Nearly half of Canadians say Canada Day has more meaning this year: Poll

Article content

Nearly one in two Canadians say that Canada Day holds more meaning for them this year, according to a new poll.

Petro-Canada’s Live by the Leaf index, in partnership with the Harris Poll, found that nearly one in two, or 48%, of Canadians feel this way.

One-quarter, or 24%, say July 1 will be much more meaningful, while 81% of Canadians say they plan to celebrate Canada Day, with younger Canadians most likely to do so (85% among Gen Z, 83% among Millennials).

Of those planning to celebrate Canada Day, their activities are led by relaxing at home (44%), watching fireworks (23%), attending a local Canada Day event or parade (17%), watching Canada Day programming (15%), and dining out or supporting local Canadian restaurants (13%).

Nearly two-thirds, or 64%, of Canadians also continue to say they have a high level of Canadian pride at the current time (8-10 on a 10-point scale), down just two points from 66% in April, but remaining up one point from 63% in February.

This sentiment is highest among baby boomers (79%), women (65%), and residents of Manitoba/Saskatchewan or Atlantic Canada (71% each).

Otherwise, 25% continue to say their level of Canadian pride is higher than ever before (though this is down from a high of 34% in March).

Another 62% say that over the past six months, they have become more confident that Canada can survive and thrive, even in the face of increased economic threats, tariffs, and other uncertainty (on the other hand, just 14% say their confidence has fallen over this time).

The survey also says 82% of Canadians are travelling within Canada this year, up from 75% in 2024, and the share of international trips has dropped from 25% to 18% — a 28% decline.

The poll says Canadian trips to the U.S. have nearly halved, falling from 15% to just 8% — a 44% drop in a single year — and among those thinking about vacationing in Canada, the top-five destinations of interest are cities (42%), my own backyard (37%), beaches (36%), mountains (36%) and provincial parks (36%).

The survey found 96% of Canadians say at least some new behaviours adopted in 2025 have stuck, including prioritizing Canadian-made products (47%), buying fewer American goods (44%), considering more Canadian vacation destinations (27%) and buying in bulk or when prices are low (26%).

This survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll Canada from June 20-23, 2025 on behalf of Petro-Canada with a sample of 1,538 Canadians aged 18 and older.

For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error of ±2.5%, 19 times out of 20.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video