Canada’s 2021 resolutions: buy local, travel more, spread kindness

TORONTO (CityNews) – With the end of a tumultuous 2020 fast approaching, Canadians are already looking ahead to next year with some hope and positivity.

According to a recent survey conducted by licensed insolvency trustees Bromwich+Smith, Canadians are eager to make fundamental life changes in 2021 following months of pandemic-induced lockdowns and restrictions.

Of the 1,510 people surveyed online, 60 per cent said they would make the effort to support small and local businesses going forward. Another 59 per cent stressed the importance of appreciating “the little things in life” such as nature and art.

Canadians also expressed the need to live more frugally (47 per cent), be kinder to others (41 per cent) and travel provincially (35 per cent).

That desire to travel also topped the national year-end study when Canadians were tasked with listing their immediate 2021 priorities. Fifty-three per cent of respondents said they were planning to book a vacation as soon as life begins to normalize.

Another 46 per cent of those surveyed said they would host or attend a family reunion once it was safe to do so, while 38 per cent specified they wanted to visit their grandparents or at-risk loved ones.

Near the bottom of the list of 2021 priorities was getting dressed up (16 per cent), hitting the dating scene (nine per cent) and going clubbing (seven per cent).

The survey also tracked the top failed resolutions of 2020. That list included travelling, exercising, improving personal finances and eating healthier – all derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions that followed.