vacillate or vaccinate? fewer than half of canadians say...
TRANSCRIPT
CONTACT: Shachi Kurl, Executive Director: 604.908.1693 [email protected] @shachikurl Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 [email protected]
Vacillate or Vaccinate? Fewer than half of Canadians say
they’d get a COVID-19 inoculation as soon as possible
Number of Canadians indicating they’d seek vaccination ASAP drops seven points since mid-summer
October 2, 2020 – For hundreds of millions around the world – and here in Canada – the arrival and wide distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine represents a tantalizing return to the lives they lived before the pandemic. But new data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds fewer than half of Canadians (39%) say they’d seek to be vaccinated as soon as one was widely available. Just as many say they’d be willing to take a vaccine, but would want to wait first (38%), while the rest are split between taking a solid anti-vaccination stance (16%) and indecision (7%). For public health officials, these data may represent a worrisome shift in direction on the part of Canadians: in late July, when ARI first canvassed Canadians on this issue, close to half (46%) said they would get a vaccine as soon as they could. Notably, respondents in Alberta and
Quebec – the two Canadian regions
with the highest per capita cases of
COVID-19 infection – are not only
among the most resistant to
vaccination, but also more likely to have entrenched their stance since the summer. In Alberta, the
proportion of residents considering vaccination as soon as possible dropped 13 points from July; in
Quebec, this proportion has declined 11 percentage points. Much of this may be driven by fear of
possible side effects, which seven-in-ten (69%) Canadians agree would concern them. Albertans are the
most worried, with eight-in-ten (79%) saying they would be concerned.
On the other hand, another key aspect of virus mitigation has increased greatly over the same two-month period. More than four-in-five Canadians (84%) now say they are wearing a mask always or most of the time when around others in public. This is up nearly 30 points from July. More Key Findings:
• Two-in-five (41%) of those who would immediately get a vaccine say they would be worried about side effects. Concern about this is much higher, and likely a crucial sticking point, among those
METHODOLOGY: The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from September 23-25, 2020 among a representative randomized sample of 1,660 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI. Detailed tables are found at the end of this release.
-8%
-13%
3%
-3%
-5%
-11%
0%
BC AB SK MB ON QC ATL
Change in willingness to be vaccinated as soon as COVID-19 vaccine available - between
July 25 and September 25
Page 2 of 13
CONTACT: Shachi Kurl, Executive Director: 604.908.1693 [email protected] @shachikurl Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 [email protected]
who would get a vaccine only after waiting (84%) and those who do not intend to ever be vaccinated (92%).
• Provincial governments generally receive high marks for their testing procedures. Three-quarters of Canadians say their province is going a good job, with Quebec lowest (70%) and Atlantic Canada highest (91%).
• Perceptions of the messaging from premiers is more variable. Albertans and Manitobans are far more critical of the communication they have received from provincial leadership regarding COVID-19 than residents in British Columbia, Ontario, and Atlantic Canada.
About ARI The Angus Reid Institute (ARI) was founded in October 2014 by pollster and sociologist, Dr. Angus Reid. ARI is a national, not-for-profit, non-partisan public opinion research foundation established to advance education by commissioning, conducting and disseminating to the public accessible and impartial statistical data, research and policy analysis on economics, political science, philanthropy, public administration, domestic and international affairs and other socio-economic issues of importance to Canada and its world. INDEX: Part One: To vaccinate or wait?
• At least one-in-five in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, unwilling to vaccinate
• Hesitancy grows across the political spectrum
• Older Canadians most willing to vaccinate, but many still want to wait
• What is driving unwillingness?
Part Two: Vast Majority say they’re regularly wearing masks
• Demographic inconsistencies
• Should masks be mandatory in your city?
Part Three: COVID-19 testing
• Most happy with testing in their province
• Clarity of messaging from premiers
Page 3 of 13
CONTACT: Shachi Kurl, Executive Director: 604.908.1693 [email protected] @shachikurl Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 [email protected]
Part One: To vaccinate or wait? Early adopter group shrinks, more will wait and see
The federal government recently announced it had signed a deal with pharmaceutical companies Sanofi
and GlaxoSmithKline to secure more than 70 million doses of a future COVID-19 vaccine. It also came to
agreement with Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax. Yet these negotiations are not
necessarily capturing the attention of a significant segment of the country. While 41 per cent say they feel
the government has done a good job securing sufficient doses for the country, the most common
response from Canadians (46%) is that they don’t know enough to say (see detailed tables).
