VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Are you in debt? Do you care?

A new poll suggests many Canadians aren’t very good at saving, and they’re fine with it.

“It appears that saving money ‘for a rainy day’ has been replaced with access to debt to deal with financial problems,” says Ted Michalos, a bankruptcy trustee with Hoyes, Michalos & Associates Inc.

Forty-five per cent of those surveyed say they couldn’t save $2,000 in a month, even if they were able to borrow some of the money.

About a quarter of the 45 per cent says even if there were no time limits, they could never save that much.

“Canadians are carrying record levels of debt and yet, surprisingly, 62 per cent of those surveyed are comfortable with their financial situation. That is quite a disjoint. It’s concerning to see that access to credit and taking on more debt has become an accepted part of financial planning,” says Michalos.

Credit Counseling Canada Executive Director Pat White says people are often too proud to ask for help when they get into financial trouble.

“People think that something is going to change soon or that the situation will improve. But to tell you the truth, it’s a lot easier to get some help when there are options available to you,” White explains. “It’s still a taboo topic to a lot of people, so they’re embarrassed.”

The survey was completed by Harris/Decima. One-thousand-and-ten people participated and the margin of error is 3.1 per cent.