Age, gender and income impact how well B.C. residents are coping with the pandemic

VANCOUVER -- A 2020 year-end poll shows that the majority of B.C. residents are coping well with the COVID-19 pandemic, however women and those in households earning less than $75,000 annually are most likely to report they’re not doing well at all.

The Insights West poll, which surveyed more than 800 B.C. residents, asked participants about how they were coping with the pandemic. The survey gave them a list of nearly two dozen possible positive outcomes from the pandemic, and asked them to rate whether they’d experienced those outcomes.

With regards to emotional and personal well-being, the results were striking in how varied they were for different social groups.

“We found that there was a significant number of positive outcomes overall,” reads the news statement from the polling company.

However, the pandemic “has had a disproportionately negative effect on certain segments (of the population),” it continues.

While 51 per cent say they’re doing a “good” job at coping with the pandemic, and 15 per cent say they’re doing “excellent,” more women than men said they’re struggling.

Specifically, 41 per cent of women gave either “poor” or “fair” ratings, while only 27 per cent of men said the same.

Age also plays a factor in how well people are faring, according to the poll results. Forty per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds said they aren’t doing well at coping, 38 per cent of those aged 35 to 54 said the same, and yet only 26 per cent of those over 55 also said the same.

Income is also having an impact. According to the survey, those with “lower incomes,” which Insights West defines as a household with a less than $75,000 yearly income, are finding it harder to cope. Of this group, 40 per cent said they’re doing “poor” or “fair” whereas only 30 per cent of those with incomes above $75,000 per year said the same.

While age, gender and income all influence responses to the survey, the company did not specify any results based on race or immigration status.

That said, 79 per cent of respondents said they felt an increased appreciation of friends and family, while 70 per cent said they’re “learning to be more grateful,” and 68 per cent said they’re feeling more focused on what is “really important in life.”

The survey results are based on an online study conducted between Dec. 16 and 21, with a sample of 823 residents. The margin of error is +/- 3.4 percentage points for B.C. residents, 19 times out of 20.