A new INNOVATIVE online poll of 4,150 Canadians shows for the first time in the third wave Canadians are changing their social behaviour for the better.
While social contacts with both the highest and lowest risks are fairly stable, behaviors with moderate risks such as non-essential shopping, outdoor visits, in-home visits with a relative or friend or in-home small group gatherings have dropped significantly in key regions.
In Alberta, in-home small group gatherings have dropped from 21% to 14% and in-home visits with a friend or family member have dropped from 49% to 40%.
In Ontario, outside gatherings and non-essential dropping have dropped 5 points while in-home visits with a friend or family member have dropped from 43% to 36%.
In BC, behaviours are flat while in Quebec riskier behaviours are starting to increase.
Large majorities continue to frequently take pre-cautions such as washing hands, keeping distance and wearing a mask. In fact, more than half the country fall into the extra cautious or just staying home segments. Only 7% of Canadians fall into the “Old Normal” category just doing what they used to do with few or no precautions while another 9% are “Pushing Boundaries” with moderate activities and mixed adherence to precautions.
As the third wave of the pandemic shows signs of reaching its peak, most Canadians are responding with responsible behaviors. While there remains room for improvement among a small minority of risk-takers, Canadians in hotspot provinces are taking additional precautions.
For more information and to read the full report, click here.
