COVID-19 anxiety higher among anglophones: poll

English-speaking Quebecers are more likely to be afraid of contracting COVID-19 and more likely to know an infected person, according to a new Léger Marketing survey.

The survey, commissioned by the Quebec Community Groups Network and the Association for Canadian Studies, found 68 per cent of anglophones asked were afraid of contracting COVID-19, compared to 47 per cent of francophones.

Because most Quebec anglophones live in Montreal, the Canadian epicentre of the pandemic, it would be expected to see higher anxiety levels among them, according to Jack Jedwab, president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies.

But even in Montreal, francophones seem less worried than their anglophone counterparts.

In the Montreal region, 72 per cent of anglophones said they were afraid of contracting COVID-19, compared to just under 50 per cent of francophones. Respondents who lived in the Quebec City area were less afraid.

This could be because the virus has struck hard in neighbourhoods such as Côte-des-neiges and Notre-dame-de-grâce, where there are more anglophones — and English-speaking Quebecers are finding themselves on the front lines.

“If you’re being told you’re at the epicentre of the crisis, which you’re being frequently reminded about if you’re viewing developments in the media, then I’m not astonished that your anxiety levels are going to be disproportionately higher,” Jedwab said.

He said he didn’t know why francophones in Montreal don’t report feeling the same level of anxiety.

“Maybe they’re feeling more reassured by the messaging from the premier,” he said, “but I suspect that message may not be connecting with a lot of people who are not feeling that ‘ça va bien aller.’ ”

Higher levels of fear among anglophones have left them wary of the Quebec government’s push to gradually reopen the economy, the survey shows. Almost half of anglos said the reopening was happening too quickly, while about 30 per cent of francophones shared that sentiment.

Anglophones are also far more likely than francophones to say they know someone who tested positive for COVID-19 — 34 per cent versus 21 per cent.

About 700 anglophones, 750 francophones and 200 allophones responded to the survey, Jedwab said. A comparative survey would have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.52 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Jedwab said soon-to-be-released data from the Douglas Mental Health University Institute suggest anxiety levels, particularly among recent immigrants, are “through the proverbial roof.”

Since the 2018 election of the Coalition Avenir Québec, which won just two ridings in Montreal, visible minorities and anglophones have expressed feelings of alienation toward the government.

“We need to take a very hard look at newcomers, English-speakers and, for that matter, French speakers, visible minority groups,” Jedwab said.

Premier François Legault, who conducts part of his daily COVID-19 briefings in English, said Wednesday he didn’t know why anglophones were feeling more anxiety than francophones.

“It’s a question of information so I’m trying to do my best in French and in English, so I don’t see why the result is not the same for francophones and anglophones,” Legault said.

Legault added journalists have a responsibility to convey information, and said he sometimes disagrees with the Montreal Gazette’s Aaron Derfel, whose reporting on Quebec’s health-care network has been at the forefront during the pandemic.