Consumer Economic Pulse
Monitoring Uncertainty
Key Insights
Four things you should know
1
Economic pessimism continues to decline
2
Domestic air travel takes flight, while U.S. air travel softnes
3
Canadians are planning for major purchases
4
Fewer Canadians are accumulating debt
Perception of Canadian Economy Six months from now
Current state of the economy
While 35% of Canadians expect the economy to worsen, pessimism is declining overall, and an increasing share believe conditions will remain steady (49%) six months from now
August 27 - 28, 2025
Personal Debt Load
The number of Canadians with accumulating debt is continuing to trend downwards, reaching the lowest number seen since tracking began in January 2023.
%
of Canadians report having no debt
%
of Canadians have debt that is decreasing as they pay it off
%
of Canadian’s say they have accumulated more debt over the past year
Flights to US and within Canada
Since tariff disputes started in February, domestic flights have surged by a factor of two (from 5% in Feb to 10% in August). In contrast, flights to the US have hovered around 4% (in contrast to generally higher levels seen in previous years).
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About the report
Angus Reid group conducts a monthly tracker to understand Canadians’ purchasing behaviors and perceptions of the economy.
Sample
Wave 38: n= 1,517
For this wave, a nationally representative sample of n=1,517 Canadian Adults (age 18+ yrs.) who are members of the Angus Reid Forum.
The sample frame was balanced and weighted on age, gender, region and education according to the latest census data. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would yield a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Field Window
Wave 38: August 27 to 28, 2025
Next Field Date: September 2025
Study
With inflation continuing to ease, many households are still adjusting to higher prices and the cost of living.
The introduction of U.S. tariffs under President Trump in 2025 has added fresh uncertainty to the economic outlook, potentially influencing the cost of imported goods and further shaping consumer sentiment. The Angus Reid Group conducts a monthly tracker to monitor Canadian’s purchasing behaviors and perceptions of the economy amid these evolving conditions.
This study has been running since May of 2022.