A more pertinent question for the federal government may be: how will they convince Canadians to take
the doses?
Asked about their own willingness to vaccinate, just two-in-five say they’re comfortable being inoculated
as soon as they are able to. The same number say they would eventually inoculate themselves, but only
after waiting. This represents a shift in opinion from two months ago, when nearly half (46%) were willing
to be at the front of the line for a vaccine. Notably, the number who are unwilling or unsure has not
changed during this period:
At least one-in-five in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, unwilling to vaccinate
The regional story varies considerably. British Columbians and Atlantic Canadians are most likely to be
willing to inoculate early, while Alberta residents show the most resistance to any vaccination:
46%
39%
32%
38%
14% 16%
8% 7%
July 23–24 Sept 23–25
If a vaccine against the coronavirus became available to you, would you get vacinated, or not?
Yes, I would get a vaccination as soon as one became available to me
Yes, I would eventually get a vaccination, but would wait a while first
No, I would not get a coronavirus vaccination
Not sure
Page 4 of 13
CONTACT: Shachi Kurl, Executive Director: 604.908.1693 [email protected] @shachikurl Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 [email protected]
The two regions with the highest per capita case counts in the country, Alberta, and Quebec, are not only
among the most resistant to vaccination, but are also the two that have moved further in that direction
between July and September:
7% 7% 11% 7% 7% 7% 10%
16%13%
28% 22%17% 12% 19% 11%
38%38%
37%31%
34% 40%38%
35%
39% 44%28%
36% 41% 41% 36%44%
BC (n=201) AB (n=178) SK (n=130) MB (n=126) ON (n=495) QC (n=404) ATL (n=126)
Total(n=1660)
Region
If a vaccine against the coronavirus became available to you, would you get vacinated, or not?
Yes, I would get a vaccination as soon as one became available to me
Yes, I would eventually get a vaccination, but would wait a while first
No, I would not get a coronavirus vaccination
Not sure
-8%
-13%
3%
-3%
-5%
-11%
0%
BC AB SK MB ON QC ATL
Change in willingness to be vaccinated as soon as COVID19 vaccine available - between July 25 and September 25
Page 5 of 13
CONTACT: Shachi Kurl, Executive Director: 604.908.1693 [email protected] @shachikurl Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 [email protected]
Hesitancy grows across the political spectrum
Those who supported the Conservative Party in the past federal election remain much less willing to be
vaccinated. One-quarter (27%) of CPC voters say they would not get a vaccine for COVID-19, compared
to four per cent of past Liberal voters and eight per cent of past NDP voters (see detailed tables). That
said, there has been movement away from immediate vaccination and toward waiting among supporters
of each of the major federal parties, particularly among the Bloc Quebecois:
Older Canadians most willing to vaccinate, but many still want to wait
Older women and men are considerably more likely to be ready for an early inoculation. This is perhaps
unsurprising, as the virus has proven more dangerous among this segment of the population.
-4%
-7%
-13%-10%
+5%+7% +6%
+19%
+1% 0%
+4%
-7%
CPC Liberal NDP Bloc CPC Liberal NDP Bloc CPC Liberal NDP Bloc
Would get it right away Would wait to get it Would not get it
Change in willingness to get COVID19 vaccine - beteen July 25 and September 25
Page 6 of 13
CONTACT: Shachi Kurl, Executive Director: 604.908.1693 [email protected] @shachikurl Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 [email protected]
By contrast, significant numbers of younger Canadians have in the last two months shifted away from
wanting an immediate vaccination:
16% 15%24%
12% 16%20%
10%
38% 42%37%
33%41%
39%
38%
39% 37% 33%47%
36% 32%45%
18=34 35-54 55+ 18=34 35-54 55+
Total (n=1,660) Male Female
If a vaccine against the coronavirus became available to you, would you get vacinated, or not?
Yes, I would get a vaccination as soon as one became available to me
Yes, I would eventually get a vaccination, but would wait a while first
No, I would not get a coronavirus vaccination
Not sure
-11% -13%
-1%
-9%-8%
-3%
18-34 35-54 55+ 18-34 35-54 55+
Male Female
Change in willingness to be vaccinated as soon as COVID-19 vaccine available - between July 25 and September 25
Page 7 of 13
CONTACT: Shachi Kurl, Executive Director: 604.908.1693 [email protected] @shachikurl Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 [email protected]
What is driving unwillingness?
