Nearly one third of Canadians broke a COVID-19 rule, University of Sask. survey says

Saskatoon -

A survey of 1,000 people across Canada completed by the Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research (CHASR) at the University of Saskatchewan shows how nearly a third of Canadians may have broke COVID-19 rules at some point during the pandemic.

“We thought it might be interesting to take a retrospective or reflective look at to what extent are people complying with the various public health regulations and public health restrictions across Canada,” Jason Disano, Director of CHASR told CTV.

The findings are part of “Taking the Pulse of Canada”, a quarterly national survey conducted by CHASR. Data was collected from June 1 to June 15 via landlines and cell phones.

Twent-nine per cent of those surveyed admitted to breaking at least one pandemic regulation, and of those, 16 per cent broke indoor gathering limits, 11 per cent broke outdoor gathering limits, and 12 per cent did not wear masks in outdoor public spaces.

“To go back and say ‘Is one in three acceptable?’ I don’t know, I don’t have an answer to that. I would suspect from a public health perspective the answer to that might be no, but from a larger policy issue it might be ok,” Disano said.

At the top of the list for reasons why a person broke restrictions is meeting friends and family at 27 per cent. Twenty-one per cent stated they don’t believe the regulations make sense, and 17 per cent said they violated rules in a “safe” way.

Disano said having all of this information can come in handy down the road if the world is placed in a similar situation.

“These data provides some information in terms of what’s working, what hasn’t worked in terms of guidelines, in terms of regulations. I think it provides a strong foundation for, heaven forbid, future pandemics,” Disano said.

The survey found that people under the age of 35 were more likely to break indoor gathering restrictions while those under the age of 55 were more likely to break outdoor gathering restrictions.

90 per cent of British Columbians surveyed justified themselves by saying the regulations didn’t make sense, and eight per cent of Prairie residents felt the same.

COVID-19 NEWS SOURCES

In addition to looking at those who broke COVID-19 restrictions, the survey also looked at the mix of sources where people got their COVID-19 news.

88 per cent of those surveyed said they got information from online or TV news, just over 70 per cent cited word of mouth, just under 70 per cent cited government websites, and social media and print sources were cited by 35 per cent.

“The guidelines that were put in place, the messaging that was rolled out, the venues and media in which it was rolled out are all going to be important aspects of that post-mortem,” Disano told CTV.

Of the 35 per cent who got COVID-19 news from social media, 63 per cent said Facebook was their main source, 38 per cent listed Twitter, 14 per cent listed TikTok, and less than a per cent listed Tumblr.

Print media was the most common source of COVID-19 information for those over the age of 55, and Twitter was number one for those under the age of 55. Instagram, Reddit, Snapchat, and TikTok were the most common sources for those under 35.

“There’s no primary source for Canadians’ information on the COVID-19 Pandemic. It really behooves the governments and those responsible for communicating pandemic messages to the public to ensure they are hitting all the demographic groups of the population,” Disano said.

The results of the survey yield a margin of error of +/- 3.1 per cent nationally, 19 times out of 20, meaning the results can be considered reliable 95 per cent of the time, according to the U of S.

WAITING TO SEE FAMILY

Hearing that one third of Canadians have broken a COVID-19 rule does not come as a surprise to Miles Faickney.

Facikney says he has seen people breaking COVID-19 rules every day and it is frustrating as he is waiting to safely visit family out west.

“I haven’t seen my son or grandson for over a year and I need to fly to B.C. to see them. When people don’t go by the rules and it screws it up for me, I’m not going to be a happy guy,” Faickney said.

Faickney said he has diligently been adhering to guidelines and restrictions throughout the pandemic and hopes others will do the same as he waits to be back with family.

Faickney falls under the 35 per cent of Canadians who said they get their COVID-19 news from social media, and he believes you have to be smart about what you read.

“Its adequate, its good. It is what it is. How much of it can you believe? It changes day by day, sometimes hour by hour. You’ve got to take it with a grain of salt for sure,” Faickney said.