One-in-five Canadians doing little to stop spread of COVID-19

A new study from the Angus Reid Institute reveals one-in-five Canadians are making little to no effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.

As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on into its sixth month, the summer is nearly over and Canadians are now shifting their focus to flu season, fall and back to school preparations.

With this, Canadians are still being asked to do their part at reducing community spread of COVID-19 - something that is strictly being done by some, while others have chosen to completely ignore it.

The Angus Reid Institute has placed Canadians into three categories through this study based on their behaviours and mindsets, called the 'COVID Compliance Index.' The categories include The Infection Fighters, The Inconsistent and The Cynical Spreaders.

The Infection Fighters consist of people following COVID-19 suppression behaviours closely, making up 47 per cent of Canadians. The Inconsistent represent 36 per cent of Canadians who take a more half-in, half-out approach when following COVID-19 preventable guidelines.

The remaining 18 per cent are Cynical Spreaders who are expanding their social circles and aren't social distancing. These people have mixed feelings towards hand washing and wearing masks. This group also has a strong dislike for the way the pandemic has been handled by the government and public health officials.

When it comes to the COVID-19 Compliance Index, age is the biggest factor. The younger you are, the less likely you are to follow COVID-19 protocols. 

Political beliefs also strongly correlate with how a person is categorized in the index. People who have voted CPC in the past are four times more likely to be Cynical Spreaders than people who voted for the Liberals or NDP in 2019.

When it comes to wearing masks, nine-in-ten Infection Fighters regularly wear a mask when indoors around non-family members, this drops down to 63 per cent for The Inconsistent and 15 per cent among Cynical Spreaders.

When looking at 10 different COVID-19 spreading behaviours such as not washing hands, not practicing social distancing, not wearing a mask, etc. Infection Fighters engage in only one or zero. Three-quarters of Cynical Spreaders engage in five or more of these behaviours.