Cost of living, inflation the top issues facing Albertans: Angus Reid survey

New data shows economic pressures facing Canadians As an affordability crisis rages in Canada, new data shows what is putting the most pressure on Canadians. Scott Hurst reports.

Cost of living is currently the issue Albertans care about most, according to a recent poll.

Data released Monday as part of an Angus Reid Institute survey shows 69 per cent of Albertan respondents say cost of living/inflation is their biggest concern.

But Albertans aren’t alone – the cost of living also topped the poll nationally, with 64 per cent of those surveyed across Canada saying they’re facing affordability challenges.

Alberta falls behind only Saskatchewan (73 per cent) and Manitoba (74 per cent) as the regions that are most concerned about the high cost of living and inflation.

The inflation rate sat at 3.8 per cent nationally in September, with a rate of 3.7 per cent in Alberta – down from 4.3 per cent in August.

Angus Reid’s economic stress index suggests 39 per cent of Albertans polled are struggling financially – second to only Manitoba (42 per cent).

Another 26 per cent of Albertans are uncomfortable, 17 per cent are comfortable and 19 per cent are thriving financially.

Those figures fall above the national average, with 31 per cent of Canadians surveyed struggling financially, according to the poll.

On top of that, nearly half of Canadians (49 per cent) polled said they are worse off financially now than they were a year ago. Thirty-six per cent said they are the same financially as a year ago and 14 per cent said they are doing better now.

Health care (38 per cent), housing affordability (27 per cent), environment/climate change (11 per cent) and taxes (18 per cent) rounded out the top five issues for Albertans.

The Angus Reid Institute polled a randomized sample of 1,878 Canadian adults between Oct. 9-13, 2023. That sample included 209 Albertans.

According to Angus Reid, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- two percentage points, 19 times out of 20