FILE PHOTO - A protest against COVID-19 restrictions was held in Kelowna's Stuart Park, Feb. 13, 2021. More than 80 per cent of Canadians say the pandemic has pulled people further apart, while almost two-thirds of people say Canadians' level of compassion for one another has grown weaker.

(CARLI BERRY / iNFOnews.ca)

More than 80 per cent of Canadians say the pandemic has pulled people further apart, while almost two-thirds of people say Canadians' level of compassion for one another has grown weaker.

Seventy-nine per cent of the people surveyed said they thought the pandemic had brought out the worst in people.

The findings come about from an Angus Reid Institute survey conducted in a joint project with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

The survey found 82 per cent of people said the pandemic had pulled people apart as opposed to bringing them together and 61 per cent said Canadians’ level of compassion for one another had weakened.

"And despite the developments and lessons of the last 24 months, Canadians are jaded about how well this country is equipped to handle a future pandemic," reads an Angus Reid media release.

According to the survey, 70 per cent believe Canada will “struggle just as much” in the next pandemic, while only 30 per cent said Canada is in "good shape" to handle something similar happening again.

One in 10 Canadians (11 per cent) the COVID-19 pandemic had brought severe disruption to their lives, while almost half said it was "significant."

Under 35s were more likely to report significant or severe disruption, with two-thirds of both men and women saying this.

More than one quarter had delayed a more serious medical procedure or surgery, and almost half had delayed medical appointments.

Seventy-two per cent had postponed travel since the pandemic.

The findings also show that age matters.

One-third of Canadians between 18 and 24 years old say they caught the virus, the most of any age group.

"Throughout the pandemic, younger Canadians have been less likely to be concerned about personally contracting COVID-19. As well, they’ve been less likely to follow the recommended protocols," reads the release. "Though, notably, they were also much more likely to be working jobs which put them in a public-facing position which made them more at risk to COVID-19 exposure."

Across the country, 14 per cent of residents in both Saskatchewan and Ontario reported that the pandemic had severely affected them, while only seven per cent of residents said the same thing in British Columbia and Quebec.

The Angus Reid Institute says it conducted an online survey from March 1 to 4 from a randomized sample of 2,550 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. A probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2%, 19 times out of 20.

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