Economic pressures, social connections and care
Do not delete this instruction block.
New findings show how people cope with stress and stay connected, how economic pressures weigh on mental health and what happens when they access care.
Nearly half of people in Canada say the cost of living is negatively affecting their mental health, while more than half of those who accessed mental health or substance-use support in the past five years say they ended care earlier than planned or needed. Taken together, the findings show how pressures in daily life and experiences within care intersect, with greater challenges among people experiencing more severe symptoms or signs of substance dependence. They also provide insight into how people cope, stay connected and respond to personal stories about mental health.
The findings come from the 29th edition of Understanding the Mental Health of Canadians, our ongoing national population polling initiative. Since April 2020, the initiative has tracked mental health across Canada, allowing each edition to examine current concerns while showing how people’s needs and experiences are changing over time.
Key findings
People are relying heavily on everyday coping strategies: 43% of people in Canada say they keep busy or push through on their own when dealing with stress, while 42% take time alone or distance themselves from others. Only 11% identify seeing a counsellor, therapist or other mental health professional as a coping strategy.
Strong social connections are associated with greater happiness, but mental health challenges can make connection harder: 68% of people in Canada report meaningful interactions with family at least weekly and 57% with friends, compared with 28% with neighbours and 21% with community or organized groups. Interactions with friends and family are also most likely to leave people feeling happy.
Among people with fewer social connections, 24% identify mental health challenges as a barrier to creating or maintaining connections, second only to a lack of time at 28%. These findings show an association between mental health and social connection, but do not establish that one causes the other.Economic pressures are weighing on mental health: 46% of people in Canada say the cost of living negatively affects their mental health, while 37% report difficulty fully paying household bills and 35% report difficulty affording or maintaining stable housing. Broader sources of uncertainty are also having an effect: 44% cite global political events and 37% cite climate change.
Getting into care is not enough: Among people who accessed mental health support in the past year, 65% say support met most or all of their needs, but only 29% say their needs were fully met. Separately, among people who accessed mental health or substance-use support in the past five years, 52% say they ended care earlier than planned or needed. Leading reasons include not seeing real-world progress or improvement, not feeling understood or respected and having unclear goals or expectations.
The challenges are greater among people experiencing more severe symptoms: Only 14% of people with severe anxiety symptoms and 17% of those with moderately severe to severe depression symptoms say care fully met their needs. Early disengagement rises to 72% and 74%, respectively.
Substance dependence and mental health challenges overlap sharply: People showing signs of alcohol or cannabis dependence report substantially higher levels of mood-disorder diagnosis, suicidal thoughts, unmet support needs and early disengagement from care.
75% of people showing signs of alcohol dependence and 78% of those showing signs of cannabis dependence report a mood-disorder diagnosis, compared with 39% overall. Among people who accessed mental health or substance-use support in the past five years, 84% of those showing signs of alcohol dependence and 79% of those showing signs of cannabis dependence say they ended care earlier than planned or needed. These findings show associations and do not establish that one factor causes another.Personal mental health stories can help people feel less alone and encourage them to reach out for support: Among applicable respondents, 68% say engaging with personal stories increases understanding and empathy, 65% say sharing their own experiences supports healing and 65% say hearing others’ stories helps them feel less alone. Among those who had considered seeking support, 51% say a personal story encouraged them to reach out. Around one in five say engaging with or sharing personal stories was not helpful, underscoring the importance of safe and supportive environments.
Why does this matter?
Taken together, the findings reinforce a central message: mental health support does not begin or end at the door of the mental health system. How people cope, who they connect with, the economic pressures they experience and whether care meets their needs all form part of the picture.
Understanding these pressure points can help shape support that is more accessible, better aligned with people’s needs and easier to continue over time. It also shows why mental health responses must consider both formal care and the social, economic and relational realities surrounding people.
Continue the conversation on care disengagement
These findings also inform the October 1 episode of The Better Mental Health Briefing. The webcast will examine why people leave care earlier than planned or needed, what helps them remain engaged and how care can respond when support is not working. Register for the webcast. If you haven’t already, register to join us today.
About the study
We led the survey’s development and analysis, while Pollara Strategic Insights conducted the data collection. The research received financial support from Health Canada. The findings on social connection were developed with GenWell, while the findings on personal stories were developed with Unsinkable.
This online survey was conducted among a sample of 4,005 people aged 16 and older in Canada between July 27 and August 10, 2026. This was a blind study, meaning that participants were unaware of the subject matter before beginning the survey. National results were weighted using the most recent census data for gender, age and region to ensure the sample reflects the population.
The margin of error for the national sample is ±1.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. This was the 29th edition of our ongoing population polling initiative, launched in April 2020.
Related research
A series of research briefs that provide an in-depth, specific investigation of our polling results can be found here. Results of earlier polls are compared when applicable.
Findings from our polls are searchable on our Interactive Data Hub.
