72 per cent of Canadians see cost of living as top election issue: poll

What are the major issues driving Canadians to the polls this federal election?

In the final days of the 2025 federal election, a new poll is revealing what’s top of mind for many Canadians.

According to Narrative Research, 72 per cent of Canadians chose the cost of living as the biggest issue heading into the election.

“By a large margin, Canadians talk about cost of living (and) relatedly, the cost of housing, income support, poverty alleviation, all those kinds of things that are really at the forefront of what people are thinking about,” says Margaret Chapman, the COO and partner with Narrative Research.

“People are saying the price of food, daily cost of living is really, really, tough for me. We’re seeing that in lots of research. I’m not surprised to see it again here, but it is increasing. Compared to March, five per cent more people told us that cost of living is the most important issue to them.”

Chapman says the numbers are no different in Atlantic Canada, where she says, “the cost of living is absolutely in the forefront of what people are thinking about this election.”

Another major issue is the U.S trade war, as 49 per cent of respondents consider tariffs to be just as important.

“There does seem to be a little bit of a shift during the last month away from the focus on the Trump tariff threats towards cost of living. I think that might help explain why there’s been a slight narrowing of the polls between the Liberals and the Conservatives,” says Anders Hayden, a political science associate professor at Dalhousie University.

For Halifax resident Linda O’Neil, affordability is a big issue, but not as big as the trade war.

“It’s very important for me because I don’t think we can address the cost of living without having that trade balance or changing the way we deal with the United States and our economy,” says O’Neil.

With 7.3 million votes already cast, O’Neil believe Canadians will have their voices heard, no matter which issue resonates the most for them.

“It seems to me with this ‘Elbows Up’ and Canada strong, I think people have really reawakened to their identity as Canadians,” says O’Neil. " (With) this election hopefully we’ll be able to manage the tariffs and (work) on the cost of living. And we have to do that.”