Accessibility: A source of future anxiety and a significant consideration for Canadian consumers today

Shachi Kurl, Executive Director, Angus Reid Institute, January 22, 2019
Seven-in-ten Canadians say universal accessibility should be the goal for newly constructed buildings. A new study from the Angus Reid Institute, conducted in partnership with the Rick Hansen Foundation, finds more than two-thirds of Canadians expressing concern that someone in their lives will face such challenges over the next decade or so. Approximately one-quarter of Canadians (24%) self-identify as having a mobility, vision or hearing disability or challenge; further, 47 per cent say they spend time with or help someone who is dealing with these difficulties. One-in-five Canadians (21%) say that knowing a business in their community was certified as accessible would lead them to support that business more often. Canadians can be grouped into four distinct categories based on their experiences with – and concern about disabilities and challenges affecting their vision, hearing and mobility. The four groups are: The Directly Affected (24% of the general population), Affiliated (30%), Concerned (32%), and Unaffected (14%). Each has a unique relationship to each of the issues canvassed in this survey.