EDMONTON — Holiday gatherings may be fertile ground for clashes over politics, money, or social issues, but a new Leger survey suggests most Canadians still believe spending time with family is worth it — tension and all.
More than 70 per cent of Canadians say family get-togethers are important, according to the market research company’s latest online poll conducted over the Thanksgiving long weekend. But the same survey shows families are becoming more cautious about what they say around the dinner table.
“Over half — 52 per cent — told us they’re more careful in conversations than they were a few years ago,” said Andrew Enns, Leger’s executive director. “Family gatherings should be the most comfortable place for respectful debates, but that’s not what people are feeling today.”
The survey, which questioned 1,500 Canadians but cannot be assigned a margin of error due to its online format, found that politics remains the biggest source of conflict for families, with nearly half of respondents citing it as the top argument-starter. Money followed at 25 per cent, and immigration at 19 per cent.
Generational divides also emerged. Younger Canadians — Gen Z and millennials — pointed to issues like gender identity, parenting styles, social media, cancel culture and dating as common triggers for family tension. Older respondents aged 55 and over were more likely to identify religion and global events as hot-button topics.
While 36 per cent of Canadians say they’ll express their opinions even if it “adds fuel to the fire,” 24 per cent say they will change the topic when an argument starts. Women were more likely than men to redirect the conversation, with 28 per cent of women opting to shift topics compared to 20 per cent of men.
Leger conducted a parallel survey in the United States, and Enns said results there were remarkably similar. About 72 per cent of Americans reported that family gatherings remain important, and their top two conflict areas — politics and money — mirrored Canada’s. The third most divisive topic in the U.S. was the general state of the world.
“There’s a perception that Canada is less caught up in big, polarizing issues,” Enns said. “But based on these results, the debates happening in public life are definitely showing up at the dinner table.”
Enns noted that heated family discussions are not new — recalling debates in his own family about Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan in the 2000s and about the Vietnam War decades earlier.
He suggested that families could reduce conflict by warning others about sensitive topics they prefer to avoid and reassured Canadians that many households face similar challenges as holiday season tensions begin to surface.
“We’re already asking ourselves: How much should we spend on gifts? Do we say ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Happy Holidays’?” Enns said. “It’s some food for thought as we prepare for what’s coming around the dinner table in the weeks ahead.”