Coronavirus: New poll suggests Quebecers less concerned about heading back to school

A new poll suggests that Quebecers are less worried about students heading back to the classroom amid the coronavirus pandemic than in the rest of Canada.

While a clear majority across the country told polling firm Léger they were concerned about the back-to-school season, the survey still found stark differences between Quebec residents and those in the other nine provinces.

Some 56 per cent of Quebecers reported being worried about kids heading back to school, a full 13 points behind the rest of Canada, where 69 per cent reported concerns.

The survey also reports that relative enthusiasm for returning to class is shared by Quebec parents and students alike. Some 75 per cent of Quebec parents are ready to send their children back to school if they’re open, compared to just 59 per cent elsewhere. Meanwhile, a full 54 per cent of Quebec children say they “can’t wait” to go back to school.

Meanwhile, if a much-discussed second wave of COVID-19 cases arrives this fall, 53 per cent of Quebcers say schools should close once again, compared to 74 per cent in the rest of the country.

In fact, if there is a second wave, the survey suggests many more in the rest of the country expect to go back into lockdown entirely: 69 per cent of Canadians outside Quebec, compared with just 50 per cent of Quebec residents.

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Léger and the Association for Canadian Studies surveyed 1,510 Canadians online Aug. 14-16. It isn’t possible to calculate a margin of error when using a non-probability sample — when the participants in a survey are not selected at random.

— With files from the Canadian Press’s French-language service.