Fret vs. No Sweat? Generational Divide Drives Concern Over Next COVID-19 Wave and Preventing Infection Spread

For at least the seventh time in an ongoing pandemic, Canadians are once again faced with a decision point this summer: to change their plans and behaviour to mitigate risk of contracting or spreading the latest variant of the COVID-19 virus, or plow ahead despite what public health officials are identifying as increasing risk?

It comes as Canada’s tourism sector desperately hoped for a “summer of recovery”, at a time when bookings for accommodations and flights are up compared to the two previous years, and as summer festivals, concerts and parades make their return. Despite this, COVID-19 concerns continue to swirl for a significant portion of the population.

A new study from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds half of Canadians expressing worry over potential illness. Those over the age of 54 carry much more of the weight of anxiety. Seven-in-ten (68%) among this age group say they’re concerned about getting sick, while fewer than half of those aged 18- to 34-years-old (43%) and 35- to 54-years-old (44%) say the same. This concern manifests itself in widely divergent behaviours and attitudes toward COVID-19.

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