NATIONAL PULSE – More than half would bring back mask mandates

By ANGUS REID INSTITUTE

December 22, 2022 – This year’s holiday season looks a lot different than the previous two, with public health restrictions now largely left to the Ghost of Christmas Past.

However, a large group of unmasked Canadians would evidently appreciate a push from government to force them to take a more cautionary approach.

A new study from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds more than half of Canadians supportive of re-implementing mask mandates if cases of COVID-19 rise this winter.

This, while just three-in-ten (31%) say they are wearing a mask more than half of the time in public spaces currently on their own volition.

As immune-evasive Omicron variants spread, and influenza and respiratory illnesses cause problems for health care providers across the country, some have speculated that mask mandates may be needed to curb infection.

One-quarter (23%) of those who “never” wear a mask say they would support a mask mandate while two-thirds (65%) of those who rarely but sometimes wear one also say they would accommodate a return to mandatory masking.

As many look to their government for action on masking, few have the same appetite for a reintroduction of vaccine passports. One-in-five (21%) would support this action, while two-in-five Canadians (42%) say neither masking mandates nor vaccine passports should be in Canada’s future.

More Key Findings:

• Those in Alberta (58%) and Saskatchewan (59%) are the most likely to say they are never wearing a mask in public. Those in Nova Scotia (22%), Newfoundland and Labrador (19%) and Ontario (20%) are the most likely to say they are wearing a mask all the time when they are in the grocery store or bank.

• Seven-in-ten (68%) of women over the age of 54 say COVID-19 is still something they think about regularly.

• Women (63%) are more likely than men (45%) to support a return of mask mandates.

• As evidenced by their masking practices, many Canadians are now taking a passive approach to COVID-19. Half (49%) say they do not think about the disease anymore, including two-thirds of men younger than 55.

Link to the poll here: www.angusreid.org/