Canadians’ Trust in Police, Government Has Dropped Following COVID: North America Poll

People wear face masks as they walk along a street, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world, in Montreal, on Nov. 29, 2020. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

The trust of Canadians in city officials, provincial and federal governments, and the police and military has dropped by 8–10 percent in Canada since COVID-19, according to a new poll.

More than half of Canadians polled—56.6 percent of COVID-vaccinated and 58.6 percent of COVID unvaccinated—also said that relations between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals have worsened during COVID.

These were some of the key findings of a survey carried out by the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS), which released a report on April 5 with data on the socio-economic impact of COVID.

The report surveyed 8,000 people across North America—in Canada, the United States, and Mexico—from February to March 2022. ACS polled people on COVID vaccination, their trust in authorities, economic impacts of COVID, fear and worry, mental health, and other topics.

According to ACS, vaccinated individuals in the United States were “much more likely” than unvaccinated people to believe that their relations with anyone unvaccinated had worsened.

The survey found that those under 45 were more likely to try and persuade or argue with someone unvaccinated about the issue. However, older respondents over the age of 65 were “less likely to attend gatherings with unvaccinated people” and less likely to think that someone’s COVID vaccine status was a private matter.

The highest majority, 58.3 percent of people aged 35–44, responded that whether someone was vaccinated or not was private information.

When asked, “Do you care if non-vaccinated people get COVID,” 50.6 percent of Canadians responded that they did care, while 62.5 percent of Americans said the same. In Mexico, 73.7 percent of respondents indicated they cared.

Trust

Of the Canadians who participated, 51.2 percent indicated trust in the police/military, and a minority, 47.9 percent, said they trusted the media and journalists.

This was lower than in the United States, where 54.8 percent of participants had trust in the police/military.

Canadians also saw drops ranging from 8 to 9.8 percent when it came to having trust in their respective provincial government, the federal government, or city or municipal authorities.

Across North America, trust in immigrants or newcomers, and religious leaders was low, with only 38.6 percent of Canadians saying they trusted immigrants, and 26.1 percent responding that they trusted religious leaders.

Individuals were also surveyed about what the ACS called “myths/unproven statements regarding COVID-19.” To the statement “The COVID-19 vaccine can affect fertility,” 10.7 percent of Canadians said that was true, while 39.1 percent replied, “I don’t know.”

In Canada, 22.8 percent of survey respondents agreed that “researchers rushed the development of the COVID-19 vaccine so its effectiveness and safety cannot be trusted,” compared to in the United States where 29.8 percent of individuals said that was true.

The statement “The side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine are dangerous” had 20.4 percent of Canadians agreeing it was true, and 27.2 percent of Americans. Older respondents to the survey, over age 65, were more likely to not believe these statements.