Canadians will tell friends and family how much they weigh, how they voted or the state of their love life.

But money changes everything.

A survey conducted for the Bank of Montreal indicates that money matters top the list of sensitive topics, ahead of religion, politics, weight and other matters deemed too sensitive for discussion at the dinner table.

The bank reported Wednesday that the topic that left most respondents uncomfortable was:

• Money, cited by 46 per cent.
• Religion, 34 per cent.
• Politics, 20 per cent.

"Only four in 10 of those polled would divulge to friends and family how much debt they have or how much they earn," the bank said in a release.

But 60 per cent would talk about their love life, two-thirds would reveal their weight and nearly 80 per cent would disclose who they voted for in the last election.

Close relationships different

Canadians, however, are more open in dealing with a spouse or partner, and their kids. Nine in 10 know how much money their spouse or partner makes, and men and women equally know how much their partner makes.

In common-law couples, however, men are twice as likely to talk about a personal purchase greater than $1,000.

About three-quarters of the respondents discuss money with their children, with Mom more likely to do so than Dad.

The results are based on a Harris/Decima poll June 17 to 25, and based on a randomly selected sample of 1,000 Canadian adults.

The data were weighted to ensure the sample represents the gender, age and regional profile of the Canadian population.