Consumer Economic Pulse
Monitoring Uncertainty
Key Insights
Four things you should know
1
Economic anxiety has increased
2
Canadians are becoming more cautious of their spending
3
Canadians are making changes to their cross-border travel and shopping
4
Strong preference for “Product of Canada”, when Canadians know what it means
Perspective on the economy
Current state of the economy
Negative perception of the current state of the economy has increased significantly since February. Three-quarters of Canadians now believe the country is in or approaching a recession.
March 17 to 20, 2025
Canada/U.S Relations
Changes to U.S Consumer Behaviour
In March 2025, a growing number of Canadians said they cancelled or postponed a planned trip to the U.S. More are also cancelling or reducing their orders from U.S online retailers.
%
of Canadians have cancelled or postponed a planned trip to the United States
%
of Canadians have cancelled or reduced orders from U.S online retailers
%
of Canadians have thought/planned on cancelling one or more U.S based social media account
Affordability/ Personal spending habits
Changing brands to save
Brand switching to save has remained largely unchanged since February but has been on an upward trend since the start of 2025.
%
of Canadians have switched brands in at least one area in order to save money
Employment
The proportion of Canadians who feel secure in their jobs continues to drop, now at 69% – 7 percentage point decrease in security since June 2024.
%
of employed Canadians aged 18-34 are actively looking for a new job
%
of Canadians are happy in their current roles
%
of Canadians are open to new opportunities
Telecom
Likelihood of purchasing new mobile phone
Nearly 9-in-10 Canadians are not looking to purchase a new mobile phone over the next few months, the highest number since tracking began in May 2022.
%
of Canadians are not at all likely to purchase a new mobile phone in the next few months
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About the report
Angus Reid group conducts a monthly tracker to understand Canadians’ purchasing behaviors and perceptions of the economy.
Sample
Wave 33: n= 1,513
For this wave, a nationally representative sample of n=1,513 Canadian Adults (age 18+ yrs.) who are members of the Angus Reid Forum.
The sample frame was balanced and weighted on age, gender, region and education according to the latest census data. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would yield a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Field Window
Wave 33: March 17 to 20, 2025
Next Field Date: April 2025
Study
With inflation easing in 2024, many households are still adjusting to higher prices and the cost of living.
The Angus Reid Group conducts a monthly tracker to understand Canadians’ purchasing behaviors and perceptions of the economy.
