As More Canadians Become Vaccinated, A Majority (64%, +16) Now Believe Canada Will Meet PM’s September Vaccination Target

Toronto, ON, April 13, 2021 – With vaccination efforts ramping up across the country, Canadians say the Prime Minister’s target of having everybody vaccinated by September is now more realistic, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News.

Nearly two thirds (64%) of Canadians agree (16% strongly/48% somewhat) that they are confident that the federal government will meet its goals of vaccinating most Canadians by the end of September, up a remarkable 16 points since last month when Canadians were highly skeptical. Given Canada has been focusing on vaccinating older Canadians first, it’s perhaps not surprising that Canadians over 55 (70%) are more likely to have confidence that the goal will be met compared with Canadians aged 18-34 (58%), most of whom are further down the vaccination priority list. Atlantic Canadians (76%) and Quebecers (72%) are most confident the goal will be met, while those in British Columbia (65%), Ontario (61%), Alberta (54%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (51%) are less confident.

Approval Ratings for PM and Premier’s Vaccination performance Growing

Rising alongside confidence that the Prime Minister’s targets will be achieved is Justin Trudeau’s approval rating on the vaccine rollout. Nearly six in ten (56%, up 6 points from March) of Canadians approve (16% strongly/40% somewhat) of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s performance when it comes to getting Canadians vaccinated against COVID-19. Those in Atlantic Canada (70%) are most likely to approve of Justin Trudeau’s vaccination performance compared to those in Alberta (48%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (44%), where approval of the vaccine rollout is much lower.

Approval ratings of the vaccination-rollout performance of Canada’s provincial premiers are higher this month as well, with nearly seven in ten Canadians (65%, up 7 points from March) approving (20% strongly/45% somewhat) of their provincial premier’s performance. Approval is much stronger among those aged 55+ (72%) than those aged 18-34 (57%), reflecting the fact that significantly more older people than younger people have been vaccinated.

When looking at the regional breakdown, those residing in Quebec (84%) are more likely to approve of their premier’s vaccination performance than those residing in Atlantic Canada (76%), British Columbia (72%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (63%), Alberta (54%), and Ontario (53%).

Approve of Performance at Getting Canadians Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Strong Support Continues for Vaccines as Canada Experiences Third Wave

As Canada is gripped by a third wave of COVID-19, coupled with new restrictions being implemented in most provinces, a growing majority (75%, up 6 points since March) say they would take a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible, without hesitation (including 48% who agree strongly). Older Canadians are most willing to be vaccinated immediately: 83% of Canadians 55 and over agree, compared to 64% of those aged 18-34 and 74% of those aged 34-54. Furthermore, men (80%) are more likely to agree that they would be take the vaccine immediately, compared to women (70%).

Seven in ten (69%, up 9 points since March), support making COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for all Canadians, with support being highest in Ontario (73%), followed by Saskatchewan/Manitoba (70%), Alberta (69%), Atlantic Canada (69%), Quebec (68%) and British Columbia (60%). Support for mandatory vaccinations is also higher among men (75%) than women (64%), and among those aged 55+ (75%) when compared to Canadians aged 35-54 (68%) and 18-34 (63%).

While most Canadians are looking forward to being vaccinated, many will not be completely worry-free when it comes time:

• Over half (58%, unchanged) agree (20% strongly/38% somewhat) they are concerned about the potential long-term effects of taking a COVID-19 vaccine. The concern is more pronounced among women (65%) than men (52%).
• A majority (64%) agree (20% strongly/44% somewhat) that the type of vaccine they are offered will affect whether they get the vaccine. This opinion does not vary by region, age, or gender.
• Eight in ten (82%) agree (36% strongly/46% somewhat) that they should be able to choose which vaccine they receive.

With more Canadians being vaccinated, there are questions about whether vaccination should be a prerequisite for Canadians who wish to engage in certain activities. A significant majority of Canadians – nearly three in four (76%, up 4 points from March) – support requiring proof of vaccination for people who want to engage in activities, such as flying, attending indoor concerts or events. This opinion is more pronounced among those aged 55+ (84%) than those aged 18-34 (67%), likely because more of them are vaccinated.

Returning to Normal

As the third wave of COVID-19 continues to spread throughout Canada, and with the vaccine rollout moving on from long-term care residents and frontline healthcare workers to the general public, Canadians are still largely skeptical that normalcy will return in this calendar year, although they are slightly more optimistic than they were during the winter months characterized by vaccine delays.

Just 4% think things will feel like normal this summer. Nearly one in ten (9%) Canadians think things will return to normal by Fall 2021. Many Canadians believe it will take more time than that, with 22% of Canadians thinking things will return to normal by Winter 2021-2022, and 18% by Spring 2022. However, nearly one in five (19%) Canadians think things won’t return to normal until 2023 or later, and 9% think things will never return to normal.

About the Study

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between April 7-9, 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]

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