Cracking the Quebec Code

by Jean-Marc Léger, Jacques Nantel, Pierre Duhamel

The key to opening the hearts, minds and wallets of Quebecers

Most Quebecers come from a French culture, live in an English society and have an American lifestyle. Who are Quebecers exactly? What do they want? What are their aspirations?

This book paints a surprising, sometimes unsettling, and consistently uncompromising portrait of the Quebec personality. During the last 30 years, the Leger survey firm has collected the most intimate secrets, deepest fears and greatest hopes of Quebecers and Canadians, in order to redefine what constitutes the Quebec difference. Using a scientific approach, this book unveils the seven character traits that make Quebecers unique – not better or worse, but different.

Genres: Nonfiction, Anthropology

192 pages, Paperback

Published September 27, 2016

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cracking the Quebec Code presents thirty years of research by the Leger survey firm on the personalities, economics, politics, religion, and cultural viewpoints of the 8 million + people that call the province of Quebec "home." I found this book quite fascinating, a bit humorous, and maybe a little sad( We invented Crocs?!).

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.

Thanks to over 30 years of data collected by the Leger survey firm, a mission to paint a portrait of Quebec was commenced. Four major surveys, thirty complementary interviews with Quebec leaders and an interesting semiometry analysis later, Jean-Marc Léger and his colleagues Jacques Nantel and Pierre Duhamel have published a book that unveils the subtleties that characterizes Quebecers. It’s no secret that Quebec has a lot of particularities and remains one of most fascinating places to discover in the world. Its history is rich and its culture has evolved over centuries. To this date, a lot of those two elements transpires through its landscape and its people. Cracking The Quebec Code is an attempt to pinpoint traits that distinguishes Quebecers from the rest of Canada (ROC) and Americans. It’s only after discovering that 71 percent of the attitudes and behaviors they’ve analyzed where similar between Quebecers and the ROC that the focus was turned towards the precious 29 percent. It’s within those percentages that the authors have concluded having discovered what makes Quebecers different from the rest of the population.

Seven major traits were highlighted in this book (the book cover features them): joie de vivre, victim, easygoing, proud, creative, non-committal and villagers. Each chapter is efficiently coded with a color and dives into each of the traits. While some of them sound offensive and unthinkable, they often carry some truth in them. The authors do a fantastic job in explaining their points and back them up with the data they’ve collected. I did find myself wondering about the validity of certain points they were trying to convey, but in the end, I thought these aspects were nice for entrepreneurs to contemplate and decide for themselves of their pertinence to today’s society. Sometimes these data are pretty thin and would definitely need a lot more digging than simply asking a certain random number of individuals about certain topics. It still remains that most of the conclusions drawn are simply statistics. In other words, this book gives readers a great insight into what to expect with three generations of Quebecers, but further research that confirm these findings are much needed. Over the span of 30 years, and during a time and age where change happens a lot faster than we would expect, it isn’t too far-fetched to think that there’s more to Quebecers than what has been stated, especially for the years to come.

The examples that are also given throughout each chapters are always bits that are quite riveting. Anyone who’s had no knowledge of the impact that countless Quebecers have had in several fields (film, video game, transportation, etc.) will be astonished by the information given in this book. There’s a lot of impressive names thrown around, which might also be quite overwhelming and hard to remember for anyone who blindly jumps on an opportunity to read this book. In fact, Cracking The Quebec Code is a book made for entrepreneurs who seek to make an impact among Quebecers. The amount of information you can garner from the insights of Jean-Marc Léger, Jacques Nantel and Pierre Duhamel is impressive. Individuals who seek to understand Quebecers and get a first impression of the kind of people they are trying to target will find this book very handy. It might not represent every single Quebecer on the streets, but it does give you enough ideas on how to sell an idea to us.

