There is a distinct sense that as the coronavirus has spread the world, that communities have united in the fight against it.  New research from McGill University highlights how this is very much the case in Canada, with even the political world uniting in the battle.

“We know that public opinion tends to become polarized on highly salient issues, except when political leaders are in consensus. In the United States, there appears to be political and public polarization on the severity of the pandemic,” the researchers say. “Other evidence suggests that polarization is undermining compliance with social distancing.”

The researchers analyzed content from the social media accounts of all federal Members of Parliament (MPs), along with public opinion surveys and Google search trends.

A united front

The data suggests a pleasingly united front.  Even on social media, where political polarization is rife, there seemed to be little evidence of politicians downplaying the severity of the pandemic.  Similarly, in the survey of around 2,500 Canadians from across the political spectrum, there was generally little difference in terms of their behaviors in response to the virus, with conservatives just as likely as liberals to engage in social distancing.

Similarly, there appears to be no noticeable difference in terms of the severity of belief around the virus, with the majority also seeming to support and have confidence in the government’s response to it to date.

That’s not to say that differences don’t exist, however, as around a third of conservative Canadians thought that Justin Trudeau was personally responsible for the outbreak, which is roughly double the number of liberal Canadians who thought so.  Many more conservative Canadians pinned the blame on the Chinese government however.

Generally speaking, however, the research suggests that the country is largely united against covid-19, and the researchers believe this is crucial for an effective response, as it helps to coordinate the kind of society-wide measures required to contain the virus.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic individual citizens need to voluntarily sacrifice economic and social activity to protect others. Avoiding polarization is essential for an effective societal response to the pandemic,” they conclude.