60% of Canadians avoiding the U.S. because of Trump, survey says

A new survey says that 60 per cent of Canadians are avoiding the United States because of U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to a Longwoods International study of Canadians released Tuesday (April 29), six in 10 adults say they are unlikely to travel to the U.S. this year due to the rocky political climate created by President Trump, who has implemented steep tariffs while threatening to make Canada the 51st state

The poll involved 1,000 adults and was conducted from April 11 to 15, 2025.

The new research also sheds light on trip cancellations. More than one-third (36 per cent) of those surveyed were planning to visit the U.S. in the next year, but have since cancelled.

Fewer believe the U.S. is “welcoming of visitors from their country” (42 per cent) and that America “values international visitors” (38 per cent).

READ MORE: 900,000 fewer people went to the U.S. in March, says CBP

Meanwhile, 40 per cent of respondents are instead choosing to travel domestically in Canada, while 27 per cent are packing their bags for international destinations like Mexico or Europe.

Shifting travel behaviours

The data points to shifting travel behaviours in Canada, which was the number one source of inbound tourism to the U.S. in 2024, with 20.4 million Canadian visitors spending %20.5 billion dollars at hotels, restaurants, shops and other businesses.

Tourism Economics, a division of Oxford Economics, is predicting a 20.2 per cent decline in visits from Canada in 2025.

Statistics Canada says the number of Canadians taking road trips into the U.S. dropped by 32 per cent in March year over year. Meanwhile, U.S-bound air travellers from Canada that same month also saw a 13.5 per cent decline.

READ MORE: U.S. tariffs’ impact on airlines similar to hit from 9/11 aftermath, says IATA chief

But Canadians aren’t the only group rethinking their U.S. travel plans.

U.S. foreign inbound travel is also dipping overall as international visitors fell roughly 14 per cent in March 2025 compared to the same period last year, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Customs and Border Protection.

The tone has also changed for Canadians crossing the U.S. border. The Canadian government recently updated its advice for the U.S., reminding citizens that it cannot intervene if U.S. border agents deny travellers entry.

“Individual border agents often have significant discretion in making those determinations. U.S. authorities strictly enforce entry requirements,” the notice reads.

Ottawa’s advisory also tells Canadians to “expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices.”

Earlier this month, the Canadian Association of University Teachers told its members to be cautious when crossing the U.S. border, saying that some people face heightened risks.

The warning particularly applies to academics who are from countries that have tense diplomatic relations with the U.S., or who have themselves expressed negative views about President Trump and his administration.

The notice also applies to people "whose research could be seen as being at odds with the position of the current U.S. administration," or who identify as transgender.

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