Three Quarters of Canadians (75%) Most at Risk for Hepatitis C Have Not Been Tested or Don't Know If They Have Been Tested
Only three in ten (29%) Canadians born between 1945 and 1975 believe their own age group has the most people living with hepatitis C, despite this age group being the most at-risk for the disease. The age groups perceived to have the most people living with hepatitis C are young adults age 20-35 (41%) and adults 35-45 (46%).
The vast majority (86%) have heard of hepatitis C (14% have not), and over three quarters (77%) know the liver is the most affected organ. Over one in ten (12%) believe the kidneys are the most affected, 2% each believe the lungs or stomach, 1% said heart, and 7% said none of those organs are affected by hepatitis C. Six in ten (60%) know you can have hepatitis C and not know it; however one in ten (10%) did not know this, and three in ten (30%) were unsure.
Canadians born between 1945 and 1975 think the three most risky activities for contracting hepatitis C are using intravenous drugs (74%), getting a blood transfusion (71%), and getting a tattoo (68%). The entire list is below:
Among a list of infectious diseases, only one in ten (11%) Canadians ranked hepatitis C as the disease causing the highest rates of premature death. Over four in ten (44%) chose HIV/AIDS as having the highest death rates, one quarter (26%) chose the flu, one in ten (9%) chose tuberculosis, 6% said hepatitis B, and 4% said HPV.
Canadians born between 1945 and 1975 report the most motivating factor to get tested or talk to their doctor about hepatitis C is a recommendation from their doctor (70%), followed by realizing they may have a risk factor (44%). The full list of responses is shown below:
Regional Findings:
- Over seven in ten respondents from Atlantic provinces (79%), Alberta (77%), BC (76%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (76%), Quebec (76%) Ontario (72%), have not been tested or don't know if they have been tested for hepatitis C.
- Ontario (10%) and Quebec (10%) respondents were among the least likely to rank hepatitis C as the causing the highest rates of premature death, compared to Atlantic provinces (15%), BC (14%), Alberta (11%), and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (11%).
- Respondents in Quebec (61%) are also the least likely to believe hepatitis C leads to liver failure, death, liver cancer, cirrhosis, or liver transplant, compared to Saskatchewan/Manitoba (75%), Alberta (70%), Ontario (65%), Atlantic (63%), and BC (63%).
- Respondents in Atlantic (61%) and Quebec (61%) are least likely to know that getting a tattoo could put you at risk for hepatitis C compared to BC (73%), Ontario (71%), Alberta (69%), and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (67%).
These are findings from an Ipsos Reid survey conducted between August 20 and 25, 2014 on behalf of the Canadian Liver Foundation. A sample of n=1,001 Canadians born between 1945 and 1975 from Ipsos' Canadian online panel were interviewed. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population born between 1945 and 1975 according to Census data for Canada, and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online surveys is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the total sample is accurate to within +/-3.5 percentage points had all Canadians in this sample universe been surveyed. 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:
Sean Simpson
Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 572-4474
[email protected]
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Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry.
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