Polls released this week suggest a majority of Canadians are in support of a ‘vaccine passport’ for attending events or travelling.
The idea for a form of documentation that shows an individual has been inoculated against COVID-19 saw broad support in polls from both Research Co. and Leger this week.
In the Leger poll, 79 per cent of respondents said Canadians should need to provide valid proof of vaccination to travel by plane either between provinces or out of the country.
That support was softer in the Research Co. poll, which found 64 per cent of Canadians were in favour of a “vaccine passport” for travel to other countries, and 25 per cent opposed.
The B.C.-based firm’s poll also saw less support when they specified trips to other provinces, with 57 per cent in favour of documentation for this type of travel, 29 per cent opposed.
People are also less likely to support mandatory documentation when attending large-scale events, although a majority still remain in favour.
In the Leger poll, 64 per cent of respondents said they would support government restricting access to large public spaces or gatherings such as sports venues or concert halls for those with proof of vaccination.
The Research Co. poll saw slightly lower support, with 57 per cent in favour of vaccine passports for attending sporting events, and 27 per cent opposed.
Those numbers shifted to 56 per cent in favour and 31 per cent opposed when it came to concerts.
Both polls agree that age plays a major factor when it comes to vaccine passport support.
Younger demographics between 18 to 34 and 35 to 54 were less likely to be in favour of vaccine passports, although a majority remain in favour for most business or event types.
Comparatively, the 55+ age demographic is more likely to favour vaccine passports, with at least 50 per cent of respondents in both polls supporting limited access to every form of travel, event, or business to those with documentation.
Vaccine passports are being looked at by both provincial and federal governments as a possibility, with some experts now saying the virus is here to stay on a global scale.
Results for the Research Co. poll are based on an online survey conducted from May 1 to May 3, 2021, among 1,000 adults in Canada. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Results for the Leger poll are based on a Web survey with a representative sample of 1,529 Canadians from May 7th, 2021 to May 9th, 2021. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size would have a margin of error ±2.51%, 19 times out of 20.
