A recent consumer-research survey by IMI shows a high awareness of the Canada-U.S. tariff dispute and suggests Canadian consumers are more well-informed and more keen to buy local than their American counterparts.
According to the survey of 1,000 adults in each of Canada and the U.S. from Feb. 4 to Feb. 11, 94% of Canadians and 74% of Americans are aware of the trade dispute.
The IMI results also show that, during a recent 30-day survey period, 61% of Canadians and 42% of Americans have decided to not purchase a product because of where it was made.
Further, 52% of Canadians and 34% of Americans said they purchased a product during the 30-day span because it was made in “my country.”
When asked, “What products, brands or services did you buy in 2024 that you will not buy in 2025?” 44% of Canadians said “made in the U.S.A.” compared with less than 1% of Americans who responded “made in Canada.”
The IMI numbers also show that 43% of Canadians will avoid or stop travelling to the United States during the dispute while 7% of Americans said they will avoid or stop visits to Canada.
According to IMI, the cross-border fracas is a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for brands, products, services and Ottawa to use a “Buy Canadian” narrative to drive the country’s domestic and global performance across products, services, digital and as a destination.
