Substantial Number of Canadians Believe Their Province is Opening Too Quickly

CANADIANS IN ALBERTA, SASKATCHEWAN, MANITOBA AND QUEBEC MOST LIKELY TO FEEL THIS WAY

OTTAWA, May 25, 2020 /CNW/ - Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K), one of Canada's leading public relations and public affairs firms, has released findings from their national survey into how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting Canadians. The research found that, while 56% of Canadians believe the pace and timing of their province's re-opening is 'just right,' a substantial number of Canadians, in certain provinces, say their province is opening too quickly.

"Our data shows that 3 in 10 Canadians believe that their province is re-opening either a little too quickly or much too quickly," said research author Elliott Gauthier, H+K's Senior Vice President of Data + Analytics. "Those numbers were higher in the Provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Quebec, which are generally seen as having announced more aggressive re-opening plans."

The survey took place the first week of May as provinces began to unveil their plans to re-open following weeks of pandemic lockdowns. Notable findings include:

Comfort with pace of re-opening dramatically different depending on where you live:

• Almost half of Albertans (46%) said their province was opening too quickly (saying either "a little too quickly" or "much too quickly"), as compared to only 39% who said the pace and timing was 'just right' and only 14% who said it was too slow.
  
  
• Likewise, 46% of Saskatchewanians and Manitobans said their provinces were opening too quickly as compared to 49% who said the pace and timing was 'just right' and 6% who said it was too slow.
  
  
• 4 in 10 in Quebec (44%) said their province was opening too quickly as compared to the 45% who said the pace and timing was 'just right' and only 11% who said it was too slow.
  
  
• 59% of Ontarians, 70% of Atlantic Canadians, and 72% of British Columbians said they believe the pace and timing of re-opening in their provinces were 'just right.'

Differing views by gender:

• Almost 4 in 10 women in Canada (36%) said their province was opening too quickly, as compared to only 24% of men in Canada sharing that view.

The younger you are the more likely you are to think your province is moving too quickly:

• 43% of respondents aged 18-24 said their province was opening too quickly, as compared to 41% of those aged 25-34; 31% of those aged 35-44; 30% of those aged 45-54; 24% of those aged 55-64; and 25% of those aged 65+.

"The demographic trend shows that the younger a person is the more likely they are to think their province is opening back up too quickly," added Mr. Gauthier. "This is particularly noteworthy given the widespread reports at the beginning of the pandemic in Canada of younger people being less compliant with physical distancing measures. It's also noteworthy that only 1 in 4 seniors in Canada feel this way despite being at a much higher risk statistically. Ultimately, for both groups, this correlates to the degree of trust they have in government institutions; the older you are the more likely you are to trust in your government's plan."

About Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada:

Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada (H+K) is a public relations and public affairs consultancy providing services to local, multinational, and global clients from its eight offices across the country.

The firm works with clients to solve complex communications challenges and deliver award winning campaigns and is focused on continued innovation for the industry. H+K offers deep sector knowledge and breadth of public relations and public affairs expertise including specialists in health + wellness, technology, government + public sector, energy + industrials, consumer packaged goods, financial + professional services, food + drink, retail + leisure and sports.

Globally, Hill+Knowlton Strategies Inc., has offices in more than 40 countries as well as an extensive associate network; and it is a member of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world's largest communications services groups.

About the Study:

Research experts at H+K authored this research (design through reporting). The sample was provided by Leger Opinion (LEO) online panel, however, H+K fielded the survey on their feedback platform, Perspectives+. In total, n=994 Canadians were surveyed over the period of May 1^st to 4^th, 2020.

Sampling was done within age, gender, and region quotas. Data were weighted on age, gender, and region according to 2016 census figures. An associated margin of error for a randomly selected sample of this size would be ±3.1%, 19 times out of 20.

Hill+Knowlton Strategies www.hkstrategies.ca

SOURCE Hill+Knowlton Strategies

Jillena Oberparleiter, [email protected], 437.217.9763