Kids ‘bored,’ miss friends, poll suggests

While kids and teens are not the most at-risk demographic for COVID-19, a new poll shows they’re also not immune to other challenges of pandemic life.

Some 71 per cent of Canadian children who participated in the poll said the most common word to describe their current state is “bored,” while 41 per cent also said they feel normal, according to the poll released Monday by the Angus Reid Institute.

The poll asked 650 Canadian youth, ages 10 through 17, about the COVID-19 health crisis.

Older teens age 16 and 17 were more likely to feel “angry” over their current situation, compared to those aged 10 to 15, who were more likely to say they feel “good.”

About three-quarters of youth said they’re keeping up with online learning, though 60 per cent also said they’re unmotivated and 57 per cent hate the arrangement. Meanwhile, 29 per cent of kids said missing out on the 2020-21 school year is their biggest concern, especially those closer to graduation. Younger students said they are getting more help from their parents on school work while parental involvement dropped off among older teens.

The second biggest concern for kids besides missing out on school was that their family may become sick (26 per cent). Half of all kids in all age groups said it’s their friends they miss the most (54 per cent), while only 16 per cent said they miss their extracurriculars.

The poll was conducted online May 1-4 among a random sample of 650 Canadian youth whose parents are members of the Angus Reid Forum. The probability sample carries a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by the Angus Reid Institute.