British Columbians Hesitant About Life Without COVID-19 Vaccine

Most residents are willing to visit barbershops and restaurants, but the proportion drops for public transit, gyms and music venues.

Vancouver, BC [May 21, 2020] – A significant proportion of British Columbians are unwilling to partake in specific activities unless a vaccine against COVID-19 is available, a new Research Co. poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, more than half of British Columbians say they would not attend a live sporting event as a spectator (61%) or a music venue (59%) before there is a vaccine against COVID-19.

At this stage, more than half of British Columbians are willing to visit a community centre (60%) as well as a gym or fitness facility (53%).

“More than half of women in British Columbia (54%) say they would not set foot inside a gym or fitness facility before they can have access to a COVID-19 vaccine,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Conversely, most men (60%) say they would have no problem visiting these venues.”

There is a split among residents on the issue of public transit usage. Across the province, 57% of British Columbians are willing to ride on a bus without a COVID-19 vaccine, while 43% would not do so. In addition, 55% would ride on SkyTrain, while 45% would not.

Men are more likely than women to say they would be willing to ride a bus (63% to 52%) and ride on SkyTrain (60% to 50%) before a COVID-19 vaccine is accessible.

Fewer than a third of British Columbians say they would not visit restaurants, pubs or bars where people can only eat indoors (32%), libraries (29%), restaurants, pubs or bars where people eat outside (also 29%) and barbershops or salons (27%) without a COVID-19 vaccine.

British Columbians aged 55 and over are more likely to have no reservations about going to a restaurant patio (72%) or to a restaurant that only offers food indoors (64%).

British Columbians of European descent are more likely to say that they would visit an indoor restaurant before a COVID-19 vaccine is available (76%) than those of East Asian (69%) and South Asian (57%) heritage.

At least three-in-five British Columbians aged 18-to-34 (60%) and aged 55 and over (64%) say they are not willing to visit a music venue without a COVID-19 vaccine. The proportion is lower among those aged 35-to-54 (54%).

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