TORONTO – Rising inflation worries more and more Canadians. According to the latest Ipsos survey, the fear of not being able to put food on the table to feed their family grips 52% of people. 

The survey, conducted for Global from March 11 to 16, showed that six out of 10 Canadians are worried about not having enough money to buy the necessary food. This number increased by 16 percentage points compared to a similar survey conducted in November, when the annual rate of inflation was 4.7%. Since then, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada, it has risen to 5.7%, recording the increase of a whole percentage point. And economists say that with the ongoing war in Ukraine, which puts pressure on prices at the pump and in food departments, inflation has probably not peaked yet.

Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, told Global News that the latest survey highlights a “dramatic transformation” of Canadians’ concerns. As the pandemic seems to be subsiding, major concerns such as climate change and healthcare are falling in the rankings as the erosion of affordability takes the lead. “What we’re seeing now is an agenda dominated by really pressing economic issues, mainly the cost of living,” Bricker said.

Concerns about not being able to put food on the table are higher among families with children: 68% of parents say they are restless. More than 60% of people between the ages of 18 and 54 who participated in the survey said they were anxious about the increase in the cost of food: the percentage decreases for those who fall into the over 54 age group.

According to Bricker, it is mainly young people, the less well-off and those with children who have to deal with the increase in the cost of living.

It should be noted that anxiety dictated by galloping inflation is not spread evenly throughout the country. About 71 percent of residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as well as 69 percent of those in Atlantic Canada, said they felt anxiety at the thought of not being able to guarantee meals to their family. At the same time, concerns were lower on the West Coast: 51% of British Columbia residents said they were not at all frightened or very scared by the impact of inflation on the price of groceries.

The survey also found that nearly one in four respondents (24%) say they are completely broke and can no longer pay for their needs while 11% of Canadians say they can “easily” absorb the increase in costs. About 37% are convinced that they can manage inflationary pressure with “some adjustments” to their spending, while a further 28% say they need to implement “major changes” in order to cope with higher prices.