Canadians lambast provincial, fed government response to H1N1

Canadians are clearly more concerned about Swine Flu and have started to criticize the way their governments are dealing with the pandemic, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found. In the online survey of  Canadian adults, only 36 per cent express satisfaction with their provincial government’s level of preparedness for Swine Flu, a 20-point drop since a survey conducted in the last week of October.

Ontarians (30%) and Albertans (20%) appear particularly dismayed with the situation.

The federal administration was also chided by respondents, with only a third (32%) saying they are satisfied with their level of preparedness to deal with Swine Flu, down 23 points in two weeks.

Conversely, Canadians are convinced that their family (74%) and the company they work for (53%) have done things properly.

The satisfaction rating was lower for family doctors (46%), the World Health Organization (WHO) (44%), and schools (37%).

Immunization

Throughout the country, 12 per cent of respondents claim to have already received immunization against the Swine Flu, and 39 per cent are planning to get the vaccine. However, the views of those who do not want to get immunized have shifted.

While in late October only five per cent in this group said it is a hassle to get the vaccination, the proportion now reaches 18 per cent. More than half of those who do not want to get inoculated (55%) continue to express no confidence in the vaccine, and one third (32%) are not concerned about becoming sick.

Swine Flu Cases

The most notable change in this question is that the proportion of respondents who say Swine Flu is around them has clearly risen.

Now, a quarter of Canadians say someone they work with has been infected, compared to only six per cent in late October. Also, one-fifth (21%) now know of an acquaintance with this particular flu (compared to 6% in October), and 16 per cent have a family member or a close friend with the virus (compared to 10% in October).

Level of Concern

Results of this poll suggest that Canadians are growing much more concerned about H1N1. Now, 56 per cent of respondents say that they worry about Swine Flu at least once a week and up to several times a day, an 18-point jump since late October. Also, the proportion of respondents claiming that they never worry about this flu has decreased from 42 per cent to 34 per cent.