Financial worry is on the lips of many Quebecers as the new year begins. According to a Léger surveyThe newspaperthe family economy tops their list of concerns and many want to make resolutions to have more money in their pockets over the coming months.
“A rise in inflation, prices, interest rates” and “an economic recession” are the two topics that create the most anxiety among people surveyed by the polling firm ahead of the new year.
84% of respondents said they were worried about the possibility that prices would continue to rise in 2024. Of the lot, 46% even said they were very worried.
“We see that financial worry is really the subject that has affected people the most over the last year and that is reflected in the results,” notes the executive vice-president at Léger, Christian Bourque.
In his eyes, “it’s no coincidence” that saving more money is the second most popular resolution: 50% responded that they wanted to put more in their nest egg, just behind the eternal desire to “exercise”, stated by 52% of them.
The Quebecers surveyed also want to travel abroad (17%) and buy online (22%) less than in the last year.
Mental and physical health in fashion
Even if health has been pushed aside by economic concerns, it is still one of the biggest concerns of ordinary people.
Five of the 15 things survey participants consider most in in 2024 are linked to psychological and physical well-being. Two in three respondents (67%) believe that “going to the gym” is one of the hottest activities, making it the eighth most popular answer.
“We’re used to finding health among the resolutions every year, because we can always do more, but it’s fashionable too. It’s a good idea to take care of yourself, and it shows in the results,” argues Mr. Bourque.
Tanning salons (78%), botox (60%), cosmetic surgery (57%) and diets (51%) are all among the top 15 out in 2024. According to the executive vice-president of Léger, these data “suggest a wave of acceptance of the body as it is”.
Want to disconnect
At the top of the actions that Quebecers want to do less in 2024, we find spending time on social networks. One in two participants mentioned it among their resolutions.
More surprisingly, the Quebec population would like to reduce their use of artificial intelligence (29%) over the next year, according to the data collected.
Christian Bourque sees in this a “desire to disconnect” which has been perpetuated from survey to survey for some time.
“People are increasingly aware of the harmfulness and toxicity of social networks. In a previous survey, we were able to understand that young people are particularly aware of the negative effects that it can have on mental health. Could disconnection become a fashion? One thing is certain, it’s the most significant resolution of the year.”
Methodology: The web survey was conducted by Léger among 1,012 Quebecers aged 18 or over. The data was collected from December 15 to 18, 2023. It is not possible to calculate a margin of error on a sample taken from a panel, but for comparison, the margin of error is 3.08% 19 times out of 20 for a sample of 1012 respondents.