Canadians most look forward to hugging again

A new poll says the thing Canadians are most looking forward to, once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, is a simple hug.

A total of 45 per cent of respondents said they were excited to hug their friends and family, while 34 per cent were excited about reconnecting with people outside their household. Only 16 per cent said they were excited to go back to work, and even fewer people (nine per cent) said they were pumped about returning to the gym.

The survey, conducted by the Angus Reid Institute between April 1 and 6, asked 6,369 Canadians their thoughts as the country prepared for its fifth week of physical distancing and quarantine.

About 41 per cent of Canadians say they’re expecting another three to six months before things are back to normal in Canada, while 43 per cent think it will take longer than that.

Optimism that the COVID-19 pandemic will wrap up soon also appears to be waning, with the latter group having grown since midMarch. How people spend that time, however, varies by age, with those ages 18-34 (78 per cent) more likely to be camped out on streaming services watching movies and TV shows, compared with those ages 35-54 (65 per cent) and those over 55 (51 per cent).

Purging, organizing and spring cleaning is an ageless activity across the board — 58 per cent of those 18-34, 59 per cent of those 35-54 and 60 per cent of those over age 55 — while those 34 and younger are more likely to engage in phone and video calling with friends and family.

And though it appears like everyone and their grandma is baking in quarantine, leading to a seeming shortage of flour and yeast in stores, just 49 per cent of respondents said they had spent more time than usual baking or cooking.

The margin of error for a probability sample of this size is +/- two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.