TORONTO -- A new study suggests that a majority of Canadians plan to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but those living in lower-income and rural communities are more likely to say no to the vaccine.
In a report released last Friday, Environics Analytics found that around 69 per cent of Canadians over the age of 16 intend to take the vaccine.
Around 18 per cent say they're "unsure" if they'll get the vaccine, while 13 per cent said "no."
The data analysis looked at 10,000 survey results collected through Caddle, an app that offers rewards for Canadians in exchange for answering surveys, during the week of March 1. Environics Analytics used postal code data to weight the responses proportional to the demographic makeup of Canada.
"The 10,000 people are not necessarily going to look like the Canadian population, so we have to weight them. And then we project that to the population overall," Environics Analytics chief revenue officer Rupen Seoni told CTVNews.ca over the phone on Tuesday.
Environics Analytics also used the postal code data to look at the rates of vaccine hesitancy rate among 67 different socio-demographics and lifestyle groups through their PRIZM system. For Canadians who live in small towns and rural communities, the percentage of those who would say "no" to the vaccine increases to 15 to 25 per cent.
Canadians who live in lower-income neighbourhoods also see higher rates of vaccine hesitancy, with 15 to 20 per cent answering "no." The report from Environics Analytics calls this " a clear socio-economic divide."
Environics Analytics also found that nationally, 36 per cent of Canadians prefer to receive the vaccine at their family doctor, the most preferred location. Vaccine clinics are the preferred choice for 31 per cent, followed by pharmacies at 26 per cent and hospitals at seven per cent.
But vaccination location preferences differ among population segments. Environics Analytics says Canadians living in areas characterized by older residents and multicultural suburban families tend to prefer the family doctor. Vaccine clinics tend to be preferred by Francophone communities and some neighbourhoods with "young urbanites," while Canadians in communities with "older, affluent city-dwellers" tend to prefer pharmacies.
This isn't the first study to look into how much confidence Canadians have in the vaccine. An Angus Reid poll from earlier in March found that 63 per cent of British Columbians planned to get the vaccine right away. Another national poll from Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies released two weeks ago found that just over half of Canadians would take whichever vaccine is first available to them.
Environics Analytics is a Bell Canada company.