A number of factors help explain why Canadians are voicing more hesitancy towards COVID-19
vaccination.
One of the most prevalent concerns among both later adopters and those unwilling to get the vaccine
centres on potential side effects. Overall, 69 per cent of Canadians are worried about this. That proportion
drops below a majority for those who will inoculate as soon as possible but appears to be a major worry
for those are on the fence and opposed. This is precisely what large-scale controlled trials are designed
to study and identify, before the vaccine goes out for mass distribution:
Vaccine opponents are largely alone on their skepticism of a potential vaccine’s effectiveness. While
three-quarters of that group doubt that the vaccine will work, both early and late adopters disagree with
this notion:
25%
5%22%
73%
42%
44%
36%
62%
19%
48%
24%
44%
14%6% 8%7%
15%
Yes ASAP (n=643) Yes, eventually(n=632)
No (n=268) Not sure (n=117)
Total (n=1,660) COVID19 Vaccine willingness
Agree vs Disagree "I’d be concerned about side effects from a coronavirus vaccine"
Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree
Page 8 of 13
CONTACT: Shachi Kurl, Executive Director: 604.908.1693 [email protected] @shachikurl Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 [email protected]
Part Two: Vast Majority say they’re regularly wearing masks
For the vast majority of Canadians, “masking up” is becoming a regular part of life. Most (57%) say they
wear a mask whenever they know they won’t be able to socially distance. Only three per cent say they
never wear one. Notably, in July when the Angus Reid Institute asked a similar version of this question,
just 20 per cent were always wearing one in public, compared to 57 per cent now:
7%
37%16%
5%15%
39%
25%
59%
61%
72%
24%
66%
18%33%
11% 6%
Yes ASAP (n=643) Yes, eventually(n=632)
No (n=268) Not sure (n=117)
Total (n=1,660) COVID19 Vaccine willingness
Agree vs Disagree: "A coronavirus vaccine won't be effective"
Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree
3%
13%
28%
57%
Never
Rarely, only in select places
Most of the time, anywhere that I know there willbe people around
Always, everywhere I go
During the past few weeks, how frequently, if at all, have you worn a facemask in public places where you’re not able to social distance
due to the COVID-19 outbreak?
Page 9 of 13
CONTACT: Shachi Kurl, Executive Director: 604.908.1693 [email protected] @shachikurl Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 [email protected]
Demographic inconsistencies
The story of mask adoption isn’t a consistent one nationally. Ontario, with its large population, can skew
the regional story, given that nearly all respondents say they are wearing their mask most or all of the
time (93%). By contrast, 31 per cent of Albertans and 40 per cent of Saskatchewan residents say they do
not wear a mask when they can’t keep distance:
Men under the age of 55 are least likely to be wearing their mask consistently, but at least three-quarters
of all age and gender groups say that they are doing so more than half the time:
Why not wear a mask whenever you can’t social distance? Among the 16 per cent of Canadians who
don’t, the answer often lies in the banality of learning a new habit: they forget (25%). Others say they
84% 80%69%
60%
80%93%
84% 82%
16% 20%31%
40%
20%7%
16% 18%
BC (n=201) AB (n=178) SK (n=130) MB (n=126) ON (n=495) QC (n=404) ATL (n=126)
Total(n=1660)
Region
During the past few weeks, how frequently, if at all, have you worn a facemask in public places where you’re not able to social distance due to
the COVID-19 outbreak?
Always/Most of the time Rarely/Never
84% 79% 75%84% 84% 87%
93%
16% 21% 25%16% 16% 13%
7%
18-34(n=223)
35-54(n=275)
55+(n=296)
18-34(n=244)
35-54(n=298)
55+(n=321)
Total (n=1660) Male Female
During the past few weeks, how frequently, if at all, have you worn a facemask in public places where you’re not able to social distance due
to the COVID-19 outbreak?
Always/Most of the time Rarely/Never
Page 10 of 13
CONTACT: Shachi Kurl, Executive Director: 604.908.1693 [email protected] @shachikurl Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 [email protected]
don’t wear masks because they’re not worried about contracting COVID-19 (23%), find masks
uncomfortable (23%) or believe they aren’t effective (21%) (see detailed tables).
Should masks be mandatory in your city?
