Poll suggests Canadians are reaching out to one another more because of COVID-19 — but many are worrying about money

The COVID-19 pandemic is bringing Canadians together even though the coronavirus is forcing them to stay apart, a new poll suggests.

Pollara Strategic Insights found 49 per cent of respondents "called, emailed, messaged/texted family more than usual" and 45 per cent were doing the same with friends.

"One of the positives that has come out of this is that Canadians have re-evaluated their priorities and prioritized their family and friends more," Pollara president Craig Worden said Friday.

"That's one of the silver linings to this," said Worden.

"It seems to have reconnected a lot of families and a lot of friend groups across the country," he said.

Similarly, 27 per cent said they "had more quality time with family than usual" because they are self-isolating and engaging in physical distance to curb the spread.

Using an online panel, Pollara surveyed 1,531 people across Canada on March 26-30. For comparison purposes, a sample of this size would have a margin of error of 2.5 percentage times, 19 times out of 20.

The poll found 52 per cent are watching "TV, YouTube, internet streaming (Netflix) more often than usual."

Other "screen time" appears to be up, too, with 42 per cent responding that they were on their smartphones more than usual and 33 per cent were reading more social media than they normally would.

About one-third - 32 per cent - are sleeping more, 19 per cent are playing more video games, and 18 per cent are getting more exercise.

Still, there was much sobering news in the survey.

A staggering 93 per cent of respondents said they were worried about the impact of the pandemic on the economy with only seven per cent unconcerned.

Almost three-quarters - 72 per cent - were worried about their personal finances with 26 per cent not concerned and two per cent had no opinion.

About two-thirds - 65 per cent - were concerned about their investments with 23 per cent unconcerned and 13 per cent unsure.

An identical 65 per cent were worried about their retirement savings while 25 per cent were not concerned and 10 per cent had no opinion.

"Canadians are worried," said Worden.

Indeed 64 per cent were concerned that they or an immediate family member could lose work or face pay reductions due to the pandemic. That was about the same as the 62 per cent who said there were worried they or someone close to them would get laid off or lose their job.

Four in five Canadians - 80 per cent - have reduced how often they leave their homes to go out in public with 42 per cent saying they have cancelled or postponed parties and 29 per cent responding that they have cancelled or postponed vacations.

One in five - 20 per cent - said they have stopped ordering food for delivery or takeout from restaurants out of concern for the virus. But 10 per cent said they have ordered takeout or food for delivery more than usual.

More than one-third - 38 per cent - said they were cooking more meals than usual - and 31 per cent said they were doing more housework with 30 per cent buying more groceries than normal.

Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie