What to do when it’s over? After COVID-19, Canadians long to live stress-free, hug their friends and travel

Contributed

For many Canadians, the answer to a common question in December carries an unusual answer. What are you doing New Years Eve? Waiting for next year.

For many, this holiday season – with parties cancelled and traditions put off – is an obstacle to overcome.

Now, new data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds people from coast-tocoast hoping fervently for a new era when neighbours and communities are safely vaccinated, and (almost) everyone regains a life that looks more like it used to.

Three things that Canadians are looking forward to most: being able to go about their day-to-day routine without worrying about the virus (44% look forward to this), being able to resume the hugs, pecks on the cheek and handshakes that come with physical contact (43%), and international travel (42%).

British Columbians want a hug, Quebecers want to party

Looking at these data regionally yields some interesting stories across the country:

• British Columbians are evidently Canada’s biggest huggers. 51 per cent say they look forward to resuming this and other physical contact.

• Manitoba residents, who have dealt with one of the most extreme lockdowns in the country, are most excited to get together with older people they have been unable to see. 35 per cent say this, compared to 28 per cent in Saskatchewan, and lower elsewhere in the nation.

• Atlantic Canadians are most likely to say they look forward to resuming their dayto-day errands and activities. It is the only region in the country where at least 60 per cent choose that activity.

• Quebecers want to party at nearly twice the national average (19% vs. 11%). They also are by far the most likely in the country to wish to go out for dinner or drinks at a restaurant. Nearly half (45%) say this in Quebec, while Ontario and Manitoba are next at just 30 per cent.

• One-in-five Saskatchewan residents (19%) look forward to live sporting events – the highest mark in the country – suggesting that the return of the Roughriders may be greatly anticipated.

Generational differences in post-pandemic priorities

When looking at different demographic groups, the activities which make the top five are similar, but their relative importance varies.

Those who are 55 or older are most keen on being stress-free about doing regular things. It is the most anticipated activity among men of that age, and a close second for women. This may owe to the elevated personal risk of COVID-19 in that age group and the fact that many people may have spent months planning shopping trips around specific hours, or stayed home entirely, in order to remain safe.

Wealthier Canadians want to get back in the skies

Differences are also evident based on household income levels. While income does not appear to influence a person’s likelihood to travel domestically postpandemic, it bears considerable impact on international travel.

Among those whose household income is $150 thousand or more, two-thirds (64%) say they look forward to international travel. That number drops across each subsequent lower income level, to just 20 per cent among those with incomes less than $25 thousand.

Part Two: Majority anticipate return to “normal” next fall or later

As Canada’s first COVID-19 vaccinations are administered, a return to normalcy becomes less a distant hope and more a forthcoming reality.

Experts and public health officials, however, caution that the resumption of prepandemic life will not be instantaneous, with some estimating it could take a year or longer.

Canadians largely appear to be attuned to this messaging, as more than threein-five (63%) do not expect normality to resume any earlier than fall 2021. Notably, one-in-five (20%) are even less optimistic and say life in Canada “won’t ever go back to the way it was.”

Residents in Saskatchewan, however, appear most optimistic, with nearly onequarter (23%) anticipating a return to normalcy to occur in the spring or summer.

One-in-five Canadians ages 18 to 34 say the country will be “back to normal” in the spring or summer of next year, compared to one-in-seven of those 35 years old or above. Similarly, those belonging to older age groups are more likely to say that life will be forever changed by the pandemic.

Some of the starkest attitudinal differences are between those who intend to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and those that don’t.

Among those who want the vaccine, there is much more optimism about a return to normalcy. Fewer than one-in-five (15%) say that things will never go back to the way they were, while half (48%) of those who will not get vaccinated say the same. Those who are not sure whether they will get a jab sit somewhere in the middle.