December 12, 2023 – With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020, Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) launched a bi-monthly survey of Canadians, dedicated to measuring, understanding, and tracking the country’s mental health. Today, MHRC released the results of its 18th poll in the series, revealing that many Canadians (37%) are experiencing anxiety about financial matters due to the expenses associated with the holiday season. Designed, fielded, and analysed by Pollara Strategic Insights on behalf of MHRC, the national online survey of N=3,207 adult Canadians was conducted from November 1-16, 2023. Other key findings in the study include:
- Nearly a quarter of Canadians (23%) are facing ongoing struggles with food and housing security, heightening anxiety over meeting rent or mortgage obligations.
- Financial concerns continue to be a predominant factor influencing mental health, with two in five Canadians (41%) indicating the economic downturn has negatively impacted their mental health.
- Canadians report record high access to mental health care (15%) – the highest levels since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic “recovery period”. In-person mental health support is preferred by Canadians (46%), followed by hybrid approaches (26%), encompassing both virtual and in-person elements.
- The prevalence of suicide ideation is alarmingly elevated among individuals experiencing financial challenges, with a staggering 42% reporting having thought about suicide in the past year.
- Nearly half of Canadians have experienced a chronic pain issue – with half of those currently experiencing it. Reported use of opioid medications for chronic pain management has doubled over the last five years from 5% to 10%.
These, and other findings from this latest poll, are featured in a summary report and full report – both of which are free to view and download on the MHRC website. In addition, MHRC hosts a Pollara-managed interactive data portal, which allows Canadians to search, view, and interact with the tracking datasets from all waves of this ongoing series of surveys.
