Majority of Canadians interested in receiving a COVID-19 booster shot: Nanos

TORONTO -

The vast majority of Canadians have expressed interest in receiving a booster shot of COVID-19 vaccine, according to a new survey from Nanos Research.

According to the national survey, which was commissioned by CTV News, the majority are interested (69 per cent) or somewhat interested (15 per cent) in getting the third dose of vaccine.

Interest in the booster shots was highest among older Canadians over the age of 55, with 76 per cent responding they would like to get it and another 13 per cent saying they are somewhat interested in getting it.

Younger Canadians between the ages of 18 and 34 displayed the least amount of interest in a third dose when compared to other age groups, with 59 per cent saying they are interested and another 17 per cent responding they are somewhat interested.

Both men and women appeared to be equally interested in the COVID-19 vaccine booster shot, with 84 per cent of men responding that they were interested or somewhat interested in receiving it compared to 83 per cent of women.

Geographically, Canadians living in B.C. were the most attracted to a third dose, with 77 per cent saying they were interested, followed by residents in Atlantic Canada and Ontario with 72 per cent; those in the Prairies with 65 per cent; and people in Quebec with 63 per cent.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) currently only recommends booster shots for Canadians living in long-term care homes or those with compromised immune systems. In late September, the advisory body explained that many seniors and immune-compromised patients don’t mount as robust a response to the first two doses as younger or healthier individuals do.

The U.S., on the other hand, has already recommended Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for anyone over the age of 65.

METHODOLOGY

Nanos conducted an RDD dual frame (land- and cell lines) hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,017 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3, as part of an omnibus survey. Participants were randomly recruited by telephone using live agents and administered a survey online. The sample included both land- and cell-lines across Canada. The results were statistically checked and weighted by age and gender using the latest census information and the sample is geographically stratified to be representative of Canada. Individuals randomly called using random digit dialling with a maximum of five call backs.

The margin of error for this survey is ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Charts may not add up to 100 due to rounding.