New Nanos data shows young Canadians feel the sharpest squeeze from rising costs
Canadians now rank the “rising cost of living” above every other issue for Ottawa’s 2026 agenda – and they are almost perfectly split on what should happen when MPs change parties, a combination that speaks directly to policy and political risk.
According to Nanos Research data commissioned by CTV News, 26.4 percent of Canadians say the “rising cost of living” should be the top priority for the House of Commons in 2026, up from 21 percent in September.
Nanos Research reports that “jobs/the economy” follows at 18.4 percent, with “trade negotiations with the US” at 16.9 percent.
Healthcare, immigration, the environment, housing and “deficit/debt” all sit in single digits.
As per Nanos Research, concern about the cost of living runs across the country but hits hardest in Atlantic Canada and the Prairies, where 38.1 percent and 33.8 percent respectively name it as the top issue.
Younger adults feel the squeeze most: Nanos Research finds 36.9 percent of Canadians aged 18 to 34 cite the rising cost of living as their first priority, compared to 26.0 percent of those 35 to 54 and 19.9 percent of those 55 and older.
Women also rank it slightly higher than men, at 28.4 percent versus 24.3 percent.
According to BNN Bloomberg, Nanos Research founder and chief data scientist Nik Nanos told CTV Power Play that trade with the United States has stayed among the top issues for a year.
He said “worry and concern about US President Donald Trump and US trade has also spiked in the last week or so,” tying that shift to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum and Trump’s response.
Carney referred to economic coercion and tariffs as leverage without naming the US, while Trump followed by warning that Canada should remember it “should be grateful to the United States.”
Nanos said concern about Trump sits in either the number one or number two spot “without exception” and that there is now “a statistical tie” between worry about Trump and worry about jobs, with “worry about Trump (is) up in the last week.”
