COVID-19 pandemic has brought out the worst in people, pulled Canadians further apart, survey suggests

Two years of living through the COVID-19 pandemic has left Canadians in a dour mood, with the majority saying the ordeal has significantly disrupted their lives, pulled Canadians further apart, brought out the worst in people and weakened their compassion for one another.

These are the findings of a new survey, carried out by the Angus Reid Institute, in partnership with CBC, that coincide with the two year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring the worldwide outbreaks of COVID-19 a pandemic.

The online survey polled a representative randomized sample of 2,550 Canadians 18 and over between Mar. 1 to 4 of this year. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

"What we did is we asked Canadians to make their own assessments of how they see things changing," said Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute. "Did they change over the last two years?

"And there are some pretty significant takeaways around negative perceptions over that change. If there has been change, it's been change for the worse."

There were some positive findings. For example, a large majority of Canadians (70 per cent) said they are thankful to be living in Canada during the pandemic. 

The survey also suggested that the pandemic did make most Canadians reevaluate their priorities, with just over 80 per cent saying it made them reflect on what is really important in their lives. And just under half said they have since made significant positive lifestyle changes.

But as mandates begin lifting, hospitalizations drop and Canadians emerge from what may be the worst of the pandemic, the survey findings reveal a bleak assessment of the past two years, and in some categories, show that Canadians have a negative view of their fellow citizens.

About 41 per cent of Canadians say that since the pandemic, "life overall" is worse, compared to 23 per cent who say it is better. 

More than half of those surveyed (47 per cent), said the overall impact of the last two years has been more bad than good, which includes one in ten people who said these were the worst years of their lives.

Almost half (47 per cent) said the pandemic disrupted their lives in a "significant" way, and one in ten described that disruption as "severe."

That disruption was felt most significantly by around two-thirds of men and women aged 18 to 34, compared to about half for those over the age of 54. Across the country, around 60 per cent of those surveyed in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan and nearly two thirds of those surveyed in Ontario said the pandemic significantly or severely altered their lives.