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More than a quarter of Canadians experience financial hardship: study

Angus Reid Institute has launched poverty study
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The Angus Reid Institute is trying to better understand what it means to be poor in this country.

It has launched a two-part study which is examining the state of poverty here by looking at lived experiences, rather than income.

Researchers were able to sort the Canadian population into four groups: The Struggling (16% of the total population), those On the Edge (11%), those who are Recently Comfortable (36%), and those who are Always Comfortable (37%).

Angus Reid says it means over one-quarter of the Canadian population (27%) could be described as experiencing notable financial hardship today.

The first chapter of the study also found one in five adults say an inability to afford dental care has been a chronic problem for them in their lives. 

One in six are routinely unable to afford new clothes or good-quality groceries, while one in seven have struggled with inadequate housing throughout their lives.

"We find that about one in six are in a group that we call the struggling. Those are people who have experienced at least four of the 12 items on the list over an on-going period in their lives." said Angus Reid Institute Research Associate, Ian Holliday.

He says items on the "lived experiences" list are extreme examples of something being financially wrong in someone's life. That includes having to use a food bank, or not being able to pay your rent or mortgage on time.

"...I think that many, if not most Canadians would agree are things that people should be able to afford to do in a rich society like Canada...Things like being able to afford to go for dental care or being able to afford good quality groceries, rather than having to always buy the cheapest option available." Holliday told The Mike Farwell Show on 570 NEWS.

Here are some more key findings from the study:

  • Almost one-in-three Canadians (31%) feel “very stressed about money” on a regular basis – either “often” or “all the time
  • More than half of Canadians (52%) believe poverty has been increasing where they live in recent years. Fewer than one-in-ten (9%) say poverty has been on the decline in that time
  • Three-in-ten Canadians (30%) are pessimistic about their personal financial situation over the next few years
  • More Canadians believe their children’s generation will be worse off (43% do) than themselves than believe they will be better off (32%)

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Blair Adams

About the Author: Blair Adams

Blair is the editor of CityNews Kitchener
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