Financial stress hurts Canadians: United Way

By Lethbridge Herald on October 18, 2025.

Nathan Reiter
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A new survey released by United Way Centraide Canada is bringing attention to the rate of financial insecurity across the country.

United Way in partnership with Leger conducted their first ever National Financial Anxiety Survey which asked Canadians several questions

United Way operates 211, which is a free, confidential information and helpline service for anyone in need of community and social resources close to where they live.

Dan Clement, president and CEO of United Way Centraide Canada, says the issue has become more prominent in recent years with 211 requests rising over 50 percent since last year and 62 percent since 2023. 

“A couple of things really drew our attention to this. One of the things we’ve noticed is, first of all, the number of calls that 211 services across Canada have been getting around the need for financial assistance has been going up. But the other thing we learned, because we track unmet needs, and that is this year 18% of calls related to financial assistance were being tracked as unmet.”

According to the survey, 55 percent of Canadians feel anxious about their personal finances. The issue becomes more pronounced for individuals earning less. Of those who earned under $40,000 a year, 67 percent felt anxious about finances compared to 47 percent to those earning over $100,000. 42 percent of respondents said they could only cover basic expenses for less than a month if they lost their main source of income. 

Financial stress has shown impacts in daily life as well. 30 percent of respondents said financial worries make it difficult to focus at work or school while 35 percent reported trouble sleeping at night. 32 percent reported family conflict or tension as a result of finances. 

Clement says communities would be healthier if there was less stress about finances. 

“We know that financial security is one of the key social determinants of health. If you’re well off or you’re confident about your finances, we see families and individuals have better outcomes in terms of their wellbeing. Conversely, when you are under stress financially, it has been shown that individuals and families will experience higher rates of disease, higher rates of stress, higher rates of mental health issues. We know it can lead to greater social isolation. People are worried about their financial capacity, they’re making choices, maybe to participate less and to engage less in their community. We know it can affect our children in terms of families being able to cover the cost of recreation, participation in sports or leadership development activities.

“I think that’s why this issue is important. This has a real impact on how people are living their lives, the choices that they’re making, but also plays out in education outcomes, stress, mental health, and ultimately the capacity to put good nutritious food on the table.”

With a majority of respondents feeling the squeeze when it comes to their wallet, Clement says all levels of government should look to do more to provide to residents who are feeling the struggle. 

“The government plays a really important role here and there are important things that the government can do. We have a national child care program. It is really important that we sustain those investments to make child care accessible to Canadians, because that allows and enables their participation in the economy. That’s critical.”