Canadian survey finds that anthem singing promotes patriotism MONTREAL, June 30 (UPI) -- A majority of Canadians said they feel pride when they sing their country's national anthem, a survey released on Canada Day weekend indicated. Seventy-five percent of the population said they get a surge of patriotic feelings when singing "O Canada," the web poll of 1,500 people found. The song was composed in 1880 by Quebec musician Calixa Lavallee, but was not named the official anthem until 1980, Postmedia News reported. Albertans were most likely to express pride when singing the anthem, with 86 percent responding favorably to the question. But Canadians are less likely to display their love of their country on shirts and hats, the poll indicated. Only 36 percent of Canadians said they had worn a T-shirt or hat with a maple leaf within the past year. The survey was conducted by the Association for Canadian Studies and was carried out June 10 through June 12 by Leger Marketing. The survey results have a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.