The weight of inflation is still felt at the grocery store, according to a Léger survey

Nearly two-thirds of Canadians believe grocery inflation is getting worse, although in reality it is gradually slowing.

A new Léger poll reveals that nearly 30% of Canadians believe that food inflation is mainly caused by attempts by grocery stores to increase profit margins. About a quarter (26%) think this is mainly due to global economic phenomena, while one in five place the blame more on the federal government.

The results in Quebec are relatively different. Only 6% of respondents blame the government and 40% believe that global economic factors are behind inflation.

Grocery inflation was 1.4% in April and helped bring down general inflation to 2.7%, Statistics Canada noted.

However, even low inflation still means prices are rising. Over the past three years, food prices have risen 21.4%, according to the federal agency.

Major grocers said they had not profited unfairly from inflation, amid political and public pressure over the rising cost of food and other essentials.

A consumer group organized a boycott of Loblaw-owned stores in May due to frustration with rising prices and industry concentration. Seven in 10 Canadians surveyed said they were aware of the ongoing boycott. More than half of them, 58 percent, said they supported it, but only 18 percent said they or someone in their household had joined the movement.

The poll highlights the divergent views of rural and urban residents on the boycott and suggests that it is more difficult for those who live outside an urban area to participate in a boycott of Loblaw-owned grocery stores. Urban residents surveyed by Léger were more likely to support the boycott than suburban and rural residents, and were also more likely to participate.

About half of Canadians think it’s unfair that the boycott only targets Loblaw, and almost two-thirds of respondents don’t think the boycott will have an effect on food prices. Urban residents were more likely to say they thought the boycott would help lower prices, while nearly three-quarters of rural Canadians thought the boycott would have no impact.

Among those participating in the boycott, 40% say they go to a “big box grocery store” like Costco or Walmart, 31% opt for another national grocery chain like Sobeys, and 23% said they shop at a local grocery store independent. Rural boycott participants were more likely to shop at an independent store than participants in urban and suburban areas.

Léger surveyed 1,519 Canadians between May 17 and 19, asking them about grocery inflation, the Loblaw boycott and grocers’ profits. Online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not sample the population randomly.

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