Research reports​

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The research reports resulting from the project "COVID-19 Canada: The end of the world as we know it?" are listed here. These research reports are not peer-reviewed. The research reports are destined to our participants, the general public as well as policy makers that desire to have both descriptive and preliminary results of our research. For peer-reviewed papers, please refer to the "Publications on COVID-19" section.

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• Research report #1

Pelletier-Dumas, M., Dorfman, A., Lina, J. M., Stolle, D., Taylor, D.M, & de la Sablonnière, R. (2020). COVID-19 Canada: The end of the world as we know it? (Research Report No. 1). The role of clear and coherent government measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Université de Montréal.

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[Summary] To arrest the spread of COVID-19, governments ask the population to follow challenging measures. Results of a Canadian representative survey (N=2282) show that clarity and coherence of measures are the foundation of a tree-stage process leading to adherence to measures through the perception of a strong social norm in their favour.

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• Research report #2

Ferrante, V. M., Dorfman, A., Pelletier-Dumas, M., Lina, J. M., Stolle, D., Taylor, D.M, & de la Sablonnière, R. (2020). COVID-19 Canada: The end of the world as we know it? (Research Report No. 2). Adherence to COVID-19 government measures over time: Gender and age matter. Université de Montréal.

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[Summary] Some preventive behaviours aimed at stopping the spread of the COVID-19 are more difficult to implement than others. The Canadian population’s adherence to these government measures is however high, despite a decrease over time. Moreover, men and younger people adhere less to these measures than women and older people.

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• Research report #3

French Bourgeois, L., Sydoriak, S., Tremblay, R., Dorfman, A., Lina, J. M., Pelletier-Dumas, M., Stolle, D., Taylor, D.M, & de la Sablonnière, R. (2020). COVID-19 Canada: The end of the world as we know it? (Research Report No. 3). The importance of communicating normative support when the COVID-19 measures are perceived as a threat to individual freedom. Université de Montréal.

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[Summary] An alarming minority of individuals are not adhering to the new government measures to fight COVID-19. The current research finds that people who perceive the government measures on COVID-19 as a threat to their individual freedom adhere less to these measures. However, when these individuals perceive strong social norms, that is they notice that “most” people are following the government measures, they adhere more to the measures compared to individuals perceiving weak social norms.

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• Research report #4

Laboissonnière, P., Dorfman, A., Pelletier-Dumas, M., Lacourse, É., Lina, J. M., Stolle, D., Taylor, D. M, & de la Sablonnière, R. (2021). COVID-19 Canada: The end of the world as we know it? (Research Report N° 4). Asylum seekers in Canada: Does their contribution during the COVID-19 crisis motivate Canadians to help them in return? Université de Montréal.

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[Summary] The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the positive contribution of asylum seekers serving on the frontline of healthcare services. In return, are Canadians more inclined to engage in helping behaviours towards asylum seekers? The goal of this study was to measure the extent to which the way we present asylum seekers’ contribution to society has an influence on Canadians’ willingness to help them in return. Results suggest that the more asylum seekers are presented as contributing to society, the more Canadians are motivated to engage in helping behaviours towards them.

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• Research report #5

Côté, É., Dorfman, A., Pelletier-Dumas, M., Lacourse, É., Lina, J. M., Stolle, D., Taylor, D.M, & de la Sablonnière, R. (2021). COVID-19 Canada: The end of the world as we know it? (Research Report No. 5). When Canadians don’t comply with government measures: The role of relational closeness and trust. Université de Montréal.

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[Summary] Canadians maintain less physical distancing when interacting with family members, friends, and even unfamiliar friends of a friend, than with strangers. The closer people feel to others, the more they trust them. More trust in close others is related to lower compliance, specifically in interactions with family and friends compared to strangers.

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• Research report #6

Ferrante, V. M., Dorfman, A., Pelletier-Dumas, M., Lacourse, E., Lina, J. M., Stolle, D., Taylor, D. M., & de la Sablonnière, R. (2020). COVID-19 Canada: The end of the world as we know it? (Research Report No. 6). Together, we adhere differently: Canadians differ in changes in mask wearing over time and the intention to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Université de Montréal.

