A vast majority of Canadians, 75%, believe the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is in the past, according to a poll conducted by Research.Co. in mid-December..That’s an increase of seven points from a similar poll conducted by the company in August..Now, only 17% of Canadians think the worst of COVID-19 is yet to come, (down three points from August), while 9% (also down three points from August) are not sure..However, 70% of those polled believe the virus remains a threat, which rises to 78% among respondents aged 55 and over..Interestingly, 82% of those who voted for the Liberal Party in the 2021 federal election believe it remains a threat..Additionally, fewer than one-in-five Canadians are currently concerned about the possibility of declining conditions on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, says Mario Canseco, president of Research.Co..“We continue to see cautious optimism when Canadians think about COVID-19,” says Canseco. “Significant majorities of Canadians are both convinced that the situation will not worsen but still consider the virus a real threat.”.Satisfaction with how governments and health officials across the country handled the pandemic varies..Almost three-in-five Canadians - 59% (a four-point increase from August) - are satisfied with the way the federal government has dealt with COVID-19, while 58% (a one-point decrease from August) feel the same way about their municipal government..Provincially 58% (a five-point increase from August), say they are satisfied with how their provincial government has managed the pandemic, with individual provincial governments all seeing an increase from August's satisfaction levels..Among the four most populous provinces, the rating is highest in British Columbia (68%, +6), followed by Quebec (62%, +4), Ontario (54%, +6) and Alberta (46%, +7)..Since a May survey by Research.Co, satisfaction with the way federal chief public health officer Theresa Tam has managed the pandemic dropped from 66% to 60%. The average rating is similar for the country’s provincial health officers or chief medical officers (61%, -5)..In two provinces, the satisfaction rating for top doctors fell since May: Luc Boileau in Quebec (60%, -6) and Kieran Moore in Ontario (59%, -8). Two thirds of British Columbians (66%, +3) are satisfied with the work of Bonnie Henry..In Alberta, the rating for Deena Hinshaw stood at 65% in May. This month, 53% of Albertans are satisfied with the way recently appointed chief medical officer of heath Mike Joffe is managing the pandemic.
