Balancing Price and Patriotism

According to the latest wave of Trump, Tariffs and Turmoil, Ipsos’ monthly tracking survey on Canada-U.S. relations, younger Canadians (GenZ) are putting price over country of origin, while older Canadians (Boomers) continue to pay close attention to where a product comes from. Both groups nonetheless value both price and patriotism to some extent.  The findings underscore the complexity of consumer behavior in Canada, where a straightforward division between price sensitivity and patriotism may not fully capture the grocery shopping habits of different generations. While "Price First" is a trend that reflects consumers' growing focus on affordability due to rising living costs, it does not negate an interest in Canadian products. Instead, consumers often seek a balance between the two.

When I buy my groceries, I don’t care which country the product is from [% SAYING STRONGLY AGREE OR SOMEWHAT AGREE)

For me, the price of a product is more important than what country the product comes from [% SAYING STRONGLY AGREE OR SOMEWHAT AGREE)

For retailers, these data highlight how Canadian generations diverge in decision-making. Older shoppers prioritize a product’s origin, while younger ones are guided by price, reflecting their distinct economic pressures. These generational differences extend beyond the grocery aisle to broader issues like public affairs, where younger Canadians prioritize immediate financial concerns over other concerns like healthcare, unlike their older counterparts. This scenario means a nuanced approach to marketing.

"Buy Canadian" retains some appeal, its impact as a standalone message is waning. Retailers must understand overlapping priorities and communicate local products' value - be it quality and sustainability or value for price-sensitive consumers. They must communicate the added value of buying Canadian.

"Buy Canadian" sentiment has not faded, but is evolving, requiring retailers to adapt dynamically to these nuanced consumer demands.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between August 8 and 12, 2025 as part of our Trump, Tariffs and Turmoil syndicated study.  For this survey, a sample of n=2,000 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed online, via the Ipsos I-Say panel and non-panel sources, and respondents earn a nominal incentive for their participation. Quotas and weighting were employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos polls which include non-probability sampling is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ± 2.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error. Ipsos abides by the disclosure standards established by the CRIC, found here: https://canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca/standards/
For more information, please contact:
Gregory Jack
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs (Canada)
[email protected]

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