Transcript:

Hi there. This is The Easternmost North, where truths come forth. I’m your host, Will. Welcome to the show. Today I’m sharing the results of our short poll on East Asian Canadians’ dating—what I asked, what I learned, and what surprised me.

First, a note on size. We collected 7 qualified responses in total, I know, short of the 10–15 target that I expected. That’s on me—because it reflects a strict definition of “qualified”: respondents were East Asian Canadians or people who’ve dated East Asian Canadians. That is to say, I consider the qualified answers and insight more than the quantity of respondent. After all, I got the outcome I was expecting for.

OK, let’s check out the questions of the poll and find out what’s interesting:

Who answered (Q1–Q2):

Question one is about cultural background and the second is “were you born in Canada?”

            •           Cultural background: 43% is Chinese, and 29% have other Asian background outside of East Asia, and 29% is non-Asian.

            •           Where we’re from: Canadian-born 29%, immigrated before 12 years old: 29%, immigrated between 12 to 18: 14%, immigrated as adults: 29%.

Preferences (Q3):

Question 3 is “do you usually prefer to date within your own cultural background?”

            •           29% respondents chose the answer of “Yes, I’m East Asian Canadian, I prefer dating East Asians”, and the rest which is 71% said they have “No strong preference”.

Cultural difference (Q4):

In Question 4, we asked the respondents “Have you ever felt a cultural difference affected your relationship or dating experience?”

            •           29% confirmed it with “Often”, 43% occasionally, and 29% rarely.

Gendered difference (Q5):

Question 5 is “Do you think East Asian Canadian men and women face different dating challenges?”

            •           43% people said “Very different”, and somewhat different 29%, mostly the same 14%, not sure 14%.

Gendered difference (Q6):

Question 6 may the question interests me the most, which is “In your experience or observation, what’s more likely to create tension in intercultural dating? (the respondent can pick up to 2 answers)”

            •           “Different expectations of gender roles” and “communication styles” are two of the most popular answer, 57% people chose them, and “sexual openness/comfort” ranked second: 43%, money/future planning 29%, family involvement 29%.

Representation (Q7):

Question 7 is “Do you feel East Asian Canadians are well represented in dating-related media or pop culture?”

            •           “somewhat but stereotyped” 57%, “well represented”, “rarely” and “not at all” are all 14%.

Talking about dating/sex with family (Q8):

The last question, question 8, asking “How open are you in discussing love, sex, and dating with your family or older relatives?”   

            •           No one chose “Very open — we talk about it”, and 43% said “somewhat open”, rarely 29%, also, 29% said “Never — it’s taboo”.

What didn’t surprise me:

the cultural gap shows up reliably—communication styles and gender-role expectations sit at the top of friction. Many of you also feel under-represented or stereotyped in dating media. And a majority see gendered differences in the challenges East Asian Canadian men and women face. All of this matches previous research and the stories we’ve covered on the show.

What did surprise me:

Two things. First, dating preference by race wasn’t binary. A strong 71% had no strong preference, while 29% preferred within-culture—and no one said they preferred dating outside the culture. That nuance pushes past the usual “date inside vs. outside” debate. Second, I expected near-total silence at home, but 43% reported being at least somewhat open with family about dating and sex. It’s still delicate—0% said “very open”—but the “somewhat” group suggests the script may be slowly changing.

I have to admit the limitations: small sample (n=7), self-selection, and a niche topic. But still, I think these data provide meaningful angle and directional signals in terms of the sociology topics.

Conclusion:

Even in a small sample, the picture is clear—East Asian Canadian dating is shaped by culture, family, and gender expectations, but there’s also flexibility: shifting preferences and a bit more openness at home than expected. I think I will keep collecting responses from my side in daily life, see what the trend is going on. And if something here resonated—or didn’t—feel free to tell me why.

OK, I’ll see you guys in the next episode! Bye!