Reading this, I definitely felt a political agenda emerge from it. While it wasn’t anything harmful, the idea of showcasing the differences between French Quebecers and the ROC can stir some emotions among Quebecers themselves. Even if this attempt to make Quebec feel like a country (it is a province today) is present throughout this book, there’s no denying that Quebecers have done a lot to claw their way into the view of many. The reputation of this province precedes it, and this book shows you a nice glimpse of all those traits that represents a lot of Quebecers. While the French culture in Quebec is one that fights religiously to survive, most Quebecers—as the authors have brilliantly summed up—come from a French culture, live in an English society and have an American lifestyle. Quebec (especially Montreal) remains one of the most multicultural societies out there. Cracking The Quebec Code is definitely an interesting read and a great place to start off any project that wishes to flourish in Quebec. If you’re looking to take a crack at the Quebec Code, this is definitely a good place to start.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me an Advance Copy for review!

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: http://bookidote.wordpress.com
____________________________

Interesting read. An attempt to understand the identity of the Quebecois by analyzing 30 year of poll-based data. I'm not a big fan of the method behind the data collection or even its validity, but this still remained intriguing. The 7 traits that the authors highlight as their biggest discoveries were insightful. There's a lot of names thrown at us, and readers are most likely to forget 90% of them unless they go on to dig the web for more information. There's some nice bits of fun facts here and there to make people realize how many and how much Quebecois' have changed the landscape in several fields (whether its in terms of publicity, talent or creation). I had a problem with the approach of making the French Quebecois feel unique and different from the Anglo Quebecois + the rest of Canada (ROC). It felt a lot like the authors wanted to show Quebec as a distinct country (it's still a province to this day) that had a little of Anglo, French and American blood running in them. Again, it was interesting and mainly pertinent to people who seek to have a general idea of what they're embarking in by starting a business or attempting to sell a product out in Quebec.

P.S. Full review to come really soon

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: http://bookidote.wordpress.com

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

This book is not my normal read. But when I was given the opportunity to read this book I thought that it sounded very interesting.

The book basically tries to answer the question "who are Quebecers?"
The book uses a scientific approach to unveil the seven character traits that make Quebecers unique.

As an anglophone living in the province of Quebec I was curious to read the authors' findings.

This book is divided into 10 chapters:

Chapter 1. The Paradoxes of Quebec.
Chapter 2. Breaking the Quebec Code.
Chapter 3. The Source Code. Discovering the seven identity traits.
Chapter 4. Joie de Vivre. Living in the moment.
Chapter 5. Easy Going. Common Sense.
Chapter 6 .Non-committal. More talk than action.
Chapter 7. Victim. Fear of Failure.
Chapter 8. Villagers. Parochialism.
Chapter 9. Creative. Head full of ideas.
Chapter 10.Proud. Entrepreneurial Spirit.

Each chapter has its own color, which makes it very easy to go back and forth between chapters.

Most of the book is about French speaking Quebecers vs the English speaking Rest of Canada.

I really enjoyed chapter 9 and learning about the creativity of Quebecers. From Cirque du Soleil to Celine Dion this chapter went into detail about the creativeness of people from Quebec. I was fascinated by television preferences of French Quebecers and the differences vs the Rest of Canada.

I enjoyed reading about advertising in Quebec.

Chapter 8 had the most about Anglo Quebecers (which is the category I fall into). So I found this chapter to be very interesting.

I enjoyed reading about the differences between Quebec City and Montreal.

At the end of each chapter there is a section called "Quebecers in their own words" It features various tables and graphs with data, showing various polls that were taken. Most of these were Francophones in Quebec vs Anglophones from the Rest of Canada. I kind of wish that Anglophones from Quebec had been included. I live near Montreal and my reality is a completely bilingual society. I wish that had been more a part of this book.

There is a table of contents at the back of the book.

Overall, the book was thought-provoking and was a very interesting read. There is a french version of this book also available.



I received a copy of this book from Simon & Schuster Canada.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an Englishman who has visited Quebec a couple of times now this seemed an interesting chance to delve into the area and learn more about the people. The book essentially compares and contrasts Quebecers with various other groups - most noticeably the rest of Canada, but also France, the USA, and at times Britain.

