SASKATOON -- Saskatchewan residents are the most hesitant among all Canadians about getting a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a Angus Reid Institute survey.

Nearly one-in-four (24 per cent) remain unconvinced about COVID-19 vaccination.

That number has changed little since January, when it sat at 26 per cent.

Most other provinces hover around the one-in-10 mark.

In late January, nearly half (45 per cent) of Alberta residents were unsure about the vaccine or unwilling to be vaccinated outright. That proportion dropped to 17 per cent in May.

Vaccination rates are the bedrock of Saskatchewan’s reopening plan.

Step One, which eases some restrictions, is expected to happen around the last week of May.

Step Two will start once three weeks have passed since 70 per cent of people age 30 and up have received their first COVID-19 vaccine. Three weeks must also have passed since the beginning of Step One.

The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from May 14-16, 2021 among a representative randomized sample of 1,319 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum.