September 2020, Issue: 27

September 2020 edition of the Probit newsletter
Dear member of the Probit research panel:
During these unprecedented times, we would like to share some of the recent survey results we collected about Canadians’ approval ratings of government agencies that are handling the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are the findings:
Your views
According to our recent poll, a majority of Canadians approve of how the Government of Canada, their provincial government, and the Public Health Agency of Canada are handling the pandemic. In contrast, about half (53 per cent) approve of how their municipal government is handling the pandemic, while less than a third (28 per cent) neither approve nor disapprove.

Of those who approve of how the Government of Canada is handling the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority (70 per cent) are women, while less than a third (27 per cent) of those who disapprove are men. This closely reflects the sentiment of Canadians by both education and community type, where a majority (74 per cent) with a university education who live in an urban area (68 per cent) approve, while less than a third (28 per cent) with a college education who live in a rural area (29 per cent) disapprove.

Of those who approve of how their provincial government is handling the pandemic, a majority (74 per cent) are between the ages of 50 and 64. Meanwhile, of those who disapprove, less than a quarter (23 per cent) are between the ages of 35 and 49. This closely reflects the sentiment of Canadians by open vs. order index, where a full three-quarters (75 per cent) with an order index approve, while less than a quarter (23 per cent) with an open index disapprove. For more information on the open-ordered index, please click here to view the Northern Populism paper.
Likewise, nearly the same number (72 per cent) of those with a medium stress level and those who wear a mask approve, while a quarter (24 per cent) of those with a high stress level and those who do not wear a mask disapprove.

Next, of those who approve of how the Public Health Agency of Canada is handling the pandemic, a majority (79 per cent) are university educated and wear a mask. Similarly, three-quarters (75 per cent) of women who are younger than 35 years old, with a medium compliance/safe behavior index approve. In contrast, of those who disapprove, less than a quarter (19 per cent) are men with a college education and order index. The compliance / safe behaviour index is a scale that tallies the “safe behaviour” measures in which each respondent engages to reduce the spread of COVID-19, such as wearing masks and physical distancing from others.

Finally, of those who approve of how their municipal government is handling the COVID-19 pandemic, more than half (58 per cent) are women who wear a mask and live in an urban area. Similarly, nearly the same number (59 per cent) of those who live in Ontario with high compliance/safe behavior index approve. In contrast, those between the ages of 35 and 45 with a college education disapprove.

Panel Questions
The next three questions were asked to members of our panel in our last survey and we are happy to share the results with you here:



Congratulations to our Prize Winners!
We would like to congratulate the winners of our most recent draws, all of whom won cash prizes by taking part in our insurance survey.
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