Canadians Feel Less Safe Now Than Before the Pandemic, New Poll Suggests

Two passengers wait for a transit train in Calgary on March 18, 2020. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

A new poll suggests Canadians feel less safe now than before the pandemic, while a majority said provincial and federal governments are not adequately addressing crime and public safety issues.

In an online survey conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies, 1,517 people were asked about their feelings on safety in their community now, three years after the pandemic hit.

Almost two-thirds of survey participants said they felt the situation was worse, with 32 percent saying crime and violence are “a little worse,” and an equal number saying it is “much worse.”

One-quarter of those surveyed said the situation was the same as before COVID, and eight percent were not sure. Only two percent of Canadians said the crime situation was “a little better.”

Of those surveyed, women living in cities were more likely to respond that they feel less safe now.

Regional Disparity

Seventy-two percent of B.C. residents said crime and violence are worse since the pandemic, while Quebec residents were the least likely to report that being the case, at 54 percent. Quebec residents polled were also the most likely to say things have not changed.

Survey participants were asked if they knew someone who experienced an unsafe situation, such as vandalism, theft, or physical assault, or had experienced such an incident themselves. The majority said no.

Five percent of survey participants said they had been the victim of a physical assault, and another five percent said they had experienced a hate crime.

Some participants, about 20 percent, said they had experienced “aggressive behaviour,” such as yelling and making threats, while 19 percent said that they had been afraid for their own safety in the last six months.

Another 20 percent said they knew someone who had been assaulted, and 17 percent said they knew someone who had been subject to a hate crime.

The majority of those polled said police and their city were properly addressing public safety. However, this number dropped significantly when asked about the performance of other levels of government. Only 39 percent said the provincial governments were doing a good job with crime and violence while 33 percent said the federal government was doing a good job.

Quebec residents and Canadians over the age of 55 were most satisfied with the police, while less than half of Atlantic Canadians said police were doing a good job in addressing crime.

Ontario participants were the most unhappy with the provincial government’s response to crime, while Manitoba and Saskatchewan residents were the most unhappy with the provincial government from all provinces polled.

On the topic of gun laws, 47 percent of those surveyed said stricter legislation would make them feel safer, while 42 percent said it would not change how safe they feel.

Some respondents, about 75 percent of those asked, said adding more police to the streets would help address the problem, while 72 percent said improving the housing crisis would reduce crime.

The survey was conducted online between April 6 and 10, 2023.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.