Like any book that tries to define a large number of people it has to rely on sweeping generalisations. Yes, the authors conducted research and have figures to support their data, particularly in relation to Quebec/Rest of Canada, but you can't avoid the fact that it isn't always as clearcut as presented. More than a few tables have data that show differences which seem to barely qualify as more than a margin of error for example, making the resulting "Quebecers are more/less likely..." conclusion seem a little hollow. It's great that the authors provide the figures so you can assess it yourself, but I think I would've had more confidence in the whole thing had their conclusions weren't always so binary.

Having experience of all the comparison regions doesn't help since having opposite experiences of the conclusions just serves to highlight the difficulties with sweeping statements. The book itself mentions how the province has further sub-divisions, and indeed that Montreal has distinct identities within itself, and that confuses things even further. Some of these interior differences are touched upon more than others. Understandably the focus is on the larger demographics of the cities since the greater number of people makes them statistically more influential, but it's a shame that these smaller groups are defined and then largely brushed over.

That said, I think anyone who is interested in interacting and communicating with the various groups within Quebec can treat this as a good crash course on the locals. Personal interactions will no doubt offer countless exceptions to the rules, but as an overall community it will no doubt help someone get up to speed with the prominence (or lack) of certain traits across Quebec. An interesting read whether you're just curious about people or trying to "crack the code".

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I told my partner that he should read this book, but he ended up not having to because I told him about everything I'd read in the form of did-you-know facts, peppering the dinner conversation with facts like "Québecers eat three olives for every pickle! In Ontario, the opposite is true!"

It's tempting to compare this book to Freakonomics, which I also enjoyed, because of the common theme of using social science to draw surprisingly insightful conclusions. This book is a lot more technical than the former, so that it might be as useful professionally to someone in the marketing industry or an academic studying Québec as much as it is good for general interest for the curious.

Another thing I really appreciated was the comparisons between Québec and other provinces — so that I felt like I was getting a little insight into the "personalities" of other provinces and regions of Canada as well as Québec. I also liked the breakdown of dominant traits by generation at the end.

Some of my observations and suspicions about the Québec collective unconscious were confirmed or explained. Many things, I gained a more nuanced view about. And sometimes I was reminded that Montréal doesn't represent all of Québec!

While some parts were a bit drier (and obviously everyone will have particular subjects which are more or less interesting to them) overall I would (and have been) recommending this book to anyone who might want to better understand Québec — including, perhaps especially, Québecers themselves.

[Ericka Wicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. If the rating were a 10 sale, I would have given it a 9. The authors synthesized and summarized quantitative and qualitative data over 3 years into something that is enjoyable to read and laid out incredibly well. They kept the analytical jargon very light (with a methodological appendix at the end - smart - for those interested). Though I may not agree with all word associations they made (especially in the "easygoing" section) I believe they did a fantastic job arriving at the seven character traits that describe Quebecers. The "regenerative" conclusion was outstanding and could serve almost as an executive summary for those not wanting to read the whole book (though I highly recommend it not only for its insights but because it's truly an enjoyable read).

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It helped me to put words to many of the cultural differences I've sensed since moving to Quebec.

Would be 5 stars if not for some extremely frustrating typos that made some paragraphs all but senseless.

[Matthew Gallant · Rating 3 out of 5]

A marketing firm attempts to quantify the differences between Francophones in Quebec and Anglophones in the rest of Canada. Taking their ideas with hefty amounts of salt, but an interesting perspective. (Book recommendation from my father.)

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was growing up in Ontario, I’d often hear so much strange stories about the province next door, most of it wasn’t the least bit flattering.   Upon moving here some 20 years ago, it was a culture shock.  It took me a good two years to really feel like I belonged.  Eventually, with much practice, I was able to order ice cream, pizza or poutine and use the correct lingo.  

Cracking The Quebec Code is not necessarily a book to devour as you would a mystery or romance novel.  You’ll probably pick it up, read a chapter or flip to something of interest within its pages.  Nevertheless, inside the pages you’ll find great insight based on 30 years of data collected from the Leger survey firm.

The book is divided into 7 color codes, each tackling a particular key to understanding Quebecers.  In essence, they are the seven identity traits that make the people of this province unique. As I read through them, one thing was absolutely clear to me based on my personal experience:  Quebec has changed over the 20 years that I’ve lived here.

