The Salvation Army released the 2024 Canadian Poverty and Socioeconomic Analysis, which revealed a growing demand for social services. More than 1,500 Canadians were surveyed to better understand their attitudes, behaviours and experiences on issues such as the availability of housing and food, general affordability and related health outcomes. According to the research, Ontarians rank managing limited resources (65%), healthcare issues (57%) and food-related challenges (51%) as the top challenges they’ve faced in the past year.
As part of the study, Canadians were asked what issues they were extremely concerned about, 50% highlighted the current cost of living and inflation (down 10 points from 2023, in line with national trend), 36% are extremely concerned about rising energy costs (down 3 points from 2023, 1 point above national trend) and 33% are extremely concerned about their physical and mental wellbeing (down 2 points from 2023, 1 point above national trend). According to the study, many Canadians continue to struggle with meeting their basic needs – with more than half of those accessing food banks using them for the first time —58% this year compared to 43% in 2023 — highlighting the growing financial strain many are experiencing.
For further information about the findings, download the 2024 Canadian Poverty and Socioeconomic Analysis, click here.