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As the trade dispute between Canada and the U.S. continues, Canadian attitudes toward American products are showing signs of long-term change. With American wine, beer, and spirits pulled from liquor store shelves in most provinces, many Canadians are reassessing what they choose to buy — and why. A recent survey highlights how this shift fits into broader buying patterns that reflect a growing preference for Canadian-made products and a hesitance to support U.S. goods.
Key Takeaways
- Majority of Canadians are changing buying habits due to trade tensions, with 62% actively seeking Canadian products and 53% avoiding American goods.
- Only 15% of Canadians would purchase American alcohol again without hesitation, while 30% say they will not purchase it again at all.
- Older Canadians are leading the shift, being more likely to avoid American alcohol and goods, while younger generations are more open to resuming U.S. alcohol purchases.
Throughout the year so far, a majority have been changing at least one of their purchasing habits, in light of the ongoing issues with U.S. trade. Across types of changes to purchasing, Canadians are most likely to be looking specifically for Canadian products (62%; down 6 points since April) and avoid products from the U.S (53%; down 3 points since April). Additionally, two in ten residents each say they are seeking Canadian entertainment (20%; down 2 points since April) and cancelled a planned trip to the U.S. (19%; down 3 points since April). On par with past results, very few Canadians report cancelling an American streaming service (8%; down 1 point since April).
In The Last Few Weeks Canadians Have…
Importantly, only two in ten Canadians (22%; down 3 points) have not done any of these activities, showing that the vast majority of residents are actively supporting the ‘buy Canadian’ sentiment.
Across generations, younger and middle-aged Canadians are less likely to seek out Canadian products and look at the labels of products to avoid purchasing American goods, while their older counterparts are most likely to do both. However, older Canadians are less likely than their younger counterparts to seek out Canadian entertainment. Additionally, men are more likely than women to say they cancelled an American streaming service.
Now that American alcohol products have been off liquor store shelves for a couple of months, we wanted to check in on how Canadians (excluding those in SK and Alberta) were feeling about the change.
Three in ten Canadians said they will not purchase American alcohol again, while another three in ten said it depends on the political situation. Additionally, one-quarter said they never bought American alcohol in the first place and only 15 percent would purchase American alcohol again, no questions asked.
Consistent with purchasing habits, younger to middle-aged Canadians are more likely to say they would purchase American alcohol again, no questions asked, while their older counterparts are more likely to say they will not purchase American alcohol again.
Purchase American Wine, Beer and Other Alcohol If It Became Legal in the Province Again (excluding SK and AB)
Results are from an online survey conducted in partnership between Narrative Research and the Logit Group. The survey was conducted between July 9th and 10th, 2025 with 1,230 Canadians, 18 years of age or older from the Logit Group’s online Canadian Omnibus. Data were weighted based on the 2021 Census, by gender, age, and region to reflect actual population distribution.
For more information, please contact:
Margaret Chapman, COO & Partner, Narrative Research – 902.493.3834, mchapman@narrativeresearch.ca or Sam Pisani, Managing Partner, Logit Group – 416.629.4116, sam.pisani@logitgroup.com.
Narrative Research is a non-partisan, 100% Canadian-owned research company, certified as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE). Narrative Research provides clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services.
The Logit Group is a leading North American data collection and market research execution company headquartered in Toronto, conducting large-scale projects for a variety of well-known research agencies and brands. Logit employs industry-best technologies.
