NATIONAL PULSE – Those who are struggling lean CPC, but there are fewer
(Image: Mel Rothenburger)
Liberals hold massive lead among those Comfortable & Thriving on ARI’s Economic Stress Index
By ANGUS REID INSTITUTE
April 1, 2025 – Economic turmoil between Canada and the United States has taken the headlines this year, perhaps obscuring several positive domestic trends. Falling rents, a grocery cost reprieve, and stable inflation have some Canadians feeling better about their economic stress, and it appears to the benefit of the federal Liberals.
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds a two-point decrease this quarter in the number of Canadians “Struggling” on the Economic Stress Index, which measures self-professed ability to pay for housing, groceries, and debt, as well as optimism about the coming year and an assessment of past 12 months.
This decrease adds to a five-point drop between September and December, meaning approximately one-quarter fewer of those who were Struggling at the beginning of fall say the same now at the beginning of spring (33% down to 25%).
As pundits and observers seek to understand campaign dynamics and the interplay of voters between the Conservative and Liberal Party, consider that the CPC continue to by far the top choice for the Struggling, with more than half of that group (56%) saying they would vote for Pierre Poilievre’s party. This is close to identical to the CPC’s support among the Struggling over the past year. The challenge for Poilievre and co. is that this group has shrunk significantly, and Liberal support has risen from 12 to 26 per cent within it.
The story is equally challenging within other groups across the Economic Stress Index.
Among the Uncomfortable, the Liberals and Conservatives are now tied after the CPC led by 29 points in December. The Liberals lead by 15 points among the Comfortable and 30 within the Thriving. The Conservatives led both groups at the end of 2024.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
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