Economic anxiety is high in Canada, and trust in political leaders is low, according to the survey

Canadians are deeply worried about the economy and don't trust politicians and governments to solve the big problems, a new poll says.

The annual CanTrust Index, published by Proof Strategies, asks Canadians about their level of trust in everything from political leaders and businesses to corporations, the media, bankers and academics.

The 2024 edition shows that fear of economic illness, such as recession or unemployment, leads to higher levels of anxiety than COVID-19.

“We were surprised to see how high the level of concern was,” said evidence chairman Bruce McLellan. “Two-thirds of Canadians say they currently feel anxious or stressed.”

Women, especially compared to men, reported higher levels of economic anxiety and lower levels of trust in the health care system and Canadian democracy.

Almost three in four women surveyed said the economy has increased their anxiety and stress levels, compared to less than a third of five men surveyed.

“If people don't feel like they're getting a fair deal, if people don't feel like they're moving forward or moving forward or taking care of their families, they start to lose faith,” McLellan said.

He mentioned a “values ​​question” that asks respondents to rate a list of core values ​​that represent Canada.

“With women, every one of them is diminished, and the confidence that Canada lives up to its values ​​is diminished.”

The poll also shows that Canadians' trust in the country's political leaders has yet to reach new depths to dampen those fears, MacLellan said.

“I think the biggest problem areas are the behavior of politicians and how they don't contribute or build trust.”

Confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has fallen over the past 12 months, he added: 36 per cent of respondents believed Canadians would do the right thing a year ago, compared to just 25 per cent now.

Last month, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland raised concerns about the cost of living and housing when asked why her government was doing so poorly in recent polls.

Opposition leaders fared less well: public trust in them was only slightly higher than in Trudeau. About 32 percent said they trusted either Conservative Leader Pierre Polievre or NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to do the right thing.

Overall, trust in politicians was not at 17 percent, which McLellan said should be a wake-up call to those vying for votes.

Fewer than one in four people surveyed believe any level of government — federal, provincial or municipal — can solve the affordable housing crisis.

Only one-third said they believed Canada would meet its national climate goals, and less than half of respondents said they trusted the federal government to respond to natural disasters.

At the provincial level, 47 percent said they trusted the provinces for education and 44 percent said they trusted them for health care.

Some institutions or organizations have seen a glimmer of hope.

Only 30 per cent of respondents to the 2023 survey said they trust Hockey Canada, months after the national sports body saw its entire board of directors resign amid investigations into sexual misconduct allegations against players.

Confidence in Canada's hockey has risen by 41 percent this year.

The news media has also gotten better, McLellan said. About 56 percent of respondents said they believe that traditional media provide reliable information, while 49 percent shared the opinion of journalists.

While this still trails trust in doctors (78 percent), scientists (74 percent) and teachers (68 percent), it is well ahead of bankers (40 percent) and religious leaders (30 percent).

“It's a brutal time for faith,” McLellan said.

“Polarized politics, economic turmoil, just plain willful disinformation — it's heartening to see a growing trust in news media holdings and experts like scientists and doctors.”

The Confidence Index surveyed 1,501 Canadian adults online between January 3 and January 13. Online surveys are not assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.