Most Canadians feel worse off financially than others: survey

A new survey conducted by Narrative Research found that most Canadians feel they are worse off financially than others.

Margaret Chapman of Narrative Research said there is a real difference between people’s actual finances and how they feel about them.

“The median household income in the country is $84,000,” said Chapman in an interview with CTV Atlantic's Todd Battis on Friday. “But a lot of people who earn over $100,000 for their household actually feel less wealthy than the average.”

Chapman said the results of the survey show Canadians are struggling with the rising cost of living.

“A lot of people are feeling the pinch and it’s causing them to feel like they are not getting ahead,” she said. “Most people feel like they have to check the price of groceries before they put them in the cart to purchase them.”

Chapman said the results also show that Canadians are not taking as many vacations because of the costs.

“There are a lot of other indicators around not taking vacations and not buying luxury goods, even people who feel wealthy are not taking them. They are not going on vacation because they feel like it is too expensive,” she said.

When looking at the results from Atlantic Canada, Chapman said the region is similar to the rest of the country.

“We’re pretty much like the rest of the country, this is pretty wide spread. Only 14 per cent of the population feel like they are wealthier than everyone else.