A new Probe Research survey finds Manitobans strongly support moving the province’s capital and largest city to Code Red. Indeed, three-quarters of Winnipeg residents strongly support the decision by provincial health officials to impose new restrictions on Winnipeg.

Meanwhile, slightly more than one-half of Manitobans agree other areas of the province should also move to the highest level of the province’s four-stage pandemic response system. Opposition to this idea is higher among rural and northern Manitobans, with more than one-third opposing this measure compared to just 15 per cent of Winnipeggers.

Other key findings from the survey include:

- More than one-half of Manitobans say provincial health orders and restrictions are not strict enough for the current conditions. Only one-in-ten complain that restrictions are excessive and just over one-third say they’re about right. Women and Winnipeggers are more likely to want tougher restrictions.

- Manitobans are modestly confident these new restrictions will stop the spread of COVID-19. Just over one-half are confident the restrictions will be enough, though fewer than one-in-ten feel very confident these moves will contain the virus in Manitoba. Meanwhile, only three-in-ten Manitobans are confident their local hospital will have enough capacity to care for an influx of COVID-19 patients.

- About eight-in-ten Manitobans say they are willing to endure another full lockdown for a few weeks, with a slightly higher proportion agreeing their fellow citizens are not doing the things they should be doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

- A significant eight-in-ten Manitobans feel the province should have been better prepared for the virus’ second wave.

- While Manitobans feel the provincial government should do more to protect citizens’ health and safety, a sizable proportion agree the economy cannot afford another lockdown – no matter how bad the pandemic gets.

- Although a majority of Manitobans agree their fellow citizens are not doing enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19, nearly two-thirds say they personally follow all recommendations without fail, with fewer than one-in-ten admitting they only follow recommendations in certain circumstances – or not at all.

- About six-in-ten Manitobans report they have closely followed COVID-19 guidelines set out by provincial health officials since the pandemic began, with about one-quarter saying they are following these guidelines more closely now. 

Disclosure Statement

Probe Research is a member of the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) and confirms that this research fully complies with all CRIC Standards including the CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards and Disclosure Requirements. Learn more at: https://www.canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca/standards/por/

Methodology

Between October 31st and November 3rd, 2020, Probe Research surveyed a representative sampling of 800 adults residing in Manitoba. This included members of Probe Research’s online proprietary panel, as well as Dynata, a supplemental online panel. Because an online survey is a sample of convenience, no margin of error can be ascribed. For the purposes of comparison, a non-probabilistic sample of N=800 would have a margin of error of ± 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.​ Minor statistical weighting has been applied to this sample to ensure that age and gender characteristics properly reflect known attributes of the province’s population. All data analysis was performed using SPSS statistical analysis software.​ The questionnaire was designed independently by Probe Research.