As part of DoorDash’s commitment to continually hear from Dashers across Canada, we have conducted our second annual nationwide survey of Canadian Dashers across all Canadian provinces to better understand what they most value and what draws them to independent work.
Our survey finds that nearly all Canadian Dashers - 97% - believe in protecting their ability to choose when, where, and how they work if any laws were to change. And about half say they would stop dashing if this flexibility was taken away.
Most Canadian Dashers report having other work or other responsibilities like school or caregiving - which is why they value the unique flexibility and independence that dashing provides. Some of the top reasons why Canadian Dashers choose to dash over other opportunities include being able to set their own hours; working as much or little as they want; and being able to do it while still working other jobs. It should be no surprise that a majority of Dashers across all provinces want to remain independent contractors.
“As the cost of living continues to rise across Canada, many Canadians are seeking ways to earn extra money in flexible ways beyond their existing jobs and commitments,” says Dan Arnold, Chief Strategy Officer for Pollara Strategic Insights. “Year over year, we see that Canadian Dashers consistently want to make sure this kind of flexible work opportunity remains.”
Dashing is also seen as a safe way for Canadians to help cover living expenses or save extra money. Two-thirds of Canadian Dashers say dashing helps them meet their financial goals, with 85% saying they feel safe always or most of the time while doing deliveries or tasks.
“Hundreds of thousands of Canadians are dashing each year to earn extra income on their own terms,” says Brian Kaufmann, Head of Canada Policy and Government Relations for DoorDash. “Dashers lean on this work to achieve their financial goals and want their independence and flexibility protected. We’re committed to making sure Dasher voices continue to be heard by policy makers across Canada.”
Key Findings
Dashers value flexibility
97% of Canadian Dashers agree that being able to choose when, where, and how they work should be protected if laws were to change.
53% of Canadian Dashers would stop dashing if they had less ability to choose the days or time they worked.
53% of Canadian Dashers would stop dashing if they couldn’t work with more than one app open at a time.
47% of Canadian Dashers have other delivery or ride-sharing apps open while dashing.
Dashing provides mostly supplemental income
In addition to Dashing, 68% of Canadian Dashers have a full- or part-time job, run their own business, or do other gig or freelance work.
Only 12% of Canadian Dashers rely on delivery or rideshare as their only line of work.
68% of Canadian Dashers say dashing helps them reach their financial goals, like covering living expenses or extra savings.
52% of Canadian Dashers currently have a dental, vision, or prescription drug plan in addition to government health insurance.
Dashing helps in challenging times
77% of Canadian Dashers say it would be hard to make ends meet if they couldn’t get income from rideshare/delivery.
39% of Canadian Dashers have dashed to make up for lost income or reduced hours at another job.
30% of Canadian Dashers have dashed to pay for unexpected expenses.
Methodology:These findings come from an online survey of 1,268 Dashers across Canada who had completed a delivery in the last 90 days, fielded by Pollara Strategic insights between September 28 and October 6. The margin of error for this sample is +/- 2.7%, 19 times out of 20. The final data was weighted based on the numbers of active Dashers in each province or territory.
