Affordability and health care were the two issues Canadians paid the closest attention to in 2025, while the deterioration of Canada’s relationship with the United States defined how many people viewed the year’s biggest news stories. That is according to new polling conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Global News, which offers a snapshot of what Canadians watched, worried about, and debated most over the past year.
The survey found that 41 per cent of respondents identified affordability and the cost of living as the most important issue facing the country, followed closely by health care at 38 per cent. Speaking to Global News, Ipsos Public Affairs CEO Darrell Bricker said affordability overwhelmingly dominated public attention, with health care ranking high largely due to dissatisfaction rather than contentment with the system.
Economic pressures rounded out the top tier of concerns. The economy ranked third at 28 per cent, followed by housing at 27 per cent. Bricker noted that these findings point to sustained anxiety about household finances and access to essential services, particularly among younger Canadians, who feel the strain of high costs and housing challenges more sharply.
Politically, the poll suggests a closely divided landscape. The Liberals and Conservatives were each seen as strongest on five of the top 10 national issues. Conservatives held a slight edge on affordability related concerns, while Liberals were viewed more favourably on health care and economic management. Bricker said that while elections are typically won by the party seen as best on the top issue, the most recent federal election defied that pattern, with affordability ranking first but the Liberals still emerging victorious.
One area where the Liberals held a commanding advantage was managing relations with the United States. According to the poll, Canadians continue to place significant weight on the country’s relationship with its southern neighbour. Bricker told Global News that the Liberals are nearly 40 points ahead of the Conservatives on who Canadians trust most to handle U.S. relations, an issue that for many voters rivals or even surpasses affordability in importance.
Canada–U.S. tensions also dominated how Canadians viewed international news in 2025. More than half of respondents, 56 per cent, said U.S. President Donald Trump and his tariff policies were the most significant global story of the year. Trump’s return to the White House followed as the second most cited international story, with conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza ranking third and fourth. Bricker said Canadians tend to see these stories as interconnected, with Trump’s actions influencing much of the global news they consume.
At home, 42 per cent of respondents said the defining domestic story of 2025 was the worsening of Canada–U.S. relations, narrowly edging out coverage of rising living costs at 41 per cent. The election of Prime Minister Mark Carney ranked third at 33 per cent. Other notable domestic stories included the Canada Post strike, Justin Trudeau stepping down, the Toronto Blue Jays reaching the World Series, the homelessness crisis, immigration policy changes, the Air Canada strike, and the bankruptcy and closure of Hudson’s Bay.
The Ipsos survey also highlighted growing pessimism about global conflicts and uncertainty about emerging issues. Canadians closely followed stories related to immigration crackdowns in the United States, developments around the Epstein files, advances in artificial intelligence, and geopolitical pressures linked to migration. Bricker said Canadians are watching these stories closely but without much optimism about how they will unfold.
The polling was conducted online between December 8 and 15 among 1,502 Canadians aged 18 and older. Results were weighted to reflect the national population and are considered accurate within a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. This article is rewritten based on reporting by Alessia Simona Maratta, speaking to Global News.
