Fewer Canadians Rate Quality of Healthcare as Good (60%, Down 12 Points from 2020); Timely Access to Healthcare Receives Good Marks From Just 43% of Canadians
Most (83%) Don’t See Improvement to Quality of Healthcare Coming Any Time Soon as Future Outlook Deteriorates
Toronto, ON, February 7th, 2023 – With flu season in full swing, the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the stress it imposed on the Canadian healthcare system continue to be felt across the country. A new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News finds that fewer Canadians now (60%) than in 2020 (72%) – the height of the pandemic – rate the quality of the healthcare that they and their family have access to in Canada as good.
Moreoever, timeliness of access to healthcare also remains a challenge, with only 43% rating it as good (10% very good/33% good). Further, Canadians generally do not see quality improving any time soon, with 48% (down 13 points) saying they expect the quality of healthcare that they and their family will have access to locally will stay the same over the coming years, and 35% (up 13 points) saying it will worsen. Just 18% (up 1 point) believe the quality of healthcare in Canada will improve.
Insufficient access to healthcare has been top-of-mind for Atlantic Canadians in recent weeks following two recent deaths in Nova Scotia resulting from ER wait times, sparking discussion of provincial reform.[1] Consequently, it is unsurprising that Atlantic Canadians have the most pessimism about the healthcare system than those in other regions in the country. Those in Atlantic Canada are significantly more likely to rate the quality of the healthcare system (32% vs. 24% AB, 22% QC, 18% ON, 16% SK/MB, 14% BC) and timeliness of access (43% vs. 37% AB, 36% QC, 29% ON, 29% SK/MB, 25% BC) as poor than those in other parts of Canada.
When taking a national view, most (65%) say that the quality of healthcare in their local area is about the same as the quality found in most other parts of the country, while 13% feel it is better and 22% feel it is worse. Again, Atlantic Canadians are significantly more likely to feel their local healthcare system is worse than it is elsewhere (46% vs. 27% AB, 21% QC, 20% SK/MB, 20% BC, 19% ON).
Canadians with negative views of the healthcare system primarily cite staffing shortages (72%) as the reason for their opinions. Following this, around half cite insufficient funding from the federal government (51%) and the view that the funding their provincial government does receive is not spent effectively or efficiently (48%). Fewer place the blame on healthcare professionals themselves and their level of training or oversight (24%).
|
Reason for Poor Quality of/Access to Healthcare System |
% cited |
|
Not enough healthcare professionals (i.e. doctors, nurses, etc.) |
72% |
|
Not enough funding from the federal government |
51% |
|
Healthcare money is not spent efficiently or effectively by my provincial government |
48% |
|
Poor management at the local level (i.e. hospitals, public health, etc.) |
45% |
|
Not enough funding from my provincial government |
40% |
|
Poor training or oversight of healthcare professionals (i.e. doctors, nurses, etc.) |
24% |
|
Some other reason |
12% |
Those in Alberta are significantly more likely to cite issues with funding from their provincial government (58% vs. 44% ON, 39% BC, 34% QC, 31% ATL, 25% SK/MB). Other than this, however, there are very few notable differences by region, suggesting that while the challenges of the healthcare system are felt differently across the country, Canadians consistently agree staffing shortages constitute the number-one hurdle to overcome if the healthcare system is to be strengthened post-pandemic.
About the Study
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between January 19 and 23, 2023, on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,001 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed. Quotas and weighting were employed to ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the Canadian population according to census parameters. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ± 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians aged 18+ been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Sean Simpson
Senior Vice President, Ipsos Public Affairs Canada
+1 416 324 2002
[email protected]
About Ipsos
Ipsos is the world’s third largest market research company, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people.
Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. We serve more than 5000 clients across the world with 75 business solutions.
Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1st, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120 and the Mid-60 index and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).
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