The feeling of powerlessness is rising dramatically among Canadians thanks to economic struggles amid a worsening cost of living crisis.
This is according to new research published by a professor and student from the University of Toronto.
Researchers began an annual survey tracking the quality of work and economic life in 2019.
In September 2019, 45% of workers agreed that they sometimes felt like they were being pushed around in life. While the percentage only changed by less than two percentage points every year between 2019 and 2022, it spiked to 58% in 2024.
“It’s rare to detect so much movement on a social-psychological measure in such a brief period — that is, unless something dramatic happens,” said the researchers.
Another survey question asked Canadians how their experience with the cost of living has changed over the last several years.
In 2019, 66% of Canadians said that the cost of living had become somewhat or much worse, with 27% saying the latter. By 2022, 82% said that the cost of living had become somewhat or much worse, with 34% reporting it had become much worse. The number rose to 84% in 2023 and was held in the most recent May 2024 survey.
“When economic gloom rises so severely, a spike in powerlessness isn’t surprising,” said the researchers, who published some of their data with the Conversation, an independent source of news and views from the academic and research community.
The vast majority of new immigrants to Canada are shocked by the cost of living.
True North previously reported that housing affordability reached an all-time low in April. The Liberals continue to bring in more immigrants than jobs are added, with most new jobs being in the public sector.
In 2019, 55% of respondents who said the cost of living had become much worse felt pushed around, compared to 43% of those who said it had become somewhat worse. Only 35% of those who said the cost of living was unchanged felt pushed around.
Now, more Canadians feel like they’re being pushed around.
By 2024, 66% of Canadians who felt the cost of living had become much worse felt pushed around, followed by 51% who said the cost of living had become somewhat worse, and flanked by 46% of Canadians feeling pushed around despite feeling the cost of living had stayed the same.
Canadians also feel that society has become more unequal. The research offered five types of diagrams to describe Canadian society.
Type A says that there is a small elite at the top, very few people in the middle, and a large mass of people at the bottom.
In 2019, 19% of Canadians believed that society resembled type A. In 2024, the number of Canadians associating society most closely with Type A doubled to 38%.
Type D describes a society with most people in the middle. The number of Canadians feeling society resembled type D fell from 26% to 15% between 2019 and 2024.
The feeling of inequality isn’t just a feeling. Income inequality reached the highest levels between the richest and poorest households since 2015 in April.
The level of inequality measurement also showed a dramatic rise in feelings of powerlessness among Canadians.
In 2019, 50% of Type A participants felt pushed around in life. In 2024, this increased to 68%.
“The extreme swing in perceived inequality in just a five-year period is striking — and so is its intensifying link to powerlessness,” said the researchers.
Canadians feeling powerless and pushed around has resulted in anger towards the government, economy, and policies reaching a record high.
“The risking sense of powerlessness among Canadians is a concerning trend that reflects deeper economic and social cleavages. It’s crucial to confront these challenges to improve the overall well-being and mental health of Canadians. Our collective quality of life is at stake,” concluded the researchers.