There are statements made in the book that I whole heartily agree with, such as :“Quebecers are villagers through and through – loyal to their homes and shaped by them. They identify more with their region and their town or city than they do with their province or country.”  Yet there were other statements I just couldn’t get behind: “Quebec City residents have less joie de vivre than the rest of Quebec.” (ok, maybe because I live in there)

At the end of each color coded chapter you’ll have a section entitled “Breaking the Marketing Code” written by either Jean-Marc Leger or Jacques Nantel.  I loved these sections because they used current events and familiar topics to make their point. It felt relevant and fresh.  For instance; “searching for the origin of the poutine dish” or how, in Chapter 7, they describe Andre Dion and the risk he took while expanding Unibroue.  In addition, at the end of each chapter you’ll find a section with the title “Quebecers In Their Own Words. This section provides basic statistics and easy to read tableaus.

If you’re in business in Quebec or even thinking of doing business, you should run, yes run and grab a copy of this book. Actually buy a case and give them to members of your staff, especially the marketing team.   I’d also recommend this book to someone who is seriously considering immigrating to Quebec.  You could even gift this to an out of province friend who just doesn’t seem to understand it all.  

Overall, Cracking the Quebec Code made me smile, chuckle, and made me think happily on the past 20 years I’ve spent in this beautiful province.  This book is a treasure trove of information giving the readier some unique insight into the hearts and minds of contemporary Quebecers.

[Monika Kacie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hello! Simon and Schuster were kind enough to give me a free copy of this book in return for a review! So here I go!!

I was really excited to read this - my mom is from Quebec, and I live in Montreal now going to school, so I was really looking forward to learning a little bit more about the culture of my new home province. It was little different in this aspect, as it focused on the province in general rather than just Montreal (which is actually one of the things the book mentions, how Quebecois see themselves as villagers). Some things really resonated with me, and others I was very surprised by, and others I straight up disagreed with.

Overall, this is a book for people in finance, or interested in entrepreneurship or in the buying habits of Quebecois. As a reader of mainly fiction, this was VERY outside of my regular genre. I would say that even though I wouldn’t say that I enjoyed the book, there were interesting facts - like how HUGELY popular the Montreal Canadiens are, how they mainly use consensus-based decisions, and value joie de vivre more. The comparisons to the rest of Canada were also really interesting, to see statistically how the Quebecois compared themselves. I thought it was particularly interesting that Quebecois make less but spend more, and are more willing to pay more for food (hello yes I see why I live here now haha all I spend money on is food).

I remember reading that the book argued that Quebec wasn’t racist on the basis that it we (generally better than America and France - both countries that are VERY racist). That did not impress me, and I would say that this is one of the points that I most strongly disagreed with. It also based Quebecois racism on fear of the re-emergence of outward signs of religion, which I think is a huge excuse - there are overt signs of Christianity all over Montreal, and yet there are also overt acts of antisemitism. Call a spade a spade, and then address the actual issue.

As to whether the book is the code to understanding the Quebecois? I don’t think so. It’s so hard to say that you’ve figured out an entire group of people. Although these guys did surveys for like 30 years, even within that period things changed so much. I don’t anyone will ever be able to say they’ve definitively “cracked the Quebec code”, but this book is a cool analysis of patterns that have emerged and buying habits that a group of people may have. So overall, 2.5/5 stars!

Once again, thank you to Simon and Schuster! I really appreciated this opportunity!

[JennLynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Research-based insights into what makes Quebecers different from the rest of Canadians - differences I generally take for granted, having lived here all my life. Unfortunately there was relatively little attention devoted to Anglo Quebecers in particular. I would have appreciated more. For those outside the province curious how we tick, however, it will be an interesting read.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has had the opportunity to spend a bit of time in Québec, with the hope to do so for longer periods of time, I found this book invaluable as a primer or, more precisely, an articulation of the distinctives I have observed when I have been there. If you are wanting to read a well-researched, concise, articulate summary of what makes Québec unique in Canada, North America, and the world, read this book!