January 31, 2022
-Toronto Sun
A majority of Canadians now say it is time to end COVID restrictions, according to an Angus Reid poll, a sharp increase from when the same question was asked in early January.
The latest poll, taken Jan. 27-28, found 54% want restrictions to be lifted compared to just 39% who wanted restrictions lifted when the same question was asked two weeks earlier.
The poll asked people if they agreed or disagreed with the statement: “It’s time to end restrictions and let people self-isolate if they’re at risk.”
“A majority (54%) now say it is time to remove restrictions and let Canadians manage their own level of risk, an increase of 15 percentage points since this question was asked in early January,” the Angus Reid Institute said.
A majority back lifting restrictions in every province and region in Canada, with rural dwellers being more likely than urban dwellers to want restrictions lifted – 58% to 54%. Support for lifting is also the majority viewpoint for both men and women and across all but one age group.
“Women over the age of 54 are the only age-gender group that disagree that restrictions should be ended. A majority of each of the other gender and generation groupings agree that the time has come,” the institute said.
Support for lifting restrictions is highest among men aged 35-54 at 67%, followed by men 18-34 at 60% and women aged 35-54 at 58%. Among women aged 55 and over, 51% disagree with lifting restrictions while 40% agreed.
Just over one in five say that they or someone in their household have been infected with COVID-19 since Dec. 1 with most describing symptoms as minor. Asked to rate their symptoms, 52% of those who tested positive said they were “relatively mild – just minor symptoms,” 47% said their symptoms were “serious but manageable – like a case of the flu,” while 1% reported their symptoms as “very severe – required hospitalization.”
The poll was conducted among a representative randomized sample of 1,688 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum, an online panel. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
