New ‘Rage Index’ shows ‘grumpy’ Canadians are annoyed at almost everything

Inflation has deflated our moods and gas is no laughing matter. We’re peeved at our politicians and even more annoyed with the protests they’ve inspired. To top it off, news coverage of all-of-the-above just makes us even angrier.

Welcome to the findings from the first so-called Rage Index.

The new monthly index by Pollara Strategic Insights set out to measure the collective mood of Canadians as it relates to the slew of issues affecting them on a daily basis.

The index’s first edition queried Canadians on six key topics: the federal government, provincial governments, the Canadian economy, personal finances, changes happening in Canada, and the latest stories in the news.

The polling firm’s conclusion was we’re pretty grumpy about almost all of it, but just a small percentage are at forehead-vein-throbbing levels of true rage.

“Coming out of a multi-year pandemic with inflation soaring and war overseas, Canadians are in a grumpy mood,” the study outlined in its key findings. “Few are happy with the federal government, provincial governments, the economy, or the types of changes happening in Canada.

“Coverage of world and local events isn’t helping. When Canadians think about stories in the news, 60 per cent feel angry while only five per cent feel happy.

“Despite this grumpiness, feelings of intense rage are still limited to a vocal minority. Other than on a few flashpoint topics (truckers protest, inflation), few Canadians report feeling very angry.”

So what topics inspired the most extreme anger in Canadians?

Inflation, gas prices, and the trucker convoys topped the list, beating out other common aggravators like airport delays, the housing market and the passport renewal mess.

Those living in the Prairies were angriest overall with Quebecers the least so. The survey found men are angrier about the government and women are angrier about their economic situations.

The study also found that People’s Party of Canada and Conservative Party of Canada voters are the angriest about most topics.

Methodology: The online survey took place between July 25 and August 2 involving a randomly selected sample of 2,013 adult Canadians. The predicted margin of error is of ± 2.2 per cent, 19 times out of 20. The margin of error is larger for sub-segments.