TORONTO -- According to a new survey from Statistics Canada, most Canadians say they would get a COVID-19 test if it were readily available and they were concerned that they had been exposed to the virus.
But the breakdown of the reasons behind why people might get tested show that the answer could change a lot depending on numerous factors, including where Canadians live, how highly educated they are, and their employment status.
Canadians in the Atlantic provinces were nearly 18 per cent more likely to get tested if they were experiencing symptoms than Canadians in British Columbia, according to the survey.
And Canadians who are still employed but 鈥渁bsent from work鈥 either due to business closures or other reasons were more than 10 per cent more likely to get tested if they had symptoms as opposed to a person still employed and working.
These new insights come from a web panel survey run by StatCan between June 15 and June 21 that asked participants various questions regarding the reopening process during the pandemic. More than 4,000 Canadians
One of the questions was, 鈥淚f testing were widely available to all Canadians, why would you go to get tested for the COVID-19 virus?鈥
Five potential responses were able to be selected, and participants could select more than one. Respondents could indicate that they would get tested if they had symptoms, if they had interacted with someone with symptoms or confirmed to have COVID-19, and if they had no symptoms but were still concerned about spreading the virus.
They could also select 鈥渙ther reason鈥 or simply say, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 plan to get tested at all,鈥 implying that no circumstance would cause the respondent to go get a test.
Overall, around 93 per cent of Canadians indicated that they would get tested for one reason or another if testing were widely available, with almost 64 per cent of Canadians overall saying they would get tested specifically if they had symptoms.
Women were more likely than men to say they would get tested, with around 67 per cent saying they would get tested if they had symptoms, compared to 60 per cent for men. Around 64 per cent of women said they would get tested after encountering someone with COVID-19, a full 10 per cent higher than the men.
Men were slightly more likely to answer that they would not get a test, at over eight per cent, compared to women鈥檚 six per cent.
Those who had received education higher than a bachelor鈥檚 degree were almost 10 per cent more likely than all other categories of education to get tested -- simply out of concern of spreading the virus if they were asymptomatic.
Those with less than a bachelor鈥檚 degree were around eight to 10 per cent less likely to say they鈥檇 get tested even if they had symptoms.
In terms of regional differences, the participants from the Atlantic provinces had a higher percentage of willingness to get tested if they had symptoms or had encountered someone with symptoms.
Only 3.3 per cent of respondents from the Atlantic provinces said they would not get a test, significantly lower than the other provinces. The next closest province, Ontario, reported that 6.7 per cent would not get a test. Quebec had the highest percentage of those who had no plans to get tested, at 8.5 per cent.
While more than 60 per cent of respondents from every other provincial region said they would get tested if they encountered a person with symptoms or a confirmed case of COVID-19, only around 48 per cent of respondents from Quebec said they would do the same.
Age showed a few differences. Younger Canadians aged 25 - 44 were more likely to list concern for others as a reason to get tested than older Canadians.
Testing is essential in limiting the spread of COVID-19, as it lets those with a mild case or no symptoms at all know when they should be quarantining themselves in order not to pass on the virus.
It also is the main indicator for health officials of the magnitude of the virus, as positive case numbers is how we assess the size of an outbreak and make policy choices to safeguard Canadians.
Although the survey gives some insights into which Canadians are more likely to get tested, it also brings up questions that merit more investigation.
Regional differences could be down to how hard COVID-19 has hit different regions of the country, or the political leadership around the virus response in that region, but it鈥檚 unknown at this point.
Because the survey does not allow respondents who said they would never get a test to explain their reasoning, it鈥檚 also unclear whether respondents don鈥檛 want to or are actually unable to due to their personal circumstances.
鈥淪ome individuals may not plan to get tested for various reasons ranging from personal concerns, such as a fear of being stigmatized [鈥 to structural reasons such as an insufficient amount of paid sick days required for self-isolation [鈥 even if they are symptomatic,鈥 StatCan acknowledged in their report.
Some of these reasons could account for the slightly lower percent of employed and currently working individuals who said they would get tested if they had symptoms, compared to those who are employed but off work. Those who are employed but absent from work may simply have the opportunity that a person working full-time to survive does not.
