Poll shows majority of Canadians support lockdown curfews despite not believing them to be effective

A new poll conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies shows that a majority of Canadians would support curfews to curb COVID spread if such they were recommended by healthcare officials, CP24 reports.

Yet a majority of Canadians also said in the same poll that they do not believe such measures would be effective at reducing transmission of the virus.

Support for curfews is highest in Quebec, where such measures have already been implemented by the provincial government. 74 percent of Quebec residents said they are supportive of such measures. However, only 57 percent of Quebecers believe the curfew to be effective.

In Canada as a whole, nearly two thirds of the population would accept curfews if such measures were recommended by healthcare experts. Less than two in five, however, believe such measures to be effective.

The results of the poll also indicates that Canadians are suffering from mental health issues during the pandemic. Over one in five Canadians would describe their mental health as "bad" or "very bad," a 60 percent increase from April of 2020. Meanwhile, the number of Canadians describing their mental health as "very good" dropped by ten percent in the same period.

When asked if they intend to receive the coronavirus vaccine, 71 percent of respondents said yes. However, the numbers are split on when people say they are planning to receive the vaccine, with just under half of respondents saying they plan to receive it as soon as possible while another quarter of Canadians say they will wait a bit. Only 15 percent of Canadians said they would definitely not take the vaccine.

Over 600,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered by health authorities since the vaccine arrived in Canada last month. Many have criticized the rollout of the vaccine, arguing that it is uncoordinated and that significantly more Canadians should be vaccinated on a daily basis.

Approximately three fifths of Canadians say they are afraid of contracting coronavirus. The poll was conducted online between Jan 15 and 18, with over 1,500 respondents.