How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected Canadians?
Two years of constant restrictions and the risk of contagion have forced Canadians to rethink their lives and gain respect for their country.
According to a recent poll, 80% of Canadians said they are seriously considering what is important to them in life. 11% of Canadians have moved within the country. Residents of British Columbia (18%) and Ontario (13%) were the most likely to move. 10% of Canadians bought their own home. 15% bought a pet.
16% of Canadians postponed getting married and 6% decided to postpone having children. 8% of Canadians discovered religion. 18% changed their minds about quitting their jobs.
82% believe that the pandemic has divided people, 61% believe that the level of compassion for one another has weakened. 37% experienced a severe deterioration in financial health, 39% experienced a deterioration in relationships with family and friends.
If you look at the results of the 2020 poll, you can see that many expectations were not met. At that time, only 38% of Canadians thought quarantine measures would last until 2022.
The people who felt the coronavirus changed their lives the most were residents of Ontario (65%), where people are still afraid to go to cafes and cinemas, unless they check vaccination passports. Almost as much as residents of Alberta (62%), Manitoba (62%), Saskatchewan (60%) were affected by the pandemic. But 53% of Quebec residents barely noticed the coronavirus, although the province imposed curfews twice during the pandemic in addition to standard restrictions.
One in five Canadians has had the coronavirus. One in seven Canadians out of ten had to postpone a trip at least once in those two years, and half of Canadians had to postpone seeing doctors. Thirty-six per cent could not get to doctors when they wanted to see them for other illnesses.
Yet 70% of Canadians are grateful to live in Canada and not in another country. Canada really did a lot for its citizens in the first month of the pandemic. That said, 70% of Canadians are confident that the next wave of coronavirus or other comparable scourge will be just as hard on Canada.
