Most (88%) Canadians Say We Need More Competition as it’s Too Easy for Big Business to Take Advantage of Consumers

Toronto, ON, February 8, 2021 – Most (88%) Canadians agree (39% strongly/49% somewhat) that we need more competition in Canada because it’s too easy for big business to take advantage of Canadians, according to a new Ipsos poll. Moreover, nine in ten (90%) agree (38% strongly/52% somewhat) that we need to take steps so that small and medium-sized businesses can compete with the larger players.

Canadians perceive clearly what the benefits of increased competition could be:

• Eight in ten (88%) agree (34% strongly/55% somewhat) that more competition between businesses means more choice for consumers and lower prices
• A majority (85%) agrees (29% strongly/56% somewhat) that more competition between businesses will lead to better quality products and more innovation in Canada.

Some might argue that Canadian companies need domestic protection from too much competition in order to enable them to compete internationally. Canadians are not sold on this point. Half (48%) agree (9% strongly/39% somewhat) that less competition within Canada means that Canadian companies are more protected so that they can compete with larger companies from other countries. Conversely, the other half (52%) of Canadians disagree (10% strongly/42% somewhat) with this notion. Those aged 18-34 (60%) are most likely to agree that Canadian companies need domestic protection in order to compete, while those aged 35-54 (44%) and 55+ (43%) are less likely to say so. Regionally, a majority of Quebecers (63%) feel that less domestic competition enables international competition, while only a minority from British Columbia (48%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (48%), Alberta (43%), Ontario (42%) and Atlantic Canada (42%) feel similarly.

Canadians were asked whether they believe that certain sectors of the economy need more competition, or whether there is enough competition. A strong majority of Canadians (72%) believe that the telephone and cable industry needs more competition, while fewer believe that big-box retail (51%), airline (51%), insurance (49%), grocery (40%) and banking sectors need more competition. Conversely, two in three (67%) believe that there is enough competition from banks, while fewer say the same about the grocery (60%), insurance (51%), airlines (49%), big-box retail (49%) and telecommunications/cable (28%) sectors.

About the Study

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between January 14-17, 2022. 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:

Sean Simpson

SVP, Ipsos Public Affairs
+1 416 324 2002
[email protected]

About Ipsos

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