Overall, one-in-five Canadians (19%) do not support any form of mandatory mask policy in their city. This
rises to 46 per cent in Saskatchewan, and drops to just 12 per cent in Ontario and 14 per cent in Quebec,
where mask mandates have become more common:
Part Three: COVID-19 testing To date, more than 7.3 million tests have been administered in Canada, with more than 150,000 people testing positive. As a portion of the total Canadian population, that is approximately one-in-five. The Angus Reid Institute data closely tracks with this proportion, finding that among the adult population, 22 per cent say they have been tested, and 40 per cent of households say they have had someone tested.
54%43% 38% 32%
49%61% 67%
40%
27%38%
26%22%
27%
27% 19%
36%
19% 20%36%
46%
24%12% 14%
24%
BC (n=201) AB (n=178) SK (n=130) MB (n=126) ON (n=495) QC (n=404) ATL (n=126)
Total (n=1660) Region
Regardless of how your city is handling it so far, would you say that masks should or should not be mandatory in all indoor public spaces where you live?
Yes, everywhere for everyone, no exceptions Yes, with exceptions for those who have health issues
No, facemasks should not be mandatory
Page 11 of 13
CONTACT: Shachi Kurl, Executive Director: 604.908.1693 [email protected] @shachikurl Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 [email protected]
Despite many pandemic challenges, testing procedures appear to be relatively well received. More than
four-in-five (84%) Canadians who have been tested say that the time it took to get the test was
acceptable. A similar proportion say the same of the time that it took to receive their results – though
slightly more were dissatisfied with the time it took to receive the results.
Clarity of messaging from premiers
Nationally, nearly two-thirds (62%) have found the information and directions given about COVID-19 by
their premier to be clear, while one-third say the opposite. There are significant regional variations, with
22% 20%
5%
60%
Yes, I have Yes, someone else in myhousehold
No, I want to but haven’t been able to
No
Have you or anyone in your household been tested for COVID-19?All respondents, n=1,660
84%78%
16%22%
The time it took to get a test The time it took to receive your results
Overall, how would you describe each of the following...?(Among those who had a test themselves or had someone in the
household tested, n=584)
Very good/good Poor/Very poor
Page 12 of 13
CONTACT: Shachi Kurl, Executive Director: 604.908.1693 [email protected] @shachikurl Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 [email protected]
those in Manitoba split on the issue, and Albertans more likely to say their premier has been unclear
(51%) rather than clear (43%).
Canadians are slightly more likely to say their provincial health officers have provided clear
communication than their premiers, with two-thirds (67%) saying messaging has been clear and 28 per
cent saying it has been unclear. These proportions are nearly the same in both Alberta and Manitoba,
standing in contrast to perceptions of messaging by the premiers there. The health officers of British
Columbia and the Atlantic region received particularly high marks, with over four-in-five residents
receiving this messaging loud and clear.
62%71%
43%
63%
48%
65% 61%
77%
33%
21%
51%
36%
50%
34% 33%
18%
BC (n=201) AB (n=178) SK (n=130) MB (n=126) ON (n=495) QC (n=404) ATL (n=126)
Total(n=1660)
Region
Thinking about the information, guidance, and directions that have been given about COVID-19 from your provincial premier, would you say it has
been clear or unclear?
Net: Clear Net: Not clear
67%
86%
66%72% 69%
63%57%
83%
28%
12%
29% 27% 28% 32% 35%
12%
BC (n=201) AB (n=178) SK (n=130) MB (n=126) ON (n=495) QC (n=404) ATL (n=126)
Total(n=1660)
Region
Thinking about the information, guidance, and directions that have been given about COVID-19 from your provincial health officer, would you say
it has been clear or unclear?
Net: Clear Net: Not clear
Page 13 of 13
CONTACT: Shachi Kurl, Executive Director: 604.908.1693 [email protected] @shachikurl Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 [email protected]
By comparison to provincial COVID-19 messaging, Canadians appear more confused by communications
from Teresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, though a majority (59%) still say they have been
clear. Opinions of her messaging also vary quite a bit by region, with about half (48%) of both Albertans
and Manitobans saying her communications have been unclear (see detailed tables).
For detailed results by age, gender, region, education, and other demographics, click here.
59%64%
40%48%
62% 64%
53%
67%
31%27%
48% 48%
31% 31%27% 25%
BC (n=201) AB (n=178) SK (n=130) MB (n=126) ON (n=495) QC (n=404) ATL (n=126)
Total(n=1660)
Region
Thinking about the information, guidance, and directions that have been given about COVID-19 from Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Teresa Tam,
would you say it has been clear or unclear?
Net: Clear Net: Not clear