Nearly half of Canadians aren't keen on wearing masks: Study
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Canadians’ fear of falling ill from COVID-19 is on the rise but only 55% of those surveyed say they wear a mask most of the time, a new study says.
The study from the Angus Reid Institute finds concerns about becoming infected by the virus rebounding after declining in each of the last three months.
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Fifty-nine per cent now say they are worried about getting sick, which is up 13 points from June.
This concern, however, does not mean all Canadians are adopting a key mitigation suggestion from public health officials to wear masks.
Twenty per cent of those surveyed say they always wear a mask in public and 35% say they do most of the time.
But 32% say they rarely wear a mask and 13% say they never wear a mask.
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Twenty-eight per cent feel social distancing is enough, 26% say they forget to wear a mask and 23% say masks are uncomfortable.
“Notably, support for a mandatory mask policy is higher than the rate of personal usage. Three-quarters of Canadians (74%) say they would be fine with that policy if it were implemented in their community,” the survey said.
“Worry about becoming sick plays a significant role in a person’s likelihood to wear a mask. Four in five of those who are very worried about contracting the virus say they wear a mask always or most of the time. Four in five of those who are not worried at all about becoming sick say they rarely or never wear one.”
Concern about becoming sick remains variable across generations as 71% of those over the age of 55 are concerned and the percentage drops to 41% for those aged 18 to 34.
Supports for wearing masks is 73% or higher in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Atlantic Canada. The support in Alberta is 60% and 55% in Saskatchewan.
The online survey was conducted between July 10 and 11 by 1,503 Canadian adults and is believed to have a margin of error plus or minus 2.5 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
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