Almost half of Albertans say their province is opening too quickly amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey released Monday by Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K), one of Canada’s leading public relations and public affairs firms.

The national survey found that, while 56 per cent 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 three 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, in a news release. “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 found

  • 46 per cent of Albertans said their province was opening too quickly (saying either “a little too quickly” or “much too quickly”), as compared to only 39 per cent who said the pace and timing was ‘just right’ and only 14 per cent who said it was too slow.
  • 46 per cent of people in Saskatchewan and Manitoba said their provinces were opening too quickly as compared to 49 per cent who said the pace and timing was ‘just right’ and six per cent who said it was too slow.
  • 44 per cent in Quebec said their province was opening too quickly as compared to the 45 per cent who said the pace and timing was ‘just right’ and only 11 per cent who said it was too slow.
  • 59 per cent of Ontarians, 70 per cent of Atlantic Canadians, and 72 per cent of British Columbians said they believe the pace and timing of re-opening in their provinces were ‘just right.
  • 36 per cent women in Canada said their province was opening too quickly, as compared to only 24 per cent of men in Canada sharing that view.
  • 43 per cent of respondents aged 18-24 said their province was opening too quickly, as compared to 41 per cent of those aged 25-34;  31 per cent of those aged 35-44; 30 per cent of those aged 45-54; 24 per cent of those aged 55-64; and 25 per cent 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,” said 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 one in four 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.”