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More than one-third of Canadians say they have less interaction with their neighbours than they used to, with the vast majority of these people pointing to the COVID pandemic as the reason why.

The results of a new survey from the Angus Reid Institute released today, March 30, also found the older a person gets the more they have a sense of belonging in their community, with 73 per cent of those over 65 years old having a strong connection to their neighbourhood.

For Canadians between 18 and 24 years old that number drops to 52 per cent.

However, the younger cohort of Canadians between 18 to 24 years old is more likely to have a sense of belonging with people based on a common life experience.

"The results suggest a society where belonging and connection are splintered along generational lines, with older residents drawing strength and comfort from their place-based communities, and younger people finding a sense of community rooted not in physical space but defined instead by ethnic or experience-based connections," an Angus Reid media release says.

"The real-world implications of this are evident," the release says. "Just two-in-five Canadians 18 to 34 years old say that they have a neighbour who could be relied on to check on them if they were unwell."

READ MORE: Half of Canadians say their mental health is worse two years into pandemic: survey

While three-quarters of those 65 years and older say they have a neighbour who would check in on them if they were sick and 86 per cent say they could leave a key with a neighbour if they were away.

The survey found that half of those under the age of 35 say they couldn't find someone to lend them $20 if they lost their wallet, while 70 per cent of 45-year-olds and older could.

While the vast majority of Canadians blame the pandemic as the reason why they've had less interaction with people, young people are more likely to say they simply don’t want to talk to anyone.

Thirty-seven per cent of those surveyed between 18 and 24 years old said they were less interested in talking to people these days, while only 13 per cent of people 65 and over said the same thing.

The survey also looked at sense of belonging from province to province and found that British Columbians' sense of belonging to the province and to Canada are among the highest levels in the country.

Alberta, however, has dropped dramatically in the last seven years with only 65 per cent of Albertans saying they felt a sense of belonging with Canada, compared to 96 per cent in 2015.

Quebec has the least sense of belonging with Canada, although numbers have barely changed since 2015 with only 63 per cent of Quebecers having a sense of belonging with Canada.

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