SurveyMonkey study reveals the cost of ignoring feedback, with nearly half of Canadians leaving unresponsive brands
New SurveyMonkey research finds nine in 10 Canadians give feedback, yet only one in four always or often feels heard
OTTAWA, Ontario, October 15, 2026 – Canadian consumers are vocal when it comes to telling companies what they want. And businesses may be paying a price when they fail to listen.
Nearly half of Canadians (48%) have stopped doing business with a company because it ignored or dismissed their feedback, according to new research from SurveyMonkey, the world’s most popular platform for surveys and forms.
The study also points to an opportunity for businesses that close the feedback loop. Among Canadians who provide feedback, 92% say they are more likely to do future business with a company that personally reaches out in response, including 60% who say they would be much more likely to return
Canadians are also highly willing to share what they think. Nine in 10 have provided feedback to companies they purchase from. Yet just one in four (25%) of those consumers say they always or often feel truly heard, and more than a third (37%) say they rarely or never do.
Ignoring feedback can cost businesses customers
The consequences of not listening become more pronounced with age. While 32% of Gen Z Canadians say they have stopped doing business with a company because it ignored or dismissed their feedback, that rises to 42% of Millennials, 50% of Gen X, and 61% of Boomers.
The research also reveals where listening matters most:
- A personal reply goes a long way: Among Canadians who give feedback, 60% say a personal response would make them much more likely to do business with that company again, and another 31% say somewhat more likely. Only 8% say it makes no difference.
- Companies guess wrong: Nearly nine in 10 Canadians (86%) say companies make incorrect assumptions about what customers want at least sometimes, including 39% who say it happens always or often.
- AI raises the stakes: Among Canadians, 22% are more concerned that companies using AI to make decisions will think they know customers better than they do, compared with 7% who are more concerned those companies will know too much. Another 57% worry about both equally.
"Canadian customers want evidence that someone cares," said Sabrina Leblanc, SVP of sales and customer success at SurveyMonkey and leader of the company’s Ottawa office. "For Canadian companies investing heavily in AI-driven customer intelligence, these findings should be a warning: more data and more sophisticated analysis can make a wrong conclusion feel remarkably convincing. AI will get teams to an answer faster, but customer feedback will tell them whether it's the right one. Companies that close the feedback loop will turn listening from a measurement exercise into a retention lever."
SurveyMonkey’s Canadian roots
SurveyMonkey has deep roots in Canada. Ottawa is home to the company’s largest office globally, and more than 21,000 active paying Canadian customers use SurveyMonkey to gather feedback and turn insights into action.
For more insights and the full study breakdown, please visit: /curiosity/surveymonkey-research-customer-feedback-ca/.
Methodology:
This SurveyMonkey study was conducted from September 22—25, 2026, among a sample of 1,164 Canadian adults ages 18+. Respondents for this survey were selected from a non-probability online panel. The modeled error estimate for this survey is plus or minus 3 percentage points. Data have been weighted for age, race, sex, education, and geography using data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to reflect the overall demographic composition of Canada.
About SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey helps teams understand people and make better decisions. Every day, businesses, governments, educational institutions, and nonprofits use SurveyMonkey products to continuously gather feedback from real humans, conduct research, collect information, and improve experiences.
The SurveyMonkey portfolio includes SurveyMonkey, a leading provider of surveys and forms, built for business and loved by users; SurveyMonkey LaunchPad for ready-to-run market research solutions; SurveyMonkey Apply for application and program management; and Wufoo for online forms and payments.
Millions of users around the world—from startups to Fortune 500 companies—rely on SurveyMonkey to turn feedback into action, validate ideas with confidence, strengthen customer and employee experiences, and make decisions that drive growth. Learn more at surveymonkey.com.
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