Tariffs and Trade Tensions: Most Canadians See Rising Prices and Personal Financial Impact

April 17, 2025

Every week during this tumultuous period, we conduct a survey of Canadians and Americans to explore their views on the economy and their finances.

Highlights include…

PERCEIVED INCREASE IN CONSUMER PRICES

  • Canadians express high levels of concern about recent stock market volatility linked to U.S. tariffs, with 78% saying they are worried. Concern is especially pronounced among Liberal voters in Canada, 85% of whom are concerned, including 45% who are very concerned.
  • Among Canadians, 21% report having changed their investment habits due to market fluctuations, versus 19% of Americans. Among Canadians who invest, 31% say they’ve temporarily stopped investing, compared to 33% for Americans who invest.
  • Most Canadians (87%) believe the new tariffs will affect their personal finances, compared to 78% of Americans. Canadians are less likely to expect a major impact (19% vs. 28% in the U.S.), but more likely to foresee at least a moderate one.

PERSONAL FINANCIAL REPERCUSSIONS OF TRADE TENSIONS

  • More Canadians (74%) and Americans (72%) say they have noticed an increase in consumer prices in the last week. It is marked by a 6-point increase in Canada and a 3-point increase in the U.S. compared to the previous wave.
  • Almost half of Americans (47%) are concerned about losing their job in the next 12 months. This represents an 8-point increase compared to last week.

Methodology

This web survey on the economy was conducted from April 11 to 13, 2025, with 1,630 Canadians and 1,007 U.S. residents, 18 years of age or older, randomly recruited from LEO’s online panel.

A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size yields a margin of error no greater than ±2.43%, (19 times out of 20) for the Canadian sample and ±3.09%, (19 times out of 20) for the American sample.

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