With Only 19% Very Concerned About Getting H1N1 Flu, Half (51%) of Canadians Tepid in Rolling up their Sleeves for Needle,
While Other Half (48%) Says No Thanks More Firmly

Toronto, ON - A majority (56%) of Canadians say they're `concerned' (19% very/37% somewhat) that they or someone else in their family may contract the H1N1 flu virus over the next number of weeks or months, up from 47% (9 points) since April of this year, according to a new Ipsos Reid/Canwest News Service/Global Television poll taken in the days Health Canada was considering whether or not to approve the vaccine.

Among this group that is concerned, seven in ten (71%) are likely to get the H1N1 vaccine, while 51% of Canadians overall are likely (36% very/15% somewhat) to get the vaccine. What this translates into is that 39% of Canadians will likely get the H1N1 vaccine because they are motivated by concern of contracting the virus, with another 11% of Canadians volunteering to roll up their sleeves and take the shot because they think they should. Conversely, 48% say they aren't likely (30% not at all/18% not very) to get the vaccine.

Interestingly, while the H1N1 flu appears to have a more severe effect on younger Canadians who contract it, those aged 18-34 are much less likely (45%) to say they'll get the shot compared to those aged 35-54 (62%) or 55 and above (59%). Further, women (60%) are more likely than men (52%) to say they'll get vaccinated.

But that majority who says they're at least somewhat likely to get the vaccine is pretty tepid: only 19% of Canadians can be described as "very" concerned about catching the H1N1 flu and only 36% are "very" likely to get the vaccine shot. Further, while two-thirds (62%) of Canadians think the H1N1 vaccine will be safe for people of all ages, 34% aren't certain it will be safe and 29% fear they could actually get the H1N1 flu from the vaccine itself.

As such, it appears that the most salient factor among the two halves of the Canadian population determining whether they will or won't get the H1N1 flu shot is concern and fear of getting the virus: if they have concern, they will likely get the shot; if they don't have concern, they'll likely steer clear of it, particularly if they are worried about contracting the virus from the vaccine itself.

There appears to be some confusion among Canadians with regards to how and when these flu vaccines will be administered in their local area. While eight in ten (81%) `agree' (44% strongly/37% somewhat) that they `feel adequately informed about the H1N1 flu pandemic', fewer (68%) `agree' (37% strongly/31% somewhat) that they're adequately informed about `how flu vaccinations are being administered this year in my local area, including who can get them and when'. Three in ten (30%) `disagree' (12% strongly/17% somewhat) that they're adequately informed about the roll-out plan.

Stopping the Spread of the H1N1 Pandemic...

Both Canadians in general and those in charge of community health are responsible for stopping the spread of the H1N1 pandemic. Most (83%) Canadians `agree' (40% strongly/43% somewhat) that they're `confident that our public health officials are taking the proper steps to stop the spread of the H1N1 flu virus', while just 16% `disagree' (7% strongly/9% somewhat). So with health officials apparently doing their job, Canadians in general are also doing their part with most (87%) `agreeing' (69% strongly/19% somewhat) that if they have flu symptoms they will stay home from work. Canadians' behaviours have changed in various ways since the outbreak of the H1N1 flu as well:

• A majority (53%) of Canadians say they're washing their hands more often, while 46% have made no change to the frequency with which they wash their hands.
• A majority (52%) says they're cleansing their hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer more often than before the spread of the H1N1 flu virus. Four in ten (41%) are doing this about as often, while 6% are doing it less often.
• A majority (53%) indicates they're coughing into their sleeve more often than before, while 39% are doing this about as often as before, and 6% less often.
• Four in ten (39%) are staying home when they feel ill more often than before, while 53% are doing this less often than before. Six percent (6%) are doing it less often than before.
• Three in ten (30%) are shaking hands with others less often than before, while six in ten (63%) haven't changed their behaviour in this regard. Five percent (5%) are actually shaking hands more often.
• One quarter (24%) of Canadians says they're using public transit less often than before, while six in ten (57%) haven't changed the frequency of their public-transit use. Five percent (5%) are taking public transit more often since the spread of the H1N1 flu.

Canadians Becoming More Confident That Health Officials Are Taking the Right Steps...

In most cases, Canadians are becoming more confident that health officials in Canada are taking the right steps to deal with the H1N1 flu situation, with the exception of a small decline in confidence in the actions of the federal and provincial Ministers of Health. From frontline health-care workers to administrators and politicians, most Canadians have confidence that our health care officials are taking the right steps to deal with the situation properly:

• Most (87%) are `confident' (36% very/51%) somewhat) in the steps taken by local medical and health authorities (up 3 points), while just 11% are `not confident' (4% not at all/8% not really).
• Similarly, most (87%) are `confident' (40% very/47% somewhat) in the steps taken by their local hospital and health facilities (up 5 points), and just 11% are `not confident' (4% not at all/7% not really).
• Eight in ten (79%) are `confident' (32% strongly/47% somewhat) in the steps taken by their local schools (up 7 points), while one in ten (13%) are `not confident' (4% not at all/10% not really).
• Eight in ten (77%) are `confident' (23% very/54% somewhat) in the steps taken by the Federal Minister of Health (down 4 points), while only 20% are `not confident' (7% not at all/14% not really) in this regard.
• Similar (76%) levels of confidence (24% very/52% somewhat) have been expressed towards the actions taken by their respective Provincial Ministers of Health (down 1 point), with the highest levels of confidence being reported in Atlantic Canada (91%), followed by British Columbia (77%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (76%), Ontario (75%), Quebec (74%) and Alberta (73%).
• Two in three (70%) are `confident' (15% very/55% somewhat) in the measures taken by border agencies at airports and other entry points (up 2 points). Conversely, two in ten (21%) are `not confident' (6% not at all/15% not really) in the actions taken by these organizations.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Canwest News Service and Global Television from October 20 to 22, 2009. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1,003 adults was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population of Canada been polled. The margin of error will be larger within sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure that the sample's age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to 2006 Census information.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[email protected]

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