Survey shows little sympathy for unvaccinated, Sask. residents less likely to mask up

Saskatchewan residents are less likely to wear masks, and are among the nation’s least vaccinated according to a new survey from the Angus Reid Institute amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

It also reveals a lack of sympathy among some vaccinated people toward those without the jab.

The survey shows provinces like Saskatchewan appear to be trying to shift back to pre-pandemic life faster than others.

Only a quarter of Saskatchewan residents are always masking up in closed spaces, indoor or out, according to the study, noting it is one of the provinces with the highest rate of vaccine hesitancy in Canada.

Typically there are stages during a pandemic, according to medical anthropologist Pamela Downe: first uncertainty, then a sense of community.

“As that goes on people become very fatigued, they become questioning and resistant, some even become angry at what happens,” she said.

“People are feeling exhausted by this influx of information, people are feeling overwhelmed by the responsibilities that have been put on them.”