Uncovering the Real Canadian Dream

Canadians covet financial security and climate health

The Canadian Dream is green—in more ways than one.

These two factors enable Canadians to pursue other top priorities, like freely following personal dreams, owning a home, and raising a family.

So how can Canadians achieve this Dream for themselves?

Canadian Dream Study: Key Findings

From an online sample of 1,000 Canadians, the study found a clear picture of the top priorities for Canadians today.

When asked what they think the most important aspect of the Canadian Dream is to them, the number one choice for Canadians was ‘financial security’ (33%). In second place was the ‘freedom to follow personal dreams’ (24%), followed by buying a home (11%) and living without discrimination (11%), with ‘having a family’ coming in last (6%).

The environment was also a serious concern for Canadians. Across the country, 21% of all Canadians selected ‘environmental protection’ as part of their Canadian Dream (in the top three choices). Among the top three choices provincially, environmental protection was most important to British Columbians (28%).

This concern shouldn’t come as a surprise as extreme weather events gripped much of Canada this year (y’all remember that tornado in Vancouver, like, last week?).

Protecting Canada’s Environment

The environmentalists among us (a group amongst which we count ourselves!) will be relieved to know Canadians take environmental health very seriously.

When asked to select their top concerns about Canada’s future, Canadians’ number one response was ‘the economy (73%), and the number two response was climate change (66%), followed by protecting our oceans and water supply (64%), COVID or future pandemics (59%), social justice (52%), pollution (50%), wildfires (49%), deforestation (43%), cyber security (42%) and oil drilling (33%).

This survey illustrates that not only do Canadians recognize the critical importance of protecting our environment, they’re also willing to spend money where it makes a difference.

For example, 76% of Canadians say they are actively doing something to protect Canada’s future. Only 14% admit that they are not, and just 10% say they ‘don’t know’ how environmentalism fits in their daily lives.

Additionally, 85% of Canadians say that buying from environmentally responsible companies is important to them; 36% say it’s very important and 49% say it’s somewhat important.

These concerns were especially common among younger Canadians belonging to both Gen Z and Millennial generational groups. Three in four Canadians aged 18-34 (74%) said they’re willing to pay more for responsible retail versus just 63% of Canadians aged 35-54 and 56% of Canadians aged 55+.

And more than half (58%) of Canadians with an annual household income of less than $50K also said they’d be willing to pay more for environmentally responsible products.

This represents a sense of personal responsibility—and an awareness that buying eco-friendly products doesn’t have to negatively impact your finances (especially if you’re earning green satoshis with every tap, like you do with the MogoCard… but more on that in a minute!).

Canadians recognize that their personal behaviours—especially their levels of personal consumption—do have an impact on the health of our planet. This also means Canadians recognize that they can make a meaningful difference.

The Canadian Dream is Simple

All of this taken together, the Canadian Dream is a simple one. Canadians want to be able to live comfortably and securely in a healthy climate that doesn’t put them or their families at risk.

These two tenets of the Canadian Dream are deeply interconnected, and how Canadians manage their money can play a big role. Mindful consumption can help Canadians build wealth responsibly, so you can still live the life you want while saving up for your future (and protecting the planet).

It’s clear that Canadians are aware they need to take action. They need to make a concerted effort to build wealth, and they need to give back to our planet to secure a healthy future. Luckily, this task is easier than ever.

Achieve the Dream with Mogo

At Mogo, it’s our goal to support Canadians as they strive to achieve their own Canadian Dream. (According to the survey, 65% of Canadians believe they can!)

For many Canadians, building wealth to secure a comfortable future is the most important aspect of achieving their Canadian Dream. The path to financial security might include never spending more than you earn, paying down debt fast, and then investing what you don’t spend (but everyone’s circumstances are different).

Mogo can help Canadians stay on budget by sending helpful push notifications every time you make a purchase. According to another Mogo survey, some MogoCard users reported saving an average of $201 per month, just by using their card.¹

That’s an extra debt payment, or a bigger monthly investment.

In your Mogo Account, you’ll also have access to MoneyClass, our handcrafted personal finance tips to help you level up your money game; free credit score monitoring that can help you keep an eye on your credit score; and free identity fraud protection, which will send you a mobile notification and email whenever a potential threat is detected.²

But building wealth, as Canadians are well aware, can’t come at the expense of the environment. If the world is on fire, well—that’s probably not the retirement you had in mind when you opened your RRSP.

From our study, one thing is clear. Building personal wealth and protecting the climate go hand in hand—and Canadians agree.

At Mogo, it’s our goal to empower Canadians to build a secure future—both in terms of personal financial security and a healthy planet. And using the MogoCard, it’s now easier than ever.

This blog is provided for informational purposes only and is based on findings of a study/survey conducted by Mogo Inc. from September 10-14, 2021 with a sample of 1,000 online Canadians, outside Quebec who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. The survey was conducted in English only. The precision of Angus Reid Forum online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/-3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. If you want to read more about the key findings of the study, those can be found here: https://investors.mogo.ca/press-releases/uncovering-the-real-canadian-dream-new-study-shows-canucks-truly-covet

*Trademark of Visa International Service Association and used under licence by Peoples Trust Company. Mogo Visa Platinum Prepaid Card is issued by Peoples Trust Company pursuant to licence by Visa Int. and is subject to Terms and Conditions, visit mogo.ca for full details. Your MogoCard balance is not insured by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC). MogoCard means the Mogo Visa Platinum Prepaid Card.

1-Based on an online survey of active MogoCard users by Mogo Inc. conducted between July 13, 2021 and July 16, 2021, with 1,446 respondents to a combination of multiple choice and fillable text box questions. 91% of respondents agreed that the MogoCard can help them better control their spending. 66.5% of respondents reported that they were spending less on discretionary spending now that they were using the MogoCard, with respondents reporting that they believed to have an average savings of $201 per month (based on 902 respondents who specified an amount and excluding 60 respondents who did not specify any amount).

2-Free credit score is provided by Equifax and is only available to MogoAccount holders that have passed identity verification. The Equifax credit score is based on Equifax’s proprietary model and may not be the same score used by third parties to assess your creditworthiness. The provision of this score to you is intended for your own educational use. Third parties will take into consideration other information in addition to a credit score when evaluating your creditworthiness. Equifax® is a registered trademark of Equifax Canada Co., used here under license. No one can prevent all identity fraud and Mogo does not monitor all transactions at all businesses. Currently, Mogo only monitors hard inquiries into the Equifax® Canada Co. credit bureau and will provide push and/or email notifications within 24 hours of the inquiry being reported. Refer to the MogoAccount Terms & Conditions for more information https://www.mogo.ca/terms-and-conditions. MogoProtect identity fraud protection and Credit Score Monitoring are available to all eligible MogoMembers for free for 90 days from the time of initial MogoAccount registration. MogoCard holders will be entitled to receive free MogoProtect identity fraud protection and credit score monitoring so long as they remain active MogoCard holders. If you do not fund your card within 60 days of ordering or make a transaction on your MogoCard for more than 90 days, then you will not be considered “active” and will be opted out of MogoProtect and credit score.