Canadians appear to be supportive of paying no-show fees when it comes to missing certain appointments and bookings over others.

That's according to a new survey conducted by Research Co.

The survey asked respondents their opinions on when no-show fees should be charged.

The results found that over half (59 per cent) of Canadians think that charging a fee is justified when appointments are missed at the dentist. Respondents were also supportive of no-show fees when failing to attend appointments with a doctor or medical specialist (57 per cent), a hair stylist or barber (53 per cent), or a pet groomer (51 per cent).

However, Canadians seem to be split on charging no-show fees for missed reservations at restaurants, as 44 per cent of respondents said that the charge is justified, while 48 per cent said they didn't support the policy.

How many Canadians are missing appointments and reservations?

According to the survey's results, over one in four Canadians (26 per cent) said they missed a reservation in the past year, while 74 per cent said they did not.

Mario Canseco, president of Research Co, highlighted that younger Canadians aged 18-34 were more likely (43 per cent) to miss appointments in the past year compared to those aged 35-54 (27 per cent) and those 55 and over (9 per cent).

The most commonly missed appointments were for the doctor or medical specialist (15 per cent) and the dentist (11 per cent).

However, fewer respondents said they were missing their reservations or bookings for restaurants (9 per cent), hair appointments (8 per cent), and pet grooming (3 per cent).

It seems like Canadians have plenty of excuses they're using for not showing up.

Two out of five respondents (40 per cent) said they were unable to make a reservation or appointment due to personal issues, 27 per cent said they couldn't make it due to transportation issues, and 25 per cent used work as an excuse.

The majority of Canadians (85 per cent) said they haven't paid a no-show fee in the past year, while 15 per cent said they were charged for missing an appointment.

Doctors and dentists rack up the most no-show fees (7 per cent each), followed by restaurants (6 per cent), hair salons and barbers (4 per cent), and pet groomers (4 per cent).

Research Co conducted its online survey from July 5 to 7 among 1,001 Canadian adults.