Most Canadians unsympathetic to unvaccinated who get sick with COVID-19, poll finds

The majority of Canadians vaccinated against COVID-19 say they don’t sympathize towards unvaccinated Canadians that become sick with COVID-19, according to the results of a new poll.

The findings, detailed in a report by the Angus Reid Institute Wednesday, comes amid growing polarization between Canada’s vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, according to experts.

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According to the poll, three–quarters of Canadians say they have “no sympathy” for unvaccinated people who get sick with COVID-19. The sentiment rises to 83 per cent among those are vaccinated.

On the other hand, a majority of those who choose not to get the shot have more sympathy for those that make the same choice, and become ill with the virus.

According to Shachi Kurl, executive director of Angus Reid Institute, the poll’s findings were “very unequivocal.”

“This is quite definite in terms of a viewpoint that the majority of vaccinated Canadians have,” said Kurl.

The issue of how federally elected leaders plan to encourage those hesitant to get the shots is set to become a flashpoint between parties in the coming weeks.

The polling found a strong divide when it came to the subject of how the government was going to handle the country’s vaccine hesitant.