People wear face masks as they wait to enter the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal, Saturday, June 6, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes)
WINNIPEG — A new survey has found more than eight out of 10 Manitobans support the province mandating masks be worn in public places.
The Probe Research and EPI Research survey, released on Wednesday, also found six-in-10 are strongly in favour of the measure to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
While masks aren’t mandated in the province — except in the Prairie Health region under a temporary public health order — health officials have recommended wearing them when social distancing isn’t possible. Wearing a non-medical mask protects the people around you, not the person wearing it. Medical-grade masks, such as N95s and KN95s, protect the person wearing them but are recommended for use by medical professionals only.
Support for mandatory masks in public found more support among women, particularly over the age of 55, Winnipeg residents and those with higher levels of education. These demographic groups are also much more likely to wear masks frequently and to feel comfortable when they see others wearing masks when out in public, the survey found.
Other key findings include one-third of people saying they always wear a mask in public, with slightly fewer than one-in-five saying they will only do it when absolutely necessary. One-in-10 Manitobans admitted to never wearing a mask outside their home.
The online survey was conducted between August 19-29 through a representative sampling of 1,049 Manitoba adults with a margin of error of ± 3.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
See the complete results below:
Probe Research – Manitobans’ Views on Masks by ChrisDca on Scribd
