Albertans most likely to believe the pandemic brought out the worst in people, survey suggests

Two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 90 per cent of Albertans say it has brought out the worst in people — making Alberta the most pessimistic province on this front, a new survey suggests.

The poll was carried out by the Angus Reid Institute in partnership with CBC News, and coincides with the two-year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring the worldwide outbreaks of COVID-19 a pandemic.

The majority of Canadians say the ordeal has significantly disrupted their lives, pulled Canadians further apart, brought out the worst in people and weakened their compassion for one another. 

In general, those feelings are more pronounced in the Prairie provinces, and Alberta in particular.

An average of 18 per cent of Canadians believe the pandemic brought people closer together, but that falls to 10 per cent in Alberta. The rest believe the pandemic divided us, the survey suggests.

Albertans are also the most skeptical that Canada would be prepared to handle another pandemic. Eighty-three per cent, the most in any region, say Canada would struggle just as much as it did with COVID-19, while just 17 per cent say we are in good shape.

This compares to 30 per cent of Canadians believe we are in good shape to handle a future pandemic.

Are we better off?

Alberta has lifted almost all public health restrictions from COVID-19, and hospitalizations have been dropping. But even as we emerge from what may be the worst of the pandemic, we might not be coming out the other side as better people.

Among the regions, Alberta residents are the most likely to feel that compassion among Canadians has weakened (75 per cent), and are the most likely to say that their ability to talk with and listen to people who don't agree with them has weakened (48 per cent).

But the pandemic wasn't all doom and gloom: 21 per cent of Albertans say there was more good than bad during the past two years. This focus on the positive is higher than anywhere else in the country — though 50 per cent of Albertans felt there were more negatives than positives since March 2020.

Sixty per cent of Albertans are thankful to be living in Canada during the pandemic — the lowest of any region and lower than the 70 per cent overall — while 31 per cent of Albertans disagreed.

The online survey polled a "representative randomized sample of 2,550 Canadians" 18 and over between March 1 to 4 of this year. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.