Half of vaccinated Canadians ‘unlikely’ to spend time with the unvaccinated: poll

Originally off to a slow start, Canada quickly covered ground. To date, over 50 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated.

As this number continues to rise and society opens back up, elements of the pandemic continue to split public opinion.

Canadian firm Angus Reid conducted a poll asking respondents in the country a series of questions about their feelings on the subject. Their findings revealed that the Canadian population is divided on a number of issues. When asked, for example, "whether they will be likely to spend time with unvaccinated individuals over the coming months," even after being fully vaccinated themselves, nearly half of Canadians (46 percent) answered "unlikely" or "very unlikely."

A stark contrast between those who are and are not vaccinated was found when it came to asking about whether someone has got the shot. Of those who had received at least one dose, 55 percent said it was "totally fine" to ask someone about their vaccination status. Among the unvaccinated, that number dropped to 5 percent, with 75 percent saying that such questions are "Not OK."

Angus Reid found that while "age and gender are less of a factor in disagreement ... politics plays a role." Results showed that "Past Conservative supporters are much more likely than other party supporters to say they shouldn't be asked about their vaccination status, while past Liberal voters are least likely."

According to the poll, a majority of Canadians support the idea of vaccine passports, even to visit a restaurant or go to work.

The poll also revealed that a vast majority Canadians are "very excited" or "more excited than anxious" about the resumption of pre-pandemic activities.