THIS SURVEY EXPLORES CANADIANS’ AND AMERICANS’ PERSPECTIVES ON THE SPREAD OF THE OMICRON VARIANT AND VACCINE EFFECTIVENESS.
The spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has resulted in governments around the world implementing increasingly strict measures to control it.
In our latest North American Tracker, we asked Canadians and Americans to share their perspectives on a wide variety of Omicron-related issues. We asked them whether governments have made the right decision in terms of returning to lockdowns and restrictions, whether they think people should be allowed to participate in certain activities if they cannot prove they are vaccinated, their opinions on vaccine effectiveness and more.
This survey is conducted in collaboration with the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS) and published in the Canadian Press. This series of surveys is available on Leger’s website.
Would you like to be the first to receive these results? Subscribe to our newsletter now.
The Spread of the Omicron Variant
- Canadians (83%) are more likely than Americans (67%) to believe that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at ensuring that if a person gets COVID-19, they will not get sick enough to require hospitalization or suffer major complications.
- More than six-in-ten Canadians support implementing measures specifically related to vaccination status, including:
- Only allowing those who have proof of vaccination to shop in person at malls and retail outlets (excluding grocery stores), government-run liquor and cannabis stores and use public transit
- Creating separate areas in hospitals and clinics specifically for unvaccinated patients
- When asked to choose which option is closest to their opinion:
- 56% of Canadians and 39% of Americans feel that governments are making the right decision by returning to lockdowns and restrictions
- 31% of Canadians and 40% of Americans feel that governments need to leave things open and Canadians/Americans need to live with the risk posed by the virus
COVID-19 TRENDS OVER TIME
- The proportion of Canadians and Americans who think the worst of the COVID-19 crisis is behind us is trending downward.
- Canadians’ satisfaction with the measures put in place by all levels of government (federal, provincial, municipal) to fight the COVID-19 pandemic is trending downward.
METHODOLOGY
This web survey was conducted from January 7 to January 9, 2022, with 1,547 Canadians and 1,014 Americans, 18 years of age or older, randomly recruited from LEO’s online panel.
For comparison, a probability sample of 1,547 respondents would have a margin of error of ±2.49%, 19 times out of 20, while a probability sample of 1,014 would have a margin of error of ±3.078%, 19 times out of 20.
THIS REPORT CONTAINS THE RESULTS FOR THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS AND MORE!
- Given the recent spread of infections, how effective do you feel the vaccines are at providing the following protection from any of the current COVID-19 variants?
- Currently, the majority of hospitalizations for COVID-19, while they represent a fairly small minority of the population, are Canadians who are not fully vaccinated. To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, would you support or oppose the following measures specifically related to vaccination status?
- Below are two points of view regarding the current state of the virus and the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Please select the view below that is closest to your own opinion.
- To this day, are you satisfied or not with the measures put in place to fight the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic by the following?
- What statement best describes your personal opinion of the COVID-19 crisis for Canada/United States?