News Mental Health
Poll: COVID has affected mental health of 76 per cent of Canadians

A new survey suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the mental health of the majority of respondents.

Seventy-six per cent of people who responded to the online poll conducted by Angus Reid on behalf of United Way said that the pandemic had caused stress, anxiety or depression.

The survey also found that 19 per cent of respondents have been unable to pay at least one of their bills since the pandemic began.

Most of those people said they didn’t have difficulty paying bills before the pandemic.

The survey was conducted online earlier this month in both English and French, with 1,530 people responding.

The polling industry’s professional body, the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.

The survey was conducted in conjunction with the first 211 Day, meant to raise awareness of the 211 helpline.

United Way says 211 is a free and confidential referral service that connects people to government and social services, along with nearby community services.

It says calls to 211 have jumped over the course of the pandemic.

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.