OTTAWA — A new survey suggests there is widespread concern about the cost of living in Canada, and that this “affordability anxiety” could be a big factor in the coming federal election.

David Coletto, chief executive of the Abacus Data polling firm, conducted the survey for the Broadbent Institute, and will discuss its findings at the left-leaning think tank’s annual Progress Summit in Ottawa on Thursday.

The national survey of 2,500 Canadian adults — conducted online between March 3 and 11 — found that 57 per cent of respondents named an affordability concern as the top issue that will determine their vote in this year’s federal election. These issues, identified as top concerns from a list of options, include cost of living, taxes, wages and housing affordability.

A comparable, probability-based sample survey of 2,500 people would have a margin of error of plus or minus two per cent, 19 times out of 20.

In a memo outlining the results, Coletto points to a “common concern” that life is getting less affordable in Canada, with 68 per cent of respondents saying the cost of things they use and consume daily has gotten “worse” within the last few years. At the same time, 59 per cent said they feel the difference between their personal salaries and those of the “richest one per cent” has gotten “worse,” while a majority — 62 per cent — said the profits of big corporations are better or about the same as they were a few years ago.

This “gap” between anxiety about everyday affordability and the perception the wealthy are doing well is “fuelling the angst that we see in the data,” Coletto writes — raising the question of whether Canada is increasingly fertile ground for anti-elite populism of the kind seen in the United States and Europe.

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“This anxiety seems to be growing and fuelling the rise of populist movements — both on the left and right — which are responding to the pressure and frustration people are feeling,” Coletto writes.

For instance, survey respondents who indicated they worry about the cost of living were more likely to agree the economy is creating more threats than opportunities to their quality of life, and that immigrants are a “burden” on jobs, housing and health care. These respondents were also more likely to agree that rich people don’t pay enough taxes and that the government is wasteful and inefficient.

“In short,” Coletto writes, “affordability anxiety causes people to feel like they are being left behind and distrust institutions.”

Katrina Miller, director of research at the Broadbent Institute, said the survey tells a “cautionary tale” for political parties in this election year. Even if big picture data suggests the economy is doing well — with low unemployment, continued projected GDP growth, and Statistics Canada showing fewer people live below the poverty line — Miller said political parties should heed signs that many people feel life is getting tougher to afford.

“There’s deep anxiety out there about the ability to pay for the things you need in your everyday life,” she said. “Political leaders, political movements, even corporate Canada — if they choose to ignore the very real affordability concerns people have in their lives, they do so at great risk.”

In his memo about the survey, Coletto points to results that suggest avenues for political parties to tap into these sentiments. Most respondents who said they worry about affordability said they would choose lower costs over higher wages to assuage their concerns, indicating an openness to pocketbook policies that cut individual and household costs, Coletto writes.

Forty-six per cent chose the government forcing companies to reduce the cost of goods as one of three responses to affordability concerns, followed by 45 per cent who said it can cut taxes, and 42 per cent who said it can extend public health care to cover more services.

For Miller, some of this aligns with what a progressive party like the NDP — the party most closely associated with the Broadbent summit — can offer voters, whether it is creating a national pharmacare program or cracking down on tax havens used by the rich.

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But the survey also links almost a third of respondents most worried about the future — dubbed “anxious populists” — with higher levels of support for Conservatives, a finding that Miller said indicates progressives still need to find a way to connect with those most concerned about affordability.

“What (the progressive movement) need to do is double down on those areas of alignment,” she said of the NDP.

“If we go and listen to where this anxiety stems from, we’ll be better able to tune our offers and proposals.”