More than half of Canadians are avoiding buying American goods, poll finds
Por Jasmine Fernández — – World RSS Feed
More than half of Canadians are avoiding buying American goods, poll finds
Canadian shoppers are pressuring grocery stores to respond, with nearly nine in 10 wanting clear labels on domestic products
Jasmine Fernández in Portland Thursday 08 October 2026 19:58 BST
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More than half of Canadians are actively avoiding American products as ongoing trade disputes and import bans continue to reshape cross-border shopping habits, according to new national survey data from Abacus Data.
The September poll found that 51 percent of Canadian shoppers avoid U.S. goods when possible. That figure is up from 38 percent recorded in February 2025, when initial U.S. tariff threats first emerged.
Broader tracking by Abacus Data shows that 77 percent of Canadians currently intend to buy as few American products as possible or avoid them entirely, a level of consumer resistance that has held steady over the past 19 months.
The Canadian consumer pushback follows deepening trade friction between Washington and Ottawa. The U.S. recently enacted an import ban targeting roughly $1 billion in Canadian goods, including dairy items, motorcycles and alcoholic beverages. The move came in response to 50 percent tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump earlier this summer, which led Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to hit back with matching counter-tariffs.
“There is now a price to be paid for access to the United States market,” Carney stated, outlining a broader target to double non-U.S. commerce within ten years while seeking deeper trade links with the European Union, India and China.
open image in galleryThe trade measures are also affecting American consumers. An upcoming U.S. Customs and Border Protection rule suspending the $800 duty-free de minimis exemption threatens to disrupt how an estimated 2.3 million Americans buy lower-cost prescription drugs through Canadian pharmacies.
Critics and patients warn that added fees, bond requirements and existing tariffs will push prices up on vital medications.
“The issue is a matter of life and death for me,” said Susan Hooper, a 75-year-old Ohio resident who relies on imported Canadian prescriptions for asthma and airway management. Hooper said that tariffs have already pushed her monthly cost for one medication from $85 to $141.
open image in galleryFor Canadian grocery retailers, the shift in domestic consumer sentiment is driving operational demands. Seven in 10 survey respondents want stores to remove American goods from their shelves entirely. In contrast, 89 percent want clear labeling on domestic items, and 87 percent want grocers to expand their stock of Canadian and non-U.S. alternatives.
However, price and brand recognition remain hurdles for domestic shoppers. According to Abacus Data, 61 percent of Canadians still assume that domestic alternatives cost more than similar American items, and fewer than half can reliably identify whether specific brands on supermarket shelves are Canadian-owned.
This shift in consumer behavior isn’t isolated to Canada.
open image in galleryA separate international study by Bloomberg and Morning Consult revealed that consumers across 13 European and Asian countries are spending less on U.S. brands compared to five years ago, Retail Brew reported. Malaysia recorded the highest drop, with 55 percent of consumers reducing their spending on U.S. goods, followed by France at 47 percent, China at 46 percent, South Korea at 43 percent and Singapore at 42 percent.
American fast food and coffee chains have experienced the largest drops in global spending.
Sixty percent of respondents in the U.K., China and Indonesia said they had cut back spending in those sectors, with similar declines reported in Germany at 59 percent and France at 57 percent.
According to data reported by Bloomberg and Morning Consult, a shift in U.S. political leadership or strategic direction would have the highest effect in reversing those habits in Germany, where 56 percent of consumers said a political change would encourage them to resume buying U.S. brands, followed by 47 percent in the U.K.
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