2026
8
Canadian Lifestyles Consumer Report 2026
2026-04-21T16:01:07+00:00
REPDA0FBA3D_7E27_4337_8FBA_3D7E27A33748
3695
192766
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Report
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Nearly half of Canadians say they're often or sometimes lonely. Meanwhile, 71% of consumers prefer watching a movie at home to going to a theatre and 70% of consumers haven't…
Canada
All Industries
simple

Canadian Lifestyles Consumer Report 2026

"Social connections are foundational to people's lives. Ripple effects from evolving social norms driven by Gen Zs and Millennials will be felt throughout the market."

Scott Stewart, Associate Principal, Lifestyles & Retail

Scott Stewart, Associate Principal, Lifestyles & Retail

Canadian Lifestyles – Redefining Social Connections

Nearly half of Canadians say they’re often or sometimes lonely. Meanwhile, 71% of consumers prefer watching a movie at home to going to a theatre and 70% of consumers haven’t been to a large concert in over a year. Canada’s social landscape is changing, and younger generations are living different experiences than those who came before them.

There are multiple reasons for this shift. Traditional social milestones like marriage and having kids are less common, which has a ripple effect on day-to-day social interactions. Digital tools have made it easier to connect remotely but reduced the need to interact in person. Recent economic trends make cost a front-and-centre concern; staying home to scroll, stream or chat is typically the low-cost option (especially compared to the increasing costs of shared social experiences like concerts).

Stakeholders must plan for this new reality, especially as Gen Zs and Millennials age. There will be more single people and child-free couples than in the past – and the decline in daily social interactions will spark greater social anxiety due to a lack of practice. These younger generations won’t experience their 30s, 40s and 50s like Gen Xs and Baby Boomers did; brands need to factor this new social landscape into their plans for the future.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

  • The economic and demographic trends affecting the Canadian marketplace – with a particular focus on shifts in traditional social milestones
  • Reviews of key market categories, analyzing their performance vs last year, the reason for it and what comes next
  • A measurement of loneliness in Canada, and finding the consumer groups where that feeling is most common
  • Understanding how Canada’s population distribution gives consumers a strong network of family connections who live nearby
  • Predicting how Gen Z and Millennial social trends will impact the future of the market
  • Analyzing how tickets to large-scale live events have become out of reach for many, resulting in less access to shared social experiences
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  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • Canada today – the people: rethinking traditional social paths
    • Canada today – the economy: there’s always a ‘but…’
    • The market
    • Expenditures grew by 4.7%, driven by housing and personal finances
    • One battle after another: a timeline of economic shocks in Canada
    • The consumer
    • What you need to know
    • Outlook for social connections in Canada
    • Plan for a less traditional future
    • Create structure that leads to social ‘collisions’
    • Celebrate solo outings
  2. CANADA TODAY – THE PEOPLE

    • Canada’s traditional social connections are evolving
    • Graph 1: married or common-law, by age, 2006 vs 2021
    • The marriage rate is declining
    • Graph 2: crude marriage rate, 1989-2019
    • Couples are less common today
    • Modern couples are less likely to have children
    • Graph 3: share of couples who have children at home, 1981-2021
    • Younger people aren’t living alone
    • Graph 4: who lives in the household, by age, 2025
    • Canadians aren’t seeing their friends as much as they used to
    • Graph 5: share of Canadians who saw their friends on an average day, 1986-2022
    • Canada’s social landscape has evolved
  3. CANADA TODAY – THE ECONOMY

    • GDP per capita has been stable amid stagnant population growth
    • Graph 6: gross domestic product percentage change vs previous quarter, total and per capita, 2022-25
    • US tensions impacted trade, but it remains Canada’s top trading partner
    • Graph 7: exports, US vs all other countries, 2024-26
    • Graph 8: imports, US vs all other countries, 2024-26
    • Canadians have drastically cut back on trips to the US, creating travel opportunities within Canada
    • Graph 9: return trips by Canadians, 2024-26
    • ‘But’ is a common word in the Canadian economy
    • Inflation settled, but essentials remain costly
    • Graph 10: inflation rate change, 2019-26
    • Graph 11: CPI by category, 2019-26
    • Housing affordability is improving, but still expensive
    • Graph 12: housing affordability index, 1991-2025
    • Overall employment is steady, but unemployment climbs for younger people
    • Graph 13: unemployment rate, by age, 2023-26
    • Younger people are the most vulnerable to AI job replacement
    • Graph 14: employment growth index of high exposure and low complementarity jobs, by age, 2021-25
  4. THE MARKET – OVERVIEW

    • Household expenditures grew, driven housing and personal finances
    • Graph 15: total consumer expenditure ($ bn), at current prices, 2025
    • Expenditures by category ($ millions)
    • Household expenditures grew in real dollars
    • Graph 16: household final consumption expenditure (2017 constant dollars), 2015-25
  5. CATEGORY REVIEWS

