Three-in-four Canadians think the border with the United States should remain closed to non-essential travel.
Vancouver, BC [July 15, 2021] – While more Canadians are content with the way all levels of government have managed the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of the country’s residents believe it is too soon to fully reopen the border with the United States, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, more than three-in-five Canadians (61%) are satisfied with the way the federal government has dealt with the COVID-19 outbreak, up 10 points since a similar Research Co. survey conducted in May.
“Residents of Atlantic Canada (73%) and Quebec (67%) are more likely to be satisfied with the way Ottawa has managed the pandemic,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “They are joined by majorities of Canadians who reside in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (62%), Ontario (54%), Alberta (53%) and British Columbia (52%).”
More than three-in-five Canadians are also satisfied with the way their municipal governments (63%, +8) and their provincial governments (62%, +10) have handled COVID-19.
The satisfaction rating increased in the four most populous provinces. British Columbia (71%, +10) and Quebec (71%, +10) continue to post significantly higher numbers than Ontario (51%, +9) and Alberta (46%, +12).
More than seven-in-ten Canadians (72%, +17) think the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is now behind us, while 15% (-12) believe it still lies ahead.
In spite of the fact that most Canadians think the pandemic will not worsen, 77% believe that COVID-19 is still “a very serious” or “moderately serious” problem, while 19% deem it “not too serious” or “not a problem.”
Just under four-in-five Canadians (79%, -5 since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in May) believe that all customers or visitors entering an indoor premise should wear a face covering while inside.
There are reductions in the proportion of Canadians who would like to prohibit non-essential travel from one province to another (65%, -9) and non-essential travel inside provinces (59%, -8). In addition, 71% (-8) would continue to place all travellers arriving to Canada into a mandatory 14-day quarantine or isolation period.
Across the country, 75% of Canadians (-5 since May) think the border with the United States should remain closed to non-essential travel—a proportion that rises to 80% in British Columbia and 85% among Canadians aged 55 and over.
Methodology: Results are based on an online study conducted from July 9 to July 11, 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