Diana Marszalek 02 Mar 2022 // 3:04PM GMT
TORONTO — Two years of pandemic living has taken its toll on Canadians, whose overall trust in leaders, institutions and sources of information has dropped to just 34%, according to the latest Proof Strategies 2022 CanTrust Index.
According to the firm’s survey of 1,536 Canadians, the drop in trust from 37% a year ago — and 45% in 2018 — is largely precipitated by a dramatic 10% decline in trust in government over the last 12 months. The polarization of Covid also shows in the numbers. In 2022, 37% of respondents reported feeling less “together and united,” albeit an 11-point increase from 2021.
“Almost half of Canadians, at 46%, report they continue to feel anxiety and stress from the pandemic, and we are seeing what we refer to as the mistrust variant emerging as Covid-19 evolves,” said Bruce MacLellan, Proof’s president and CEO. “Frustration and inconsistent decision-making from the top-down has weakened trust in our political leaders far more than it has in our scientific and medical advisors.”
Trust in government is at an all-time low, the 7th annual study found. Only 22% of Canadians trust government to do what is right for Canada, a 10-point drop from 2021. When asked about sources of reliable information, trust in politicians remains at an extremely low 18%.
Trust in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is at 33% and trust in provincial and territorial leaders is at 32%. Quebec residents have the highest trust in their premier at 42%, compared to Ontario at 30% and Alberta at 17%.
This year’s study also measured respondents’ anxiety and found a distinct correlation between people’s anxiety levels and trust.
Approximately one-third (30%) of respondents who felt anxious about the pandemic at first but now feel better showed higher levels of trust in most areas of the survey, compared to the almost half (46%) of respondents who say they remain stressed and anxious.
The Canadian healthcare system is trusted by most Canadians at 58%, although that number marks a five-point drop from 2021. Members of older generations are the most skeptical. Trust in healthcare among Boomers dropped eight points to 62% in 2022. Older Canadians (age 75+) recorded a nine-point drop, down to 69%.
Trust in employers, however, has gone up. Employees give their own employers a “C” grade in 2022, up from a “D” grade in January 2021. With trust growth among employees in all sectors, the lift suggests employers have become more sensitive and supportive during the pandemic, Proof said.
Other key findings include:
· The Canadian Red Cross is the most trusted organization by Canadians at 61% compared to Facebook, which remains the least trusted at 23%
· Trust in the Canadian military has dropped from 58% in 2021 to 52% in 2022, pulled down by low trust in Canada’s military leadership at 39%
· The Canadian financial and stock markets are trusted by 40%, down from 43% in 2021. Trust in the Bank of Canada remains the same at 53%.
· Trust in NGOs is stable at 47%, halting a worrisome drop in 2020.
· Trust in Canada’s chief medical officer of health has dropped from 63% in 2021 to 58% in 2022, and provincial medical health officers have dropped from an average from 61% to 57%.
· Canadians have more trust in “ordinary citizens” to address racism and inequality (68%) than provincial governments and the federal government, both at 62%.