Canadian Perspectives Survey - Impacts of COVID-19

The novel coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) is having a profound effect on the health, behaviour and social activities of Canadians. Federal, provincial and territorial governments have recently introduced a series of measures to limit the spread of the virus, including physical distancing.  To get timely information about how Canadians are coping with COVID-19, Statistics Canada developed a new web panel survey. In Series 1, more than 4,600 people in the 10 provinces responded to this survey between March 29 and April 3.  The collected information will be used by government organizations, such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada, to inform the Government of Canada's response to COVID-19.  This release focuses on the most pressing concerns expressed by Canadians regarding the crisis, the precautions they took to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19, and how they changed their weekly habits as a result of the crisis. It also briefly discusses the main sources of information about COVID-19 used by Canadians.  In Series 2, from May 4 to May 10 2020, Statistics Canada continued the Monitoring the Effects of COVID-19 survey. In order to implement this survey rapidly, it was conducted online only, among those who volunteered to participate in the Canadian Perspectives Survey Series (CPSS). The social and economic impacts of COVID-19 continue to be felt and are disrupting the lives and habits of all Canadians. Statistics Canada remains committed to collecting data in response to the urgent need for information and to help understand the impacts on the daily lives of people like you across Canada. This short survey will cover a number of important topics including: the impacts of COVID-19 on food security and mental health of individuals, and on their social and employment circumstances.   In Series 3, conducted from June 15 to 21, the focus was to examine whether Canadians will continue to adhere to recommended health and safety practices as the economy reopens and restrictions are loosened. It also examines whether Canadians are feeling safe returning to work. For the most part, the same respondents were followed over the 3 surveys, and all of these surveys are statistically representative of the Canadian population.

The first survey of the Series focused on the impacts of COVID-19.  The second survey of the Series focused on monitoring the effect of COVID-19. The third survey of the Series focused on the gradual reopening of economic and social activities during COVID-19. The fourth survey of the Series focused on monitoring the effects of COVID-19 and on the source of information consulted during the pandemic.  The fifth survey of the Series focused on the technology use and cyber security during the pandemic. The 6th survey focused on substance use and stigma during the pandemic.