Over two-thirds of Canadians intend to get vaccinated and many are choosing to wear masks as the economy slowly reopens, according to the latest poll from Leger.
Sixty-eight per cent of survey respondents said they intend to get the COVID-19 vaccine once it’s available, while 16 per cent said they didn’t know, and another 16 per cent said they would not get vaccinated, according to the poll, released Tuesday, by the Canadian market-research company.
In B.C., 69 per cent of respondents said they would get the vaccine once it’s available to the public, a similar average to most other provinces. However, 81 per cent of respondents in the Atlantic provinces – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI – said they would get vaccinated.
When it comes to wearing a mask to help prevent the spread of the virus, 51 per cent of Canadians said they put one on while grocery shopping, 45 per cent for trips to the pharmacy, 17 per cent in workplaces or offices.
When it comes to transit, 14 per cent of Canadians said they wear a mask, and another 12 per cent said they wear a mask when they go for a walk.
In B.C., 49 per cent say they wear a mask for grocery shopping, 44 per cent when they go the pharmacy, and 29 per cent when they are at work. For transit, 16 per cent of British Columbians said they wear a mask, and 10 per cent wear one when they go for a walk.
Over half of Canadians (53 per cent) said they think mask wearing should be made mandatory when out in public or in situations where physical distancing isn’t possible. In B.C., 48 per cent said they are in favour of that measure, and 43 per cent are against it.
Meanwhile, 76 per cent of Canadians believe there will be a second wave of the virus, compared to 64 per cent of Americans.
In B.C., 31 per cent believe the second wave will be stronger than the current wave, 44 per cent believe it will be as strong, and 15 per cent say it will be weaker.
Eighty per cent of respondents country-wide said it was up to each Canadian individually to take steps to try to avoid a possible second wave, compared to 68 per cent of Americans. Seventeen per cent of Canadian and 21 per cent of American respondents said it was up to the government.
Leger conducted the poll from June 5 to June 7, surveying 1,523 Canadians and 1,001 Americans, all aged 18 or older. Results were weighted according to gender, age, mother tongue, region, education level and presence of children in the household, using data from the 2016 census, to ensure a representative sample of the population.
