Canadians less trusting of governments as COVID wears on for second year: poll

As the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, Canadians are losing trust in governments, a new poll has shown.

There is a noticeable decline in how trusting Canadians are of their leaders and institutions as the pandemic drags on, and it’s particularly striking among those who remain anxious or stressed about COVID-19, a new survey suggests.

“When we have 46 per cent of Canadians saying they still feel anxiety and stress, it’s taking a toll on trust in Canada,” said Bruce MacLellan, CEO of Proof Strategies.

The data is part of the 2022 edition of Proof’s trust index, a survey Proof normally does annually but has been conducting more than once a year since the pandemic began.

This version is based on an online poll completed by 1,536 people, Jan. 4-14, but cannot be given a margin of error because internet polls are not considered random samples.

The trust index suggests general trust in governments, business, media and advocacy groups was already falling before the pandemic. The 2018 poll said 45 per cent trust those groups to be competent and effective. By 2020, that had fallen to 38 per cent, and this year it has fallen to 34 per cent.

That is driven largely by cratering trust in governments, with only 22 per cent saying they trust governments or politicians, compared with 40 per cent in the early days of the pandemic in May 2020.

“It’s been a huge issue to manage and politicians have made decisions that are sometimes contradictory. They sometimes had to reverse course and it’s shaken confidence and trust,” MacLellan said.

Nationally, one in three people surveyed said they trust the prime minister and almost that many said they trusted their provincial premier. In the early part of the pandemic, 43 per cent trusted the prime minister and 44 per cent said they trusted their premier.