Half of Canadians say their mental health is worse two years into pandemic: survey

More than half of Canadians say their mental health has deteriorated since the COVID-19 pandemic began with women under 55 years old being the worse affected.

A recent Angus Reid survey found that 60 per cent of women between the ages of 18 and 54 said their mental health had worsened over the past two years, with 63 per cent of women between 35 and 54 years old saying the same thing.

"What began as weeks of pandemic challenges turned into months of anxiety and fatigue and depression, and then years," an Angus Reid media release says. "(The pandemic) has taken a considerable toll on both the physical and mental health of Canadians, a trend that affects people across the spectrum of age, gender, education and other demographic factors, but is worse among women than men."

READ MORE: 80% of Canadians say COVID pandemic has pulled people further apart: survey

A third of those surveyed said their mental health hadn't changed and 12 per cent said they felt better mentally now than when the pandemic began.

The survey shows that mental health issues were worse in younger people.

Canadian seniors were more likely to say their mental health hadn't been affected, with 51 per cent of those 65 and older saying there had been no change.

Only 35 per cent of those between 55 and 64 years old said the same thing.

That number dropped much lower for young people with only 17 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds saying they hadn't been a change in their mental health.

The survey, which was conducted by Angus Reid in collaboration with the CBC, found that nearly 40 per cent of people said their relationships with friends and family had worsened during the pandemic.

Only 14 per cent of people said that their relationships had improved.

When it came to their relationship with their partner, 37 per cent said it had stayed the same, 21 per cent said it was better, and 19 per cent said it had gotten worse.

The Angus Reid Institute survey was conducted online between March 1 and 4 among a representative randomized sample of 2,550 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. A probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2% points, 19 times out of 20.

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