Mind the Benefits Gap: Survey Reveals Significant Coverage, Knowledge, and Engagement Gaps in Canadian Employer Benefits and Wellbeing Programs
Toronto, Ontario, September 11, 2024 — A new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of RBC Insurance exposes substantial coverage, knowledge and engagement gaps in Canadian employer benefits and wellbeing programs. For starters, as many as one in four (26%) working Canadians do not or are unsure if they have access to employer-provided benefits. There is considerable ambiguity regarding coverage and usage, as well, even among those who are aware of the benefits they have access to. One-quarter (24%) of those that confirm access to employer-provided benefits concede they don’t know much about their coverage and very few (5%) within this group identify their employer-provided benefits as their ‘go-to’ for help or support with wellbeing needs.
Declining perceptions of job satisfaction (55%; -5 pts vs. 2023; -7 pts vs. 2022), mental health (57%; -5 pts vs. 2023), and financial health (44%; -5 pts vs. 2023; -6 pts vs. 2022) highlight the importance of closing the aforementioned gaps in Canadian employer benefits and wellbeing programs. The survey results imply that macroeconomic pressures might be generating a myriad of stressors for working Canadians, at least to some extent. When asked to rank the factors impacting wellbeing most, the highest proportion place financial security in their top 3 (56%), followed by sleep quality (50%) and physical fitness (39%).
Affordability is also cited by a majority (54%) of working Canadians as a barrier to overall health and wellbeing. In fact, the highest proportion list affordability as being an impediment, followed at a distance by a lack of motivation (35%), busy schedules (33%), long working hours (19%), uncertainty in terms of where to start (17%), and/or lack of access to resources (15%). Women are more likely than men to identify affordability issues (59% vs. 50% of men), motivation (39% vs. 31%), mental health (31% vs. 19%), and/or not knowing where to go (20% vs. 14%) as barriers to health and wellbeing. Additionally, a majority (52%) of working Canadians indicate that they or their spouse is managing at least one mental or physical health condition, including three in ten (30%) who are dealing with a mental health-related disability, specifically. Taken as a whole, these results underscore the importance of accessible and effective health supports within employer-provided benefit plans.
About the Study
These are some of the findings from an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of RBC Insurance. For this survey, a sample of 1,000 working Canadians ages 18-65 were surveyed between July 5 to 9, 2024. The precision of online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the results are accurate to within ± 3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of working adults aged 18-65 in Canada been surveyed. Credibility intervals will be wider for smaller subsets of the population.
For more information on this Factum, please contact:
Sean Simpson
Senior Vice President, Ipsos Public Affairs
[email protected]
James Cottrill
Senior Account Manager, Ipsos Public Affairs
[email protected]
About Ipsos
Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating
in 90 markets and employing nearly 20,000 people.
Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.
“Game Changers” – our tagline – summarizes our ambition to help our 5,000 clients navigate with confidence our rapidly changing world.
Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has been listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120, Mid-60 indices, STOXX Europe 600 and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).
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