Half (51%) of Canadians Anxious About Returning to Normal Life Following the Pandemic, Though Cautious Optimism Evident
Toronto, ON, June 19, 2021 – Summer 2021 has many of the markers of a typical Canadian summer: daylight hours are getting longer, the school year is ending, and restaurant patios are opening. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting impact on Canadians, though there is evidence that the country has cautious optimism about moving forward over the coming months.
A recent Ipsos poll on conducted on behalf of Global News finds that half (51%) of Canadians feel nervous about resuming normal activities post-pandemic, and a third (35%) feel their province is re-opening too quickly, suggesting that there may be a ways to go before we truly feel “normal” again, and mixed feelings when it comes to changes many may have been looking forward to for over a year.
Canadians Anxious about Returning to New Normal, Despite Recent Improvements in Mental Health
Ipsos data shows that Canadians are divided on how they feel about returning to normal life: half (51%) of Canadians agree that they feel anxious about resuming normal activities, while 49% disagree. Notably, those in Quebec are more likely to feel relaxed about their new normal (only 36% report feeling anxious about resuming normal activities vs. 51% SK/MB, 51% ATL, 53% AB, 56% ON, 62% BC), in line with many of the province’s major urban areas having recently moved into the second-lowest stage of COVID-19 alert (and all other areas in the lowest).
There is also a pronounced difference by age when it comes to anxiety about the future: younger people are more likely to say they feel anxious about resuming normal activities: (58% among ages 18-34 v. 47% 35-54, 50% 55+). Greater likelihood among older Canadians to have more stable income, more developed social support networks, and employment stability or flexibility may have contributed to the confidence among this group when it comes to mental health impacts of the pandemic.
Despite these feelings of anxiety, a majority of Canadians have noticed a difference in their mental health as the country begins to return to the “new normal”: 71% reported that their mental health is improving as vaccinations become more widespread and things re-open. This is positive news considering half of Canadians are considered “high risk” in terms of mental health, according to recent Ipsos data from March 2021.[1]
Most Confident in Upcoming Plans, Younger Canadians More Hesitant
Seven in ten (68%) Canadians agree that they are confident in their province’s reopening plan, though not emphatically – while 54% say they somewhat agree, just 13% say they strongly agree, suggesting a cautious optimism about the future. Women (75%) report feeling more confident than men (61%) in their province’s reopening plan. Those in Quebec (84%), British Columbia (81%), and Atlantic Canada (76%) are significantly more likely to agree that they are confident in their province’s reopening plan compared to other regions, especially Alberta (43%) and those in the Prairies (Saskatchewan and Manitoba, 53%).
Younger people were again more likely to be cautious: 60% of those aged 18-34 feel confident in their province’s reopening plan, a lower portion than among those in older age groups (70% 35-54, 71% 55+).
In addition to feeling confident in their province’s plan, most Canadians also feel comfortable with the pace of reopening (65%), though a third (35%) of Canadians feel that their province is reopening too fast. Consistent with the tentative confidence surrounding reopening plans, sentiment is not extreme; there are relatively few (19%) who strongly disagree that their province is re-opening too fast.
However, there are key regional differences about the pace of reopening, in line with the different experiences with COVID-19 across the country. Compared to the rest of Canada, in which the portion of those agreeing that their province is re-opening too fast ranges between 30% and 38%, over half (53%) of those in Alberta feel the reopening is happening too quickly. This caution among Albertans is unsurprising, given their recent experiences with high COVID-19 caseloads over the last year, and the potential contradiction between having a significant COVID-19 caseload in early 2021 while also having a re-opening target of early June.
Contrary to the idea that younger Canadians may be eager to return to socializing in public venues, younger people are also more likely to feel that their province is reopening too fast (44% agree) compared to those in older age groups, especially those ages 55 and older, among whom 29% agreed that their province is reopening too fast. Younger Canadians’ hesitancy about reopening overall may be, in part, explained by their greater likelihood to be returning to school, to be among those working essential, front-line services in retail, and to be last in line when it comes to receiving their vaccines compared to older age groups.
Canadians Negotiating What Measures Are Needed for the Return to Work
For many, the return to normal also means a return to the office. Over half (56%) of working Canadians agreed that their workplace should make vaccination a condition of employment. However, when it comes to other safety measures, including working from home regularly, there is only lukewarm agreement. Three in ten (28%) of Canadians agree that if their workplace doesn’t allow them to work from home at least once a week, they would consider quitting. Younger Canadians were far more likely to feel strongly about work from home measures for returning to work post-COVID: 42% of those aged 18-35 agreed that if their workplace does not allow them to work from home at least once a week, they would consider quitting. Compared to the national average, this suggests that upcoming generations of workers will want to see greater flexibility in their working arrangements into the future and may be more willing to take a hard stance if needed.
About the Study
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between June 11th and 14th, 2021, on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,001 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed online. 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:
Darrell Bricker
CEO, Ipsos Global Public Affairs
+1 416 324 2001
[email protected]
About Ipsos
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[1] https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2021-05/Mental_Health_and_the_Pandemic-Report-2021-05-05-v1.pdf