    • Housing
    • Top takeaways
    • Market performance
    • Market overview
    • Opportunities
    • Challenges
    • Personal finance
    • Top takeaways
    • Market performance
    • Market overview
    • Opportunities
    • Challenges
    • In-home food
    • Top takeaways
    • Market performance
    • Market overview
    • Opportunities
    • Challenges
    • Drinks
    • Top takeaways
    • Market performance – non-alcoholic drinks
    • Market performance – alcoholic beverages at home and alcoholic drinks on premise
    • Market overview
    • Opportunities
    • Challenges
    • Technology and communications
    • Top takeaways
    • Market performance
    • Market overview
    • Market overview: the newcomer opportunity
    • Opportunities
    • Challenges
    • Leisure and entertainment
    • Top takeaways
    • Market performance
    • Market overview
    • Opportunities
    • Challenges
    • Transportation
    • Top takeaways
    • Market performance
    • Market overview
    • Opportunities
    • Challenges
    • Beauty and personal care
    • Top takeaways
    • Market performance
    • Market overview
    • Opportunities
    • Challenges
  6. THE CONSUMER

    • Going it alone
    • Almost half of Canadians feel lonely
    • Graph 17: feelings of loneliness, 2026
    • There’s demand for more connection
    • Graph 18: attitudes towards new friends (% yes), 2026
    • Younger adults are the loneliest
    • Graph 19: feelings of loneliness, by generation, 2026
    • Social media is affecting Gen Z
    • Avoiding loneliness is about quality, not quantity
    • Graph 20: feelings of loneliness, by number of people in household, 2026
    • Digital connections aren’t the same as personal connections
    • Graph 21: feelings of loneliness, by past three month activities, 2026
    • Quality social occasions will become more of a focal point
    • But being alone doesn’t always mean feeling alone
    • Graph 22: activities done alone (% yes), 2026
    • Solo activities are common among extroverts and people who don’t feel lonely
    • Graph 23: activities done alone (% yes), by loneliness, 2026
    • Graph 24: activities done alone (% yes), extroverts vs introverts, 2026
    • Capitalize on the eroding stigma around going out alone
    • Personal connections close to home
    • Canada’s population is centralized in a few dense parts of the country
    • Graph 25: share of total population by census metropolitan area, 2025
    • Canadians live close to their family
    • Most Canadians have a parent or child nearby
    • Graph 26: people who live close by, by generation, 2026
    • Baby Boomers have good relationships with their children
    • Newer Canadians lack the same nearby social network
    • Graph 27: people who live close by, 18-44s by time in Canada, 2026
    • Despite social changes, family connections remain close
    • Using Gen Z to predict where social connections are headed
    • Gen Zs aren’t in a rush to leave the house
    • Graph 28: preferred place to spend free time, by generation, 2026
    • Most Gen Zs prefer a night in to a night out
    • Box office sales reflect the changing role of movie theatres
    • Graph 29: Cineplex box office revenues, 2017-25
    • The next generation prefers to text rather than talk
    • Text-based communication is only going to grow in importance
    • Graph 30: preferred place to talk with friends, by generation, 2026
    • Text will become the primary method of interacting with brands
    • Gen Zs are socially anxious
    • Graph 31: ‘social interactions often make me anxious’ (% yes), by generation, 2026
    • Even extroverts get nervous around other people
    • Graph 32: ‘social interactions often make me anxious’ (% yes), by generation and extroverts vs introverts, 2026
    • There are two directions this trend could go
    • Target current tactics at Gen Zs (and Millennials too)
    • Using Millennials to predict how singlehood and child-free trends will affect the market
    • Single Millennials are lonelier than married ones
    • Graph 33: ‘I often feel lonely’, Millennials by marital status, 2026
    • Parenthood creates social interactions
    • Marriage and parenthood correlate with stronger community bonds
    • Graph 34: ‘I feel connected to my local community’ (% yes), Millennials by parental and marital status, 2026
    • In-laws expand social networks for married people
    • There are financial implications to singlehood
    • Graph 35: current financial situation, Millennials by marital status, 2026
    • Singlehood creates new opportunities too
    • Anticipate the shifts driven by more singlehood to stay ahead of the market
    • Shared experiences: a privilege in the modern market
    • Concert and event goers are in the minority
    • Graph 36: most recent trip to a large concert or sporting event, 2026
    • A small share of consumers are attending these events
    • Graph 37: ‘In the past 12 months, I have…’, 2026
    • Large event attendance is a matter of ‘haves and have nots’
    • Graph 38: attended a large concert or sporting event in the past 12 months, by household income, 2026
    • The Blue Jays’ success shone a light on prices
    • Event tickets are getting out of reach for many
    • Gen Z isn’t leading event attendance, even in the prime of early adulthood
    • Graph 39: attended a large concert or sporting event in the past 12 months, by generation, 2026
    • Tickets are in their unaffordable era (and that era shows no signs of ending)
  7. APPENDIX

    • Consumer research methodology
    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research questions: crosstabs
    • Consumer research questions: curated questions
    • Canada generation groups
    • Abbreviations and terms

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