Canadian Financial Diaries Research Project

A research project seeking to understand household finances to foster well-being

Video introducing: How are low- and modest middle-income Canadians financially faring through the pandemic?

Jan 2021

The diaries team is finalizing a report examining how phase 1 participants are faring through the pandemic. Watch this video interview of the author, Dr. Jodi Dueck-Read.

This report will be coming out on January 21st. Preliminary results of the survey illustrate that low- and moderate-income earners are feeling stressed with increased expenses and uncertainty about future economic stability. The results demonstrate the resilience of participants coming from a variety of financial backgrounds. Some participants in this study have been able to access government programs to support some of their immediate financial needs. But other participants, those who were unemployed and ineligible for Canada Emergency Response Benefit, were faring less well. Social assistance rates did not change to reflect participants higher expenses. For instance, groceries became more expensive as did the cost to travel via taxi –instead of bus– to get them.

Watch this video interview of the author, Dr. Jodi Dueck-Read.