By Canadian Press

Canadians trust their family doctor more than the PM on COVID-19, says poll

Apr 21, 2020 | 1:05 AM

OTTAWA — Canadians trust health professionals like their family doctor first and foremost when it comes to the COVID-19 crisis, a new poll suggests.

The poll asked Canadians to rate their level of trust in different people and institutions, including public health officials like Dr. Theresa Tam, and banks, the media and politicians.

Health professionals had the highest level of trust in Canada, with 92 per cent support, and public health officials, generally, came in second at 81 per cent.

The trust Canadians show in their institutions ranked much higher than those of respondents from the United States in most categories, although President Donald Trump had the support of 12 per cent of Canadians compared to 38 per cent of respondents in the U.S.

The World Health Organization, which has faced criticism for how it responded to the novel coronavirus in China, was trusted by 68 per cent of Canadians, while 54 per cent of them said they trusted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

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The poll, conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies between April 17 and 19, surveyed 1,504 Canadian and 1,001 American adults randomly recruited from its online panel.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2020.

The Canadian Press