Canadians Preferring to Avoid U.S. Travel and Alcohol, but Not Streaming Services

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A recent survey has found that many Canadians are leveraging their purchasing power to push back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and challenges to Canadian sovereignty. However, when it comes to cutting back on their favorite streaming services like Netflix and Disney+, many Canadians are not willing to give them up.

The Leger survey, which included 1,590 Canadians surveyed between Feb. 7 and Feb. 10, 2025, revealed that a whopping 81% of Canadians have either significantly increased their purchases of Canadian-made products or plan to do so in the near future.

While more than half of those surveyed (56%) expressed readiness to cancel or avoid travel to the U.S., and 59% stated they were ditching U.S. alcohol, only 28% reported that they have or will be cancelling their U.S. streaming service subscriptions. Interestingly, about one-third of respondents expressed reluctance to halt their online purchases from U.S.-based companies.

The survey results varied across provinces, with Albertans showing the lowest percentage (14%) of individuals willing to cut off U.S. streaming services, while Quebec recorded the highest percentage (36%) of respondents ready to cancel their U.S. streaming subscriptions. It’s worth noting that around 20% of Canadians noted that the question about U.S. streaming subscriptions did not apply to them.

William Huggins, an assistant professor of finance and business economics at McMaster University, suggested that many Canadians may be hesitant to give up American streaming services due to the perceived lack of alternatives. Huggins emphasized the need for Canada to expand the availability of non-U.S. programming to address this issue.

Interestingly, the survey found that women (84%) were slightly more likely than men (78%) to increase their purchase of Canadian goods, and individuals aged 55 and over were more inclined (88%) to support buying Canadian products compared to those in the 18-34 age group (74%).

In terms of political affiliations, Liberal and Bloc Quebecois supporters appeared more enthusiastic about cancelling streaming services compared to NDP or Conservative supporters. Bloc voters and Liberals had higher percentages (43% and 40%, respectively) willing to end their U.S. streaming services, compared to NDP supporters (23%) and Conservatives (22%).

Overall, the survey highlighted the importance of making Canadian products easily identifiable in the marketplace to encourage more consumers to support local businesses.