Polls suggest decline in mental health, but point to clues on how to address it
Posted Dec 24, 2021 9:47 am.
Last Updated Dec 24, 2021 12:05 pm.
A review of polling data is giving a new look at the toll the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the mental health of Canadians.
The review is based on a series of online Leger surveys over the course of the year that were analyzed by the Association for Canadian Studies.
About one in five respondents in a March survey rated their mental health as bad, but by November two in every three respondents felt their mental health was worse than it was before the pandemic.
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More women than men in the surveys thought that was the case.
Association president Jack Jedwab says other results suggest the importance of staying connected as a good coping mechanism.
He notes that respondents with many friends reported significantly better mental health than those who had fewer friends.
