MooseMoney survey reveals 61% of Canadians who struggle financially would rather discuss their sex life than their credit score, while 23% of Canadians have lied about their credit rating.

MONTREAL, May 20, 2026 /CNW/ - Personal finance platform MooseMoney has released a new survey detailing how severe financial shame is actively worsening Canada's growing insolvency crisis.

The survey reveals Canadians are evenly split on whether they would rather discuss their credit score (50.1%) or their sex life (49.9%) with friends. For those actively struggling financially, this taboo intensifies dramatically. A full 61.2% of financially struggling Canadians prefer to discuss intimate bedroom details over revealing their credit score.

This embarrassment breeds rampant dishonesty. Nearly one in three Canadians (31.5%) admit to lying to someone about their annual salary, while over a quarter (26.3%) hide their true credit card debt and 22.9% misrepresent their credit score. Across all categories, those facing financial hardship are significantly more likely to deceive others.

"These results show that financial shame in Canada is not just a cultural quirk; it has real consequences," says Julien Brault, founder of MooseMoney. "The people who most need advice are the ones who feel least able to ask for it. With insolvencies climbing, that silence is costing people real options."

This stigma also prevents Canadians from seeking debt relief options before it's too late. If unable to afford basic living expenses, 42% of respondents would wait until the crisis felt out of control before contacting a professional, and 31.1% would attempt to handle the debt alone indefinitely. Furthermore, a third of respondents (33.6%) do not know that a Licensed Insolvency Trustee is the correct professional to consult when considering bankruptcy.

This non-probabilistic survey was conducted by MooseMoney from February 6 to April 6, 2026, and gathered responses from 533 Canadians aged 18 and over.

For more information, consult the survey results on MooseMoney: https://www.moosemoney.com/canadian-money-taboos-survey

About MooseMoney

MooseMoney is a Canadian personal finance platform helping Canadians facing financial challenges make better decisions about debt, credit, and budgeting.

SOURCE MooseMoney