Mental health of Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic

Warning View the most recent version.

Archived Content

Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.

Archived

This page has been archived on the Web.

Release date: June 4, 2020
COVID-19: A data perspective More information PDF version
Infographic: Mental health of Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic
Description: Mental health of Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic

Mental health of Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic

Perceived mental health

In May 2020, 48% of Canadians reported having excellent or very good mental health. However, this was 6 percentage points lower than it was at the end of March.


Table 1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 1. The information is grouped by Perceived Mental Health (appearing as row headers), March/April 2020 and May-20 (appearing as column headers).
Perceived mental health First online survey, March 29 to April 3, 2020 Second online survey, May 4 to May 10, 2020
Excellent or Very Good 54% 48%
Good 28% 30%
Poor or Fair 18% 22%
Note: Differences for those who reported having good mental health are not significantly different.

There were 18% of Canadians who reported symptoms of moderate to severe anxiety in the previous two weeks. All regions reported similar rates.

Compared with younger Canadians, Canadians aged 65 and older reported lower rates of symptoms of moderate to severe anxiety.


Table 2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 2 Youth aged 15-24, Adults aged 25-64 and Seniors aged 65+ (appearing as column headers).
Youth aged 15 to 24 Adults aged 25 to 64 Seniors aged 65 and older
Reported moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety 27% 19% 10%

Women were more likely (21%) than men (15%) to report symptoms consistent with moderate to severe anxiety.

There are many things you can do to help improve your physical and mental health during stressful times. Here is what Canadians reported doing in May.


Table 3
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 3 Participation rate (appearing as column headers).
Participation rate
Communicated with friends and family 37%
Meditated 12%
Exercised outdoors 57%
Exercised indoors 40%
Changed food choices 23%

If you are in distress, please contact your nearest crisis or distress centre. If it is an emergency, call 911 or go to your local emergency department.

Health Canada’s Wellness Together Canada is a new mental health and substance use support portal available at www.canada.ca/coronavirus and on the Canada COVID-19 Support App.

Footnotes

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a condition characterized by a pattern of frequent, persistent worry and excessive anxiety about several events or activities. Respondents who scored 10 or higher on the GAD-7 scale were considered to have moderate to severe symptoms of GAD in the two weeks prior to completing the survey. The data reported do not necessarily reflect a professional diagnosis of GAD. In the context of COVID-19, it is important to note that feelings of anxiety can be understood as natural reactions and are not necessarily indicators of a long-term mental health disorder.

Source: Canadian Perspectives Survey Series, May 2020 and March and April 2020.

More information

Note of appreciation

Canada owes the success of its statistical system to a long-standing partnership between Statistics Canada, the citizens of Canada, its businesses, governments and other institutions. Accurate and timely statistical information could not be produced without their continued co-operation and goodwill.

Standards of service to the public

Statistics Canada is committed to serving its clients in a prompt, reliable and courteous manner. To this end, the Agency has developed standards of service which its employees observe in serving its clients.

Copyright

Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2020

Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement.

Catalogue no. 11-627-M

Frequency: Occasional

Ottawa

Date modified: