As Quebec continues to administer its third COVID-19 vaccine provincewide, most residents think the Canadian government should start making its effort to help vaccinate the rest of the world a priority, says an Angus Reid Institute (ARI) survey.
The ARI stated that nearly 40% of the world population had yet to receive a single COVID-19 vaccine as of January 26. The study, conducted via an online survey that reached 5,002 Canadians between January 7 and 12, suggested that two-thirds of Quebecers (64%) want Canada to prioritize vaccinating people in other countries.
When asked whether "Canada should shift its efforts to focus on vaccinating people in less wealthy countries," 21% of Quebec respondents said they "strongly agree," while 43% of Quebecers responded with "agree."
The Angus Reid Institute stated that this concern stems from the possibility that "future variants will continue to emerge in countries where large populations of people are unvaccinated."
While many Quebec residents approved of pivoting toward the global vaccination effort, 7% of Quebec survey participants "strongly disagreed" with the idea, the smallest percentage of all provinces.
When it came to the remaining Canadian provinces, the Angus Reid Institute survey indicated that British Columbia (44%), Ontario (43%), Newfoundland and Labrador (43%), and Nova Scotia (41%) had the next biggest share of residents agreeing with a shift toward global vaccination.
Nationally, women between the ages of 18 and 34 were the demographic that most agreed with the policy change.
The provinces whose residents most responded with "disagree" and "strongly disagree" when it came to showing support for international vaccination efforts were Saskatchewan (52%), New Brunswick (51%) and Alberta (48%).
This article's left-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.