VANCOUVER – Canadians appear to be transitioning from a place of professed caution to enthusiastic compliance when it comes to their willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
In a one-month span, the number of people saying they plan to be inoculated as soon as possible has increased 12 percentage points, with a firm majority (60%) now willing, and waiting.
And while concerns do exist about side effects and long-term implications of vaccination, a new Angus Reid poll shows most of those willing to roll up their sleeves in the months ahead now say they are more confident than anxious about the prospect.
While this news may delight public health officials, it also puts them – and their political masters – under the microscope. They have been criticized for struggling in recent weeks to effectively and efficiently jab vaccines into the arms of impatient Canadians. Indeed, 52 per cent say the amount of time they think they’ll personally wait to be vaccinated is “too long.”
Dissatisfaction with the speed and smoothness of the process is most pronounced in Manitoba and Ontario where approximately half (51% and 54% respectively) say their province is doing a “bad job” on COVID-19 vaccine distribution. More than two-in-five in Alberta (43%) also say this.
Canadians who are willing to be vaccinated also indicate they are prepared to receive that vaccination at a variety of venues, from conventional places such as medical clinics (90%) to drive-through vaccination sites (64%).
Men aged 55 and older are most impatient for the vaccine, with 63% saying the amount of time they expect to wait for one is “too long”.
