangible local investment, is generally fertile ground for provincial nominee and Atlantic Immigration Program activity to continue, provided that growth keeps showing up in housing and healthcare capacity as well. 

Nova Scotia’s recent one-time nominee expansion, reaching workers already living and working in the province, fits this broader pattern: growth aimed at people already contributing locally, rather than growth for its own sake. 

What Should a Prospective Immigrant Take Away From This Data? 

Atlantic Canada in 2026 looks like a region that is broadly welcoming, cautiously optimistic, and pragmatic rather than hostile about newcomers. The strongest takeaway for a prospective immigrant is that settling in a community where housing and healthcare capacity are keeping pace with growth, and where local sentiment is already positive, tends to make integration considerably smoother than settling somewhere growth has outpaced services. 

A skilled trades applicant from Nigeria was deciding between Ontario and Atlantic Canada for his landing province. Our RCIC Eivy Joy Quito, walked him through regional labour market and settlement data, including Atlantic Canada’s comparatively low public anxiety around immigration and strong local optimism in Prince Edward Island. He ultimately pursued the Atlantic Immigration Program with a PEI employer, and reports an easier community integration experience than peers who settled in larger, higher-cost cities during the same period.