Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) is pleased to share the key findings of our third national poll in a minimum of a year-long series on “Mental Health in Crisis: How COVID-19 Is Impacting Canadians.” Over 2,000 Canadians participated in this poll; to date, a total of over 8,000 Canadians have participated in our three polls.
Our poll captures Canadians’ perceptions of their levels of anxiety and depression in order to identify and evaluate the factors that influence mental health.
The findings of our study include:
Canadians report that spending time outside such as walking and hiking (39%) is having a more positive effect on their mental health than any other activity.
Self-rated anxiety and depression rose dramatically when the pandemic started, but the rates remain relatively stable despite changing COVID-19 case counts and restrictions across Canada. Levels of anxiety and depression are still, respectively, four times and two times pre-pandemic levels.
Canadians who indicated a low degree of adherence to COVID-19 regulations report a high degree of anxiety and especially depression compared to those who actively adhere to these regulations. These Canadians report a higher degree of negative mental health due to the economic downturn resulting from COVID-19.
The full report can be found here.
We are also offering a free webinar for stakeholders, such as yourself, to discuss the findings of our study in greater detail. Register here for the 45-minute webinar on Thursday, November 26, at 1 p.m. EST.
We would like to thank our many supporters who make important work like this possible. There has never been a more important time to support the mental health of Canadians. If you would like to support our work, we invite you to make a charitable donation here.
We will follow up this work with our fourth poll, collecting data in December and releasing our findings and report the same month.
The MHRC Team