As the holiday season approaches, many families will once again gather around the table — and while conversations may heat up over politics, money, or other sensitive topics, a new Leger survey finds that a majority of Canadians still believe spending time with loved ones is what truly matters.
Despite differing opinions and the occasional spirited debate, togetherness remains at the heart of Canadian holiday traditions.
Family time remains essential for most during the holidays
Nearly three-quarters of Canadians (73%) say getting together with immediate and extended family during the holidays is important to them, even if the conversation sometimes gets tense.
This sentiment is strong across generations but is most pronounced among those aged 55 and older (82%). Younger adults also value these moments but tend to be a bit more selective about when and with whom they gather.
Leger also conducted this survey in the United States, and the results were strikingly similar. Despite today’s social and political climate, 72% of Americans said holiday family gatherings remain an essential tradition.
Holiday excuses: a familiar tradition of their own
Even with this attachment to family time, almost half of Canadians (45%) admit to having used a fake excuse to skip a family gathering.
This is especially common among 18- to 34-year-olds (54%) and those who place little importance on such events (62%).
The pattern is nearly identical south of the border, where 41% of Americans have also confessed to inventing an excuse to avoid a family dinner
Hot topics at the table: politics tops the list
When it comes to the subjects most likely to spark tension during holiday meals, politics takes the top spot.
In Canada, 49% of respondents said politics is the most divisive topic, followed by money (25%) and immigration (19%).
American respondents aren’t much different: 54% point to politics as the leading cause of disagreement, followed by money (28%) and immigration (17%).
Biting your tongue to keep the peace
According to the results, keeping quiet has become the norm in many households.
A large majority — 77% of Canadians and 78% of Americans — say they’ve held back their opinions during a family conversation to avoid conflict.
Still, 36% admit they usually speak up when a heated topic arises, even if it stirs the pot, while about one in four (24% in Canada, 25% in the U.S.) prefer to change the subject to defuse the situation.
More cautious conversations than before
Roughly half of Canadians (52%) and Americans (49%) feel that people are more careful today about what they say than they were a few years ago.
This greater restraint reflects both a desire to maintain family harmony and a growing awareness of the polarized social climate that can find its way into living rooms during the holidays.
Methodology
This Leger online survey was conducted with 1,537 Canadians and 1,016 Americans aged 18 or older. Data were collected October 10–12, 2025, in Canada and November 14–16, 2025, in the United States.
Results were weighted by age, gender, mother tongue, region, education, and household composition to ensure a representative sample of both populations.
While no margin of error can be calculated for a non-probability sample, for comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size would have a margin of error of ±2.5% for the Canadian sample and ±3.1% for the American sample, 19 times out of 20.
