38 per cent say COVID restrictions too lax: poll

As B.C. deals with a surge in coronavirus cases, a new poll finds B.C. residents are more likely than other Canadians to say they want tighter restrictions.

The Angus Reid Institute poll, published Thursday, found Canadians in the four Atlantic provinces were the most satisfied with their region’s pandemic restrictions, while those in B.C., Saskatchewan and Manitoba were more likely to say they want tighter restrictions in order to keep the spread of COVID-19 down.

Those surveyed in Alberta and Quebec were more likely to advocate more relaxed restrictions, according to the poll.

While nearly half of British Columbians — 48 per cent — say the restrictions in B.C. are “about right,” 14 per cent say “they go too far” and 38 per cent say they “don’t go far enough.”

That compares with just 28 per cent of Canadians overall who think there should be tighter restrictions.

In Manitoba, that number climbs to 40 per cent, while in Atlantic Canada it’s just 19 per cent.

Angus Reid notes in its report that despite previous praise for its handling of the pandemic, B.C. now faces an upward trend in cases, with several outbreaks linked to private parties. The province isn’t planning to return to previous restrictions, and instead is focusing on asking residents to take preventive measures to control the spread.

The survey of 1,511 Canadian adults was conducted from Aug. 5 to 8. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.