by: heather owen and jason allsopp
as the pandemic wears on, we’ve all become armchair pundits, offering our opinions, criticisms and commentary on absolutely every way the pandemic has been/is being/will be managed.
british columbians’ favourite topic to poke holes in is dr. bonnie henry’s public health orders restricting social interactions and business operations. in fact, leger’s research shows that public support for our province’s pandemic leaders, dr. henry and minister adrian dix, is down by 21 points since december.
at leger, our business is figuring out what people think about pretty much anything and why they think it. we know that the biggest factor in the psychology of why people are willing to share their opinions is that it gives them the feeling that they are part of a decision-making process. in a global pandemic overshadowed by fear and uncertainty, wanting to feel like we can influence the future isn’t such a bad thing.
with that in mind, what if the people of british columbia took on the job of managing the pandemic response? our team asked how b.c. residents would approach choosing rules and guidelines.
would we keep b.c.’s existing provincial health orders? our survey shows that we would strongly support social distancing protocols and mask wearing (83 per cent) and ensuring that people are working from home (80 per cent). with only about six-in-ten in favour, we might or might not implement restrictions for social gatherings or travel.