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January 10, 2023 - 6:00 PM
Almost half of B.C. residents say it's currently difficult to make ends meet.
A poll from Research Co. found that 48 per cent of B.C. residents found it difficult to pay for necessities with roughly the same number saying their household’s financial situation is worse now than before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Making ends meet was more difficult for women (54 per cent) and residents of the Fraser Valley (58 per cent).
"Two-in-five British Columbians aged 18-to-34 (40 per cent) say their household’s finances are not at the level they were in February 2020," Research Co. president Mario Canseco said in a media release. "The proportions are higher among those aged 35-to-54 (47 per cent) and aged 55 and over (46 per cent)."
The vast majority of British Columbians said that household expenses are higher now than before the COVID-19 pandemic with 83 per cent reporting higher grocery bills and 73 per cent higher transportation costs.
The poll found that 70 per cent of B.C. residents said it's hard to save money for retirement or a "rainy day" and two-thirds said it's difficult to have money for leisure activities such as dining out and entertainment.
Almost half said they were paying more for housing now than in February 2019. A further 48 per cent said they paid more for electronic entertainment.
Only 21 per cent said they were paying more for books, 16 per cent said they were paying more for newspapers and magazines and 13 per cent said they paid more for board games.
Five per cent said they were in a significantly better financial position than before the pandemic.
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