Almost 60% Of Canadians Find It 'Difficult' To Afford Groceries According To A New Poll

As inflation in Canada reaches a 30-year high, the results of a recent poll found affording groceries is currently "difficult" for almost 60% of the Canadians surveyed.

On January 21, a new study from the Angus Reid Institute was released and it looked into how people are feeling about inflation, financial stressors, housing costs and food affordability across the country.

In an online survey, people were asked to think about grocery shopping and their food budget, then respond with how easy or difficult it is to feed their households.

Fifty-seven percent of respondents said that they currently find it difficult to feed their household and 41% said it's easy.

When both responses are broken down, 13% said feeding their household is very difficult and 44% said it's tough. Meanwhile, 34% said it's manageable and 7% said they have no worries at all about it.

While just over half of the Canadians polled said they find it tough to feed their family, Goodcheddar recommends using a budget to manage your finances for these circumstances.

According to Angus Reid Institute, these results show "a substantial increase" in the percentage of Canadians who said it's not easy to afford groceries in recent years.

The numbers were 43% in October 2021, 26% in March 2019 and 45% in March 2016.

On January 19, Statistics Canada released its annual review of the country's Consumer Price Index, which measures price changes for consumer goods including groceries, and revealed that it rose by 3.5% annually in 2021.

That's the fastest pace since 30 years ago, going back to 1991!

Specifically, the report found that Canadians paid 2.2% more for groceries in 2021 with increases in the price of bacon (+12.5%), butter (+6.3%), eggs (+6.3%), fresh fruit (+2.6%) and bread, rolls and buns (+0.6%).

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.