VANCOUVER – As COVID-19 cases surge in North America and across the globe, a new study by the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Americans having a more difficult time than Canadians weathering the relentless financial and health challenges wrought by the pandemic.
At an individual level, Americans are nearly twice as likely as Canadians to be dealing with elevated stress levels.
Two-in-five Americans (40 per cent) are either “very” or “extremely” stressed due to the pandemic, while in Canada that number reaches one-in-five (22%).
Further, nearly half of Americans (46%) are “very” or “extremely” worried about their personal financial situation, compared to a significant but considerably lower 28% of Canadians.
Fatigue
As the pandemic wears on, citizens in both countries voice fatigue at the precautions requested of them.
Just over half on each side of the border say they have grown tired of social distancing, mask wearing and other practices.
That said, Canadians are slightly more confident that people in their country will turn the situation around quickly and stem rising case numbers.
Half (52%) in Canada say they have confidence in their country to reverse this trend compared to 42% in America.
Key findings
Both Americans and Canadians continue to be cautious with the amount of time they spend in public places.
One-in-three Americans (35%) are avoiding restaurants entirely, compared to 40% of Canadians.
Another one-in-three in each country are taking extra precautions if they do go out for a meal.
Canadians are more bullish about the efforts of their neighbours to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Seven-in-ten say they think people in their community are doing a good job with precautions, while just 49 per cent of Americans say the same.
Two-in-five Americans (42%) say the risk of the coronavirus is overblown; one-quarter of Canadians (26%) feels the same.
Those who lean conservative in each country are far more likely to say this than others
