Black, Latin American and South Asian Canadians have been the most likely to lose incomes and struggle to make ends meet as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey suggests.

The national survey by the Association for Canadian Studies, released Monday, ranked economic vulnerability by ethnicity based on respondents’ ability to pay rent and other bills, and to provide financial support to families, and whether they had suffered lost wages in the midst of the current crisis.

Overall, a little more than half of the Caucasian and Chinese respondents said the economic crisis was a major threat to their personal finances, followed by Arabs (60 per cent), Blacks (70 per cent), Latin Americans and South Asians (both at 75 per cent).

The association surveyed more than 3,700 people online between March 27 and April 5. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Out of the six groups, South Asians were ranked the most financially vulnerable, followed by Black, Arabic, and Chinese, with Caucasian respondents being the least impacted by the economic downturn.

Fifty-three per cent of South Asian respondents said they had trouble paying bills, with half of the Black and Latin Americans saying so. Arabic respondents, at 45 per cent, fared a bit better, but were still far behind Chinese (30 per cent) and Caucasian respondents (24 per cent).

Seventy per cent of the Latin American respondents said they suffered income loss directly related to the pandemic. They were followed by those of South Asian descent, at 65 per cent, and Blacks, at 61 per cent. In contrast, 42 per cent of white respondents reported a loss of income.

About 45 per cent of the South Asian, Black and Latin American respondents said they had difficulty paying their rents or mortgage, compared to just under 20 per cent of white respondents.

About 60 per cent of Blacks, Latin Americans, Arabs and South Asians said they had greater difficulty now providing financial support to family members, compared to 40 per cent among Chinese and Caucasian respondents.

The report said the survey results by ethnicity were consistent with similar studies in the United States that examined how COVID-19 impacted the personal finances of minority groups.