Half of Canadians Who Have a Car Cannot Afford to Fill Their Gas Tank

Toronto, ON, June 28, 2022 – If there is one topic that is on the minds of car owners is the price of gas. Cost increases in crude oil over the Russian-Ukrainian war, tax surges, and hikes in transportation costs for distribution are all fueling pump prices, and Canadians are feeling the impact in their wallets. According to a recent Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News, as much as 69% of Canadians are concerned about the affordability of fuel, and 50% think they cannot afford to fill their gas tanks. As gas prices continue to climb, some Canadians are even considering purchasing electric vehicles within the next year to avoid dependence on fuel.

75% of Canadians Are Driving Less to Reduce Fuel Consumption

With gas prices climbing and seeing no waning in the near future, 69% of Canadians are concerned that they might not be able to afford gasoline. Inflated gas prices are more of a concern among Canadians between the ages of 18 to 34 (77%) and 35 to 54 (74%) compared to those above the age of 55 years (58%), as are parents with children (80%) compared to households without kids (65%).

Among those polled, Canadian drivers make up 76% of the sample. Among Canadian drivers, three quarters (75%) confess that they have been driving less recently in order to reduce their fuel consumption. This is particularly an alarm for Canadians earning between $40K and $60K (77%) and $60K and $100K (77%). Women (80%) are also more likely than men (71%) to be driving less in order to spend less on gas. And not only are Canadians driving fewer long distances to save money on gas (77%), but half (50%) of Canadians also cannot afford to fill up their gas tank to full.

While Canadians continue to be burdened by increasing gas prices, some are weighing alternative measure to getting around. Over a third (36%) are considering purchasing an electric vehicle within the next year to reduce their dependence on gas. Canadians between the ages of 18 and 34 (49%) and 35 to 54 (38%) are weighing these options more so than those over 55 years (26%), as are those earning above the $100K income bracket (45%) compared to those making between $40K and $60K (31%). Households with children (47%) are also considering the switch to an electric vehicle option compared to those without kids (32%). Moreover, 44% are considering the purchase of a smaller, more fuel-efficient automobile within the next year to save on gas, a consideration felt more strongly among Canadians between 18 and 34 years and 35 to 54 (49% each) versus those 55 years and older (36%).

Three in Ten Canadians Predict Gas Prices Will Reach $2.5 a Litre

When asked how high they think the price of gas will go in your region before it stabilizes or comes down in price, most Canadians (29%) believe gas prices will reach $2.5 per litre. Ontarians (31%) are more convinced of this number than B.C. residents (20%), as those earning above $100K (36%) compared to those making under $40K (24%). Fifteen per cent (15%) predict gas prices will reach $3 a litre, particularly among those earning under $40K (19%) versus $100K+ income-earnings (10%).

About the Study

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between June 9^th to 13^th, 2022, on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,001 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed. Quotas and weighting were employed to ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the Canadian population according to census parameters. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ± 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians aged 18+ 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.
For more information on this news release, please contact:

Darrell Bricker
CEO, Ipsos Global Public Affairs
+1 416 324 2001
[email protected]

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