John Wright: The COVID-19 pandemic through the eyes of Canadians

When it comes to public opinion, I’ve learned over the past 30 years that the public looks for visual signals or cues — in print media, on television, on social media — that end up determining their reaction to events. For example, although the coronavirus epidemic had already been raging overseas, with a few cases here in North America, polls showed that in the first week of February, only 29 per cent of Canadians were concerned about getting the virus.

We are all used to schedules, so Saturday, March 21, was likely the first time that most Canadians woke up, took a grasp of their new reality and looked at their bank accounts to assess what they had and what they needed. With the stock markets battered and personal portfolios spiralling down with oil prices, it was a moment of reckoning for virtually everyone.

What public opinion research has shown is that when it comes to their own personal or family financial situation over the next three months, one in five Canadians say they will be either “pressured and anxious” , or “dire and desperate“ . By contrast, a plurality indicate that their household financial situation will be “tight and concerned,” while just over one-third say they will be “relatively comfortable.” The finding suggests that approximately 1.

And what do we think of the virus itself right now? As mentioned, in the first week of February, 29 per cent of Canadians were concerned that they might actually contract COVID-19. Now, it’s 60 per cent. And we’ve gone from two-thirds of Canadians not being engaged in changing their life or lifestyle because of the coronavirus outbreak, to today, when a mere one in six say they have kept everything the same as it was. In short, the vast majority of Canadians have got with the program.

Why is it that NP constantly focuses on questioning the competence of leadership in Canada when it is clear that Canada does extremely well on most measures👇Conversely, Trump is rarely excoriated for his lack of competence or leadership when the facts are clear.

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