Parents worried about putting food on the table as inflation soars: Ipsos poll

Sixty per cent of Canadians with kids under 18 say they're concerned about their ability to feed their family amid high inflation.

Nearly four out of five Canadians are either worried or very worried about rising inflation, a new Ipsos poll conducted exclusively for Global News found.

As Canada’s annual inflation rate hit 4.7 per cent in October, the fastest pace in nearly 19 years, soaring living costs have become a top concern for 78 per cent of Canadians the poll found. Only six per cent said they weren’t at all worried about rising prices.

Among those most likely to fret about inflation are parents, the Ipsos survey shows. Six out of 10 respondents with kids under 18 said they concerned they might not have enough money to feed their family, compared to four in 10 who said the same overall.

“The people who are going to be really slapped around by what’s going on with inflation and rising cost of living are those very precarious members of the younger population who are trying to break into more stable jobs,” says Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs.

“They’re having difficulty paying for very expensive real estate in our major cities and are also struggling with even starting and raising families, things that people used to take for granted.”

Canada’s national average home price reached $716,585 in October 2021, up nearly 33 per cent since the start of the pandemic, according to data from the Canadian Real Estate Association.

At a grocery story in Saskatoon, Amanda Dyck says the food bill for her family of five is now around $200 per month more than what it used to be not long ago.

“Fruits and vegetables are the worst,” she says. “They’re really hard to afford these days, but when you have kids, then they need them. What can you do?”