Majority of Canadians believes the worst of COVID-19 is over, poll finds
The majority of Canadians believes the worst of COVID19 is over and generally feels satisfied about how their governments have tackled the threat, a new survey found.
According to a Research Co. report, 76 per cent of Canadian respondents believe the worst of the pandemic threat is behind us — a jump of 14 points since a similar poll was conducted in April.
The feelings of optimism were most prevalent in Alberta and Ontario, where 80 per cent say the pandemic is unlikely to get worse. British Columbians are slightly more wary, with 71 per cent saying the worst of the pandemic is in the rear-view mirror.
With the threat of COVID-19 receding and the majority of pandemic-related restrictions lifting, more Canadians are reporting positive views about how their governments dealt with the virus and its impacts.
About 61 per cent are satisfied with how the federal government tackled COVID-19, up four points from the previous month.
Those who voted for the ruling Liberal party and the NDP were more likely to be happy with Ottawa's handling of COVID-19, with Liberal voters at 83 per cent and NDP voters at 71 per cent. People who voted for the Conservative Party were significantly less satisfied, at 42 per cent.
For provincial governments, satisfaction levels are highest in Quebec (67 per cent), Ontario (65 per cent), and British Columbia (62 per cent). About 60 per cent in B.C. reported feeling satisfied for their municipal governments.
Canadians reported higher satisfaction ratings for federal chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam, at 66 per cent, an increase of five percentage points since April.
They also rated their provincial health officers' performances dealing with COVID19 favourably. Ontario tops the list at 67 per cent, while British Columbians' satisfaction rating with Dr. Bonnie Henry's work was at 63 per cent.
The results are based on an online survey conducted April 16 to 18 among 1,000 adults in Canada. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.