Vaccine Rollout Opinions Improve in Some Canadian Provinces

Almost two thirds of respondents think the goal to inoculate every willing Canadian by the end of September 2021 will be attained.

Vancouver, BC [May 28, 2021] – The perceptions of Canadians on the way COVID-19 vaccination efforts are advancing have improved markedly this month, a new Research Co. poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample, 57% of Canadians are satisfied with the procurement of COVID-19 vaccine doses from the federal government, up nine points since a similar survey conducted in March 2021.

Majorities of Canadians are also content with the vaccination plans and phases outlined by their province (61%, +7) and with the pace of vaccination efforts in their province (58%, +10).

“The same regional differences that we currently see across Canada when it comes to COVID-19 management are also present on the vaccine rollout,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “While more than three-in-five residents of Quebec (69%) and British Columbia (62%) are satisfied with the pace of vaccination efforts, only 48% of those in Ontario and Alberta feel the same way.”

In December 2020, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) stated that it expected to have enough COVID-19 vaccine doses to inoculate every willing Canadian by the end of September 2021.  

Almost two thirds of Canadians (65%) believe the vaccination goal outlined by the PHAC will be attained, up 20 points since a similar survey completed in February 2021.  

This month, 83% of Canadians say they have already been vaccinated against COVID-19, or plan to have a first shot when it becomes available to them, while 13% will “definitely” or “probably” not get inoculated—including 20% of those who voted for Conservative Party candidates in the 2019 federal election.  

More than four-in-five Canadians (84%, +1) agree with regulations that require all customers or visitors entering an indoor premise to wear a mask while inside.  

Three-in-four Canadians (75%, -2) say they wear a mask every time they go out, a proportion thar rises to 82% among women and 80% among Canadians aged 55 and over.  

Sizeable proportions of Canadians continue to endorse specific measures to deal with COVID-19, including keeping the border with the United States closed to non-essential travel (80%, -3) and placing all travellers arriving to Canada into a mandatory 14-day quarantine or isolation period (79%, -3). In addition, 74% (=) would prohibit non-essential travel from one province to another and 67% (-1) would prohibit non-essential travel inside provinces.  

Just under a third of Canadians say they are cleaning the groceries they buy to prevent infection (30%, +1) and acknowledge they are overeating or eating more than usual at home (29%, +4).  

Fewer Canadians admit to losing their temper more than usual at home (20%, including 28% of those aged 18-to-34), having a bath or shower less often than before the pandemic (16%, -1), not ordering food from restaurants at all because they fear infection (15%, -4), drinking more alcohol than usual at home (13%, -1) and brushing their teeth less often than before the pandemic (11%, but rising to 21% among Albertans).  

Methodology:

Results are based on an online study conducted from May 17 to May 19, 2021, among 1,000 Canadian adults. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.

Find our data tables here and download the press release here. 

For more information on this poll, please contact:

Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.

778.929.0490 [e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca