OTTAWA — Survey results suggest Canadians might have unrealistic expectations of when they’ll be mortgage-free.

The Royal Bank of Canada poll, released Thursday, showed 72% of respondents with a mortgage expect to have it fully paid off by the time they are 65. However, it also found that 33% of those 55 or older still have at least 16 years left on their mortgages.

“Canadians want to be mortgage-free as they approach retirement age and beyond, but the reality is that it takes prudent planning and the right advice to stay on track,” Claude DeMone, RBC’s director of strategy for home equity financing, said in a statement.

The survey showed that younger respondents were even more optimistic in their plans. For those between the ages of 35 and 54, 39% thought they would be mortgage-free by the time they are 55, and another 39% expected it my 65.

Among those between 18 and 34, 12% thought they would be mortgage-free by the age of 35 and 26% by the time they are 45.

The data was based on surveys done by Ipsos Reid of about 2,000 Canadians who are part of an online panel. All questions relating to mortgages were with people who had one. No margin of error was available.