Continued Strong Support for COVID-19 Boosters Among Canadians

Toronto, ON, July 21^st 2022 – A new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News shows that two-thirds of Canadians (66%) say they would personally take a COVID-19 booster shot without hesitation. Although there remains just over half (53%) who say they are concerned about the potential long-term effects of taking booster shots and how many shots Canadians will need to take in the future. Canadians are nonetheless in agreement that booster shots lessen the chance one will end up in the hospital (75%) or that one will get COVID-19 (66%).These results are on par with sentiment in January of this year, when the spread of the omicron variant was at its height, though the portion of those concerned about the long-term effects of booster shots has declined by three points. Just under four in ten (38%) maintain that booster shots aren't helping much in the battle against COVID-19, with 62% of Canadians disagreeing with this sentiment.

While six in ten (61%) say they are extremely worried about the health implications of getting COVID-19, this marks an eight-point decrease from sentiment in January. Overall, it appears that Canadians are not changing their opinions significantly on boosters, and in some cases are feeling more comfortable with the “new normal.”

Demographically, there appears to be greater hesitancy about boosters among women than men: women are significantly less likely to agree that boosters lessen the chance to get COVID-19 (62% vs. 70% of men) and are significantly more likely to be concerned about the long-term effects of taking boosters and how many they may need to take in the future (57% vs. 48% of men), and to feel that boosters aren’t helping much to fight against COVID-19 (42% vs. 33% of men). In addition, older Canadians are significantly more likely to be extremely worried about getting COVID-19 (69% 55+ vs. 58% 35-54, 55% 18-34), and to express support for boosters across all of the below statements.

Most Are Boosted, But Those Who Aren’t Remain Skeptical

When it comes to having taken COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, a plurality of Canadians (43%) say they have had three in total, while three in ten (29%) have had only two, indicating a sizeable portion who have not yet acquired a booster shot. Following this, 15% say they have had four, while 12% say they have not had any. A small portion (12%) say they have had just one. In terms of eligibility to receive a booster shot, just over half (55%) of Canadians indicate it has been six months or longer since their last vaccine or booster and could therefore benefit from a boost. One in three (27%) have gotten their shot within the last three months.

Unsurprisingly, Canadians who have fewer or no vaccines or boosters are the most pessimistic about them. For example, belief that booster shots aren’t helping much in the battle against COVID-19 is strongest among those with one or fewer shots (60%) and those who are vaccinated, but not boosted (57%) compared to those who are partially boosted (25%) or fully boosted (16%). Concern about long-term effects of boosters is also strongest among those not fully vaccinated (65%) and vaccinated but not boosted (67%) compared to those partially boosted (45%) or fully boosted (35%). However, there remains a contingent of those who are vaccinated but not boosted who agree that boosters lessen the chance of contracting COVID (54%) or ending up in the hospital (62%). Seven in ten among this group (72%) received their second shot six months ago or longer ago still. Taken together with the fact that 46% of this group say they would receive a booster without hesitation, the data suggests that there is a portion of the population who will take an extra shot in the future, even if there is some concern over its helpfulness.

About the Study

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between July 12-13, 2022, 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:

Darrell Bricker
CEO, Ipsos Global Public Affairs
+1 416 324 2001
[email protected]

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