Tariffs: More Canadians and Americans Notice Price Increases

May 8, 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 of our study include…

SUPPORT FOR RETALIATORY TARIFFS

  • Support among Canadians for the government responding “dollar for dollar” to U.S. tariffs has slightly declined to 69% (down 3 points from last week). Strong support dropped to 37% (–3 points), while opposition edged up to 18%.

PERCEPTIONS OF PRICE INCREASES

  • In Canada, 78% of respondents believe consumer prices have increased in recent weeks, up 4 points from last wave. In the U.S., 73% share that view, also a 4-point increase. Notably, 54% of respondents identifying as Republicans agreed, compared to 88% of those who identified as Democrats.

CONCERN ABOUT JOB LOSS AND ECONOMIC RECESSION

  • Concern about job security is growing among American workers: 46% are worried about losing their job in the next 12 months (+5 points), including 22% who say they are “very concerned” (+3 points).

Methodology

This web survey on the economy was conducted from May 2 to 4, 2025, with 1,626 Canadians and 1,014 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 ±3.08%, (19 times out of 20) for the American sample.

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