Nearly half of Canadians expect to blow their budgets on summer fun: poll

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TORONTO – A new poll from CIBC says nearly half of Canadians will need to dip into their savings or take on debt in the coming months as they look to make the most of the warm summer weather.

Of those surveyed, 40 per cent said summer is the most expensive season, while 36 per cent said they spend the most in winter.

Another 17 per cent singled out spring as the costliest season, while only six per cent said their household spending spikes in autumn.

The poll says the average amount that Canadians plan to spend on summer fun – which includes everything from travel and recreational activities to goods such as sporting equipment and barbecues – is $1,766.

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Households in Atlantic Canada say they plan to spend the most on average – $2,694 – while Quebec households were the most frugal, planning to spend an average of only $1,288.

The online survey of 1,503 Canadians was conducted by Angus Reid between June 17 and 18. The polling industry’s professional body, the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.