In a new survey, Narrative Research has found eight-in-ten Atlantic Canadians fear they will become infected with COVID-19. Even more people in the region are concerned that someone in their immediate family will catch the virus.
The research company’s CEO Margaret Brigley says this worry corresponds with intentions on getting vaccinated.
She says 81 per cent of Atlantic Canadians claim they will definitely or probably get the vaccine when it is available to them.
“Obviously it’s really important that once vaccinations are actually available people roll up their sleeves and get the vaccine, and we see in the Atlantic region there is a high likelihood of residents actually getting vaccinated,” she says.
Newfoundlanders are the most eager to get the vaccine at 86 per cent, then Islanders and Nova Scotians at 84 per cent.
Brigley says the most hesitancy toward the vaccine is in New Brunswick.
“Within New Brunswick we see that the likelihood of actually getting that vaccine once it’s available is lower,” she says. “There we’ve got 20 per cent of the population that says it probably won’t get the vaccine once it’s available verses one in ten in the other Atlantic provinces.”
She says in the past, Narrative Research has found New Brunswick to typically have more scepticism about vaccines.
“We have seen consistently that New Brunswickers are slightly less likely than other Atlantic Canadians to really be interested in getting vaccinations,” she says.
This survey was conducted from Nov. 30 to Dec. 7, 2020 with 2,742 Atlantic Canadians.
