Healthcare System in Canada Held in High Esteem During the Pandemic; 72% Rate the Quality of Care in Canada Positively
Toronto, Ontario, December 3, 2020 — A new 27-country international Ipsos poll reveals that most (72%) Canadians feel that the quality of healthcare in the country is good/very good, up 10 percentage points since 2018. This ranks Canada 5th of the 27 countries surveyed behind only Australia, Netherlands, Great Britain and Saudi Arabia.
Noteworthy is that residents in all provinces rate the quality of care as positive, although Albertans (84%) and Atlantic Canadians (80%) tend to be most positive toward healthcare in their province overall, residents of Quebec (57%) land BC (69%) less so. Ontario (76%) and the Prairies (76%) round out the list.
Interesting in this regard is that while much is often made the differences between Canada and the US, Americans are almost as positive toward their healthcare system (71%) as Canadians are about theirs (72%).
Top Health Issues…
Not surprisingly, Coronavirus is the top health issue in all countries, except Hungary. Canada ranks in the middle of countries in identifying it as the top health issue, at a full 73%. But, in Canada, mental health ranks second to coronavirus as the top health issue in the country from the list we tested, much higher than globally (+16%). Cancer ranks third.
Specific Performance Items…
On specific assessments of healthcare in Canada:
- Two-thirds (64%) of Canadians believe that “In my country, information about how to look after my health is readily available when I need it,” and “I trust the healthcare system in my country to provide me with the best treatment.”
- And, few believe cost is a barrier to accessing the system (only 29% believe that “Many people in my country cannot afford good healthcare”).
- But, a majority also believe that the healthcare system “is overstretched” (64%) and that “Waiting times to get an appointment with doctors are too long in my country” (61%) • And, opinion is split on “I find it easy to get an appointment with doctors in my local area” (45%), “The healthcare system in my country provides the same standard of care to everyone” (54%), and “Vaccinating against serious infectious diseases should be compulsory” (56%)
- Furthermore, a sizeable minority (43%) remain concerned about their personal information (“I am concerned that my personal data will be made available to third parties (government, private companies) without my consent).”
Moving Forward…
Moving forward, human resources (staffing) is the biggest challenge facing the system according to Canadians (54%), followed by wait times (42%), an aging population (36%) and bureaucracy (25%). Interestingly, lack of investment or cost to access are not high on the list.
About the Study
These are some of the findings of an international, 27-country Ipsos poll conducted between September 25th and October 9th, 2020 via the Ipsos Online Panel system among n=20,009. For this survey, a sample of 1,000 Canadians were interviewed. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the Canadian population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. 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 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 Factum, please contact:
Jennifer McLeod Macey
Vice President, Public Affairs
Erin Roulston
Vice President, Public Affairs
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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