Tariffs: Support for Dollar-for-Dollar Tariffs Dwindles

April 23, 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…

SUPPORT FOR RETALIATORY TARIFFS

  • Support among Canadians for the government responding “dollar for dollar” to U.S. tariffs has declined to 68%, down 5 points since last week. The proportion who are strongly in favour also dropped from 44% to 38%, while opposition rose slightly from 17% to 20%.

PERCEIVED PERSONAL FINANCIAL IMPACT OF TARIFFS

  • A growing share of Canadians (91%) believe that the new tariffs will have some impact on their personal finances, an increase of
    4 points since the previous wave, with 24% expecting a major impact. In the U.S., the perception of personal impact also rose, with 82% now anticipating an effect and 32% saying it will be major, both figures up by 4 points since last week.

CONCERN ABOUT JOB LOSS

  • Concern among employed Canadians about losing their job in the next 12 months has declined to 37%, a drop of 4 points since last week. In the U.S., concern also decreased, falling from 46% to 40% this week.

Methodology

This web survey on the economy was conducted from April 17 to 21, 2025, with 1,603 Canadians and 1,000 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 ±2.45%, (19 times out of 20) for the Canadian sample and ±3.09%, (19 times out of 20) for the American sample.

Related Posts

Alberta Teachers’ Strike Divides, but Public Sides with Educators

In the wake of the Alberta teachers strike, Leger surveyed Albertans between October 31 and November 2 to assess how the public views the government’s handling of the dispute, the use of emergency legislation, and the outlook for labour relations in the province. The...

Federal Voting Intentions Canada: Liberals Hold the Lead

A few months after the last federal election, Leger conducted a survey on behalf of Postmedia to assess federal voting intentions, satisfaction with the Carney government, and public sentiment on key national issues.Some of the Key Highlights Liberals Maintain Their...

Toronto Residents Split on Mayor Chow’s Performance

In October, Leger surveyed residents across the Greater Toronto Area to gauge their views on Mayor Olivia Chow’s performance and key municipal housing issues. The results paint a picture of a divided public, with notable support for specific housing policies,...

Ontario Report Card: October 2025

From October 10 to October 13 and from October 17 to October 20, 2025, we surveyed Ontarians on their provincial and municipal governments. Direction of the Province: Only a third of residents (33%) believe Ontario is headed in the right direction with just 3%...

Get the latest in your inbox

Stay up to date on cutting-edge research, news and more.