The Salvation Army's most recent Canadian Poverty and Socioeconomic Analysis shows that tariffs are top of mind as families struggle with cost of living.
The annual report surveyed 1,521 nationally representative Canadians during mid-September.
Salvation Army Public Relations Officer Cortney Harkin says it helps the organization quantify the demand for its services and understand where people are at.
"What this does is it helps us better understand those across Canada's attitudes, behaviours and experiences on issues such as the availability of housing and food, general affordability and how that relates to health outcomes for themselves," she said.
Across Canada, the top concerns of those surveyed was once again healthcare and housing security. Harkin said the biggest change between this year over last was the impact of tariffs on people's outlook.
"That's definitely not something that we were experiencing last year when we saw the report come out," she said. "Through the report, we found that nine in 10 people are saying tariffs are driving up prices on everyday items and two-thirds of those people say they feel a direct impact at home."
The 2025 report found that Ontarians in particular are concerned with tariffs, as 60 per cent highlighted them as a key issue. As a result, the number of people concerned about job security have grown by eight per centage points.
Ontarians are also reportedly less optimistic about their personal finances this year, while cost of living and inflation remain the top concern. Healthcare worries have decreased by 12 per cent.
While much of the survey covered concerns the nation has with cost of living, Harkin says there is some positives in the data.
"I think one of the silver linings we're seeing in the report is that, even though Ontarians are really feeling the struggle and they're having to tighten the reins a little bit in terms of spending, we are seeing that charitable engagement is still strong, but signs of fatigue are showing," she said.
According to the report, participation in charitable activities is declining this year.
The finding comes just as the Salvation Army is about to kick off its kettle campaigns, toy drives, and Christmas assistance programs.
Anyone who is interested in volunteering or making a donation can find out more at the Salvation Army's website.
