In this session, David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, explored new data on a fundamental shift in the collective psyche: the transition from a “scarcity mindset” to one of “precarity.” Driven by a state of “permacrisis”—defined by factors such as rapid technology advancement, economic instability, and global conflict—today’s learners and employees have moved beyond worrying if they have enough resources to questioning whether the systems themselves will hold.
D2L Executive Summit | Keynote | Age of Precarity | 8 July 2026
Speaker
David Coletto
Chief Executive Officer, Abacus Data
Named one of Canada’s top 100 most influential people in Canadian politics by The Hill Times, David Coletto is one of Canada’s most recognizable pollsters and commentators on politics, consumer behaviour, and the workplace.
He is Chair, CEO and founder of Abacus Data, a full-service market research and strategy firm based in Ottawa, Toronto and Halifax. With almost two decades of experience in the industry, David and his partners founded Abacus 15 years ago and since then it has grown into one of Canada’s most respected market research firms.
He earned a PhD in Political Science from the University of Calgary in 2010 is an adjunct professor at Carleton University in the Clayton H. Riddell Master of Political Management program. He is the host and producer of inFocus with David Coletto a podcast that explores the intersection of public opinion, politics, public policy, and consumer behaviour. He is also the official pollster for the Toronto Star and The Logic