(Ottawa) Many parents plan to let their kids go on a candy hunt this year, but a new poll suggests they may find fewer open doors than during the pre-pandemic Halloweens.
According to a new Léger and the Association for Canadian Studies poll, 93% of those polled whose children spent Halloween last year intend to send them again this Sunday.
The online survey suggests that less than half of Canadians will open their doors to children due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the 56% of respondents who checked the ‘no’ box, half said they usually give out candy on Halloween, but will not do so this year ‘due to the current pandemic’.
According to Léger executive vice-president Christian Bourque, some parents who kept their children at home last year may allow them to go out on October 31, given the current high vaccination rate compared to the lack of vaccines. one year ago.
Either way, the survey results suggest that children will face many closed doors.
“If you open your door, are you worried about letting the virus in? I don’t know, ”Mr. Bourque said. “Usually, we stay on the porch”.
“We have already bought the candies to open the door.”
Many Canadians also spend Halloween in condo buildings or apartments where outdoor interactions are not an option.
Of the 447 respondents who have children of candy age, 252 let them dress up and spend Halloween last year. The vast majority of them plan to do the same on Sunday. The sample size is small and may not fully reflect the Canadians’ Halloween plans this year.
Conducted from October 22 to 24, the online survey was conducted among 1,512 Canadians. It cannot be given a margin of error because online surveys are not considered random samples.
Respondents speak out on economic issues
The poll also provided Canadians with an opportunity to express their views on certain economic issues.
About four in five respondents said the minimum wage should increase. In New Brunswick it is $ 11.75 compared to $ 16 in Nunavut and over a third of respondents indicated that the higher cost of goods is the economic factor that affects them the most, followed by the cost of l ‘gasoline.
“That’s the big deal – higher wages, higher inflation. And people are feeling it, ”added Mr. Bourque.
According to Statistics Canada, September’s inflation rate stood at 4.4% – the fastest annual pace since February 2003, although Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said last week that recent inflation readings are “transient” and rate adjustments would only be stimulated by longer-term pressures.