What do Canadians fear in 2024?
Most are intimidated by mortgage payments and migrants.
From December 27 to 29, Canadian public opinion research company Nanos Research conducted a hybrid telephone and online survey. It involved 1,006 Canadians aged 18 and older. The results showed what the country's residents are really worried about at the dawn of 2024.
Mortgage
One in two Canadians with a mortgage say they are "concerned" (24%) or "somewhat concerned" (28%) about their ability to make mortgage payments after their mortgage is renewed. And such concerns are more common among younger residents (18 to 35 years old) than those over 55. And women are statistically more worried about mortgage spending than men.
Government work
When asked what issues should be a priority for the House of Commons in 2024, 35.4% of respondents said addressing the rising cost of living. It was considered the most important by almost half of all young people surveyed (44.5% of 18 to 34 year olds) and 41% of Canadians in the 35 to 54 year old group.
Among other priority issues, people cited health issues (13.8% of respondents), the housing crisis (13.1%) and concern for the environment (10.9%).
Migrants
It turns out that a growing proportion of the Canadian population wants the country to accept fewer immigrants. 61% of respondents share this view, which is 8% more than in September 2023. The main reason cited is the housing crisis, with 31% saying there is already "nowhere to live." Another 24% believe that Canada lacks the infrastructure, social services and resources to support this influx of immigrants.
The view that Canada should receive fewer newcomers in 2024 than in 2023 is shared most strongly in two large regions. In the Canadian Prairies — the provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta — 68.1% of residents think so. And in the province of Ontario, it's 67.1%.
The percentage of Canadians who think more immigrants are needed continues to decline, from 17% in 2020 to 5% in the current poll.
