Canadians may not be as boldly patriotic as their neighbours to the south, but a new poll shows those living in the Great White North are making gains when it comes to showing off their national pride.

In fact, almost one in five Canadians would consider getting a maple leaf tattoo and 60% are OK with Canadian flag underwear, according to an Ipsos-Reid survey released Thursday on behalf of the Historica-Dominion Institute.

"One thing that surprised us was the trend towards this country being more outwardly patriotic than we give ourselves credit for," institute director Jeremy Diamond said, adding 30% of Canadians have a flag in their school or office year-round.

In addition, 59% of those polled chose the maple leaf as the country's quintessential icon.

Diamond noted there is a growing divide between younger and older citizens. While 55% of Canadians felt Queen Elizabeth should be used as a national symbol, he said a majority of those aged 18 to 35 don't believe the monarch should be on money, stamps or public buildings.

Furthermore, 1% of B.C. respondents think Justin Bieber's hair should be a national symbol.

"There is an interesting turning point, especially with the younger generations, of what really represents us."

The poll surveyed 1,100 across the country and has an estimated error margin of plus or minus 3%.

Meanwhile, Vancouver is preparing to feel the impact of red-and-white patriotism this holiday weekend as Canada Day events unfold.

Canada Place will be abuzz with the city's biggest celebration Sunday, including live music, with Spirit of the West and the Dal Richards Orchestra, among others appearing, street hockey and a lumberjack show. Fireworks will light up Burrard Inlet starting at 10:30 p.m.

Vancouver police Const. Lindsey Houghton said officers would be highly visible across the city, especially around the convention centre.

"If the weather holds out, we're expecting a lot of people - hundreds of thousands of people."

Environment Canada, however, is forecasting mixed weather. There will be periods of rain Saturday and a high of 18 C, while Sunday is expected to be cloudy and 18 C.