A new survey of Canadians suggests that 60 percent of single Canadians felt their relationship status has negatively affected their mental health, and the COVID pandemic took an extra toll.
Angus Reid conducted the study on behalf of Shift Collab, an online mental health practice, and asked 1,504 Canadians how the pandemic impacted their relationship status.
One-third of young Canadians aged 18–34, or 33 percent, said COVID impacted their expectations of when to start a family, and 28 percent of this group said their expectations of when to get married shifted because of the pandemic.
Another 60 percent of Canadians in the same age group reported they had experienced feelings of isolation, and felt that everyone else was in a relationship but them. Another 68 percent of single Canadians of any age reported the same feeling, while 59 percent of single Canadians reported their mental health has been impacted due to their relationship status at some point either in the past or present.
“While the pandemic shuffled timelines for family starts, engagements, marriages, and moving in together, seeing others achieve and celebrate these milestones has left Canadians with a mixture of isolation, anxiety and relationship status blues,” said the report.
The survey data indicated 32 percent of single Canadians have considered seeking therapy because of their relationship status, while 41 percent of those who are separated or divorced said the same.
One-third of Canadians who responded to the survey, 36 percent, reported they felt internal pressure to get married, attributing that to societal norms and the desire to be married before having children.
Of those who feel internal pressure to get married, more than half (54 percent) reported being single.
The survey also suggested 30 percent of single Canadians have difficulty being happy for others when they reach milestones, and another 27 percent said they felt disappointed about their own lack of a relationship watching other people celebrate their marriages.
“Young Canadians, in particular, feel burdened by seeing their friends and family celebrate milestones on social media, causing feelings of compare and despair. Millennials and Gen Z are experiencing ambiguous grief in a digitally-driven world, and it’s crucial that they understand the social factors that lead to self-stigma,” said Megan Rafuse, CEO and co-founder of Shift Collab.
She said many Canadians experienced feelings of uncertainty and fear during COVID, which resulted in increased anxiety, worry, and stress.
Thirty-one percent of young Canadians agree that most people in their circle are in a relationship, making them feel isolated to not be in a relationship. For that same age group, 29 percent agree that they are anxious about when they will get married, and 36 percent agree they are anxious about when it will be that they start a family, according to the survey.
The survey was conducted from July 17 to Aug. 2 with online members of the Angus Reid Forum in both English and French.
