Findings of Poll #12
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ABOUT THE STUDY
This study was conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights with an online sample of 3,000 adult Canadians and was conducted between April 13 to 25, 2022. Results from a probability sample of this size could be considered accurate to within ±1.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Results have been weighted based on age, gender and region to be representative of the Canadian population.
A series of research briefs that provide an in-depth, specific investigation of our polling results can be found here. Results of earlier polls are compared when applicable.
Findings from Polls 2 to 12 are searchable on our free our free Data Portal.
Our twelfth poll captures a period when daily news updates of COVID-19 had become less frequent, and pandemic related public health measure had eased considerably or ended across all provinces.
The mental health of Canadians slowly continues to improve. The percentage of Canadians experiencing high levels of self-rated anxiety has dropped from 24% in December 2021 to 21% in April 2022. These are the lowest levels seen in the self-rated scale and clinical screeners in depression and anxiety since April 2021. Fewer Canadians are experiencing disruptions caused by mental health challenges. Recovery to mental health levels seen prior to the pandemic remain a distant hope.
Concern around the lasting impact of COVID-19 continues and has seen a slight increase in this poll. Fear of a family member catching the virus has also increased. A majority of Canadians also support COVID-19 health measures, particularly those experiencing high levels of self-rated anxiety. Increase in concern around yourself (34%) or a family member catching the virus (41%) have also contributed as main factors in negative mental health.
Despite facing these negative impacts of COVID-19, Canadians continue to be hopeful of their future and are reporting positive relationships with family and friends that they can count on. This is particularly evident of new mothers, despite being more likely than average to experience high self-rated levels of anxiety. These findings demonstrate that mental health needs to be openly and frequently considered and discussed in Canada; currently, only two-fifths of Canadians think about their own mental health on a regular basis and fewer think of the mental health of others.
The above are just are some of the key findings of MHRC’s twelfth poll in our ongoing series of polls on “Mental Health in Crisis: How COVID-19 Is Impacting Canadians.” This poll captures Canadians’ perceptions of their levels of anxiety and depression through the pandemic to identify and evaluate the factors that influence mental health.