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[Summary] Wearing a mask in public – mandatory in all Canadian provinces – is increasingly respected by Canadians. Yet, the changes in adherence are not uniform, as Canadians are adhering to varying degrees throughout the second half of 2020. Thus, we have highlighted three groups that differ in their adherence and its evolution: a Very Low/Increasing group (16.40%), a Medium/Increasing group (49.40%) and a Very High/ Increasing group (34.20%). In addition, the Very Low/Increasing group (16.40%) is less likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccine than the other two groups, who adhere more to mask wearing in public.

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• Research report #7

Dorfman, A., Pelletier-Dumas, M., Lacourse, E., Lina, J. M., Stolle, D., Taylor, D.M, & de la Sablonnière, R. (2021). COVID-19 Canada : La fin du monde tel qu’on le connait ? (Rapport de recherche N° 7). Comment nous sentons-nous ? Suivi des expériences émotionnelles négatives des Canadien(ne) s pendant la pandémie de COVID-19. Université de Montréal.

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[Summary] We asked a representative sample of Canadians about their negative emotional experiences from April to December 2020. When the first lockdown and restrictions were in effect, Canadians reported relatively high levels of negative emotions (5.45 on a 1-10 scale). We observed that negative emotions decreased over the summer months, and then increased again in the fall of 2020. This pattern may relate to increases and decreases in restrictions imposed by the government. Though this pattern during the pandemic was similar for all Canadians, we found that women, younger adults, parents, and visible minorities experienced even more negative emotions. These are the Canadians that would benefit from more support to help them cope with negative emotions during crises in the future.

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• Research report #8

Picard, È., Pelletier-Dumas, M., Dorfman, A., Lacourse, É., Lina, J. M., Stolle, D., Taylor, D. M., de la Sablonnière, R. (2022). COVID-19 Canada: The end of the world as we know it ? (Research Report No. 8). When will society get back to normal? Université de Montréal.

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[Summary] The COVID-19 crisis has turned society upside down and when there will be a return to “normal” is a question on the minds of all Canadians. There is no consensus among the Canadian population in terms of the projected length of time before society returns to normal. Indeed, our analyses have uncovered four distinct groups: The first group, representing 18.1% of the sample, anticipates a return to normalcy in a few months, i.e., in the “Short term”; the second group, in one year, i.e., in the “Medium term” (48.8%); the third group, in several years, i.e., in the “Long term” (28.1%); and the fourth group (5.1%), says that there will be no return to normalcy, i.e., “Never”. In general, individuals in the “Long term” and “Never” groups report more psychological challenges than individuals who anticipate a “Short term” and “Medium term” return to normalcy. Specifically, Canadians who estimate a longer period of time before society returns to normal report experiencing more emotions of anxiety and anger, and less joy. They also report experiencing less satisfaction with their lives and have a more negative perception of long-term changes in society.

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• Research report #9

Abbady, M., French Bourgeois, L., Dorfman, A., Lacourse, É., Lina, J. M., Pelletier-Dumas, M., Stolle, D., Taylor, D. M., & de la Sablonnière, R. (2022). COVID-19 Canada: The end of the world as we know it? (Research Report No. 9). Perception of restricted freedom during the COVID-19 pandemic and its influence on adherence to the government measures and vaccination intention: A matter of distinct individual and political profiles? Université de Montréal.

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[Summary] The measures taken by government leaders to limit the spread of COVID-19 have not been unanimously adhered to by the Canadian population. These measures have led some individuals to voice a threat to their personal freedom, also known as psychological reactance. Our results show that 21.4% of the participants experienced a low level of psychological reactance (low reactance group), 63.4% have a moderate level of psychological reactance (moderate reactance group) and 15.2% have a high level of psychological reactance (high reactance group). Members of the high reactance group differ from people in the other groups in their level of vitality, perceived control over their lives, political identity, level of trust in the Canadian Prime Minister, and their evaluation of the level of the coherence and clarity of health measures. Finally, members of the high reactance group adhere less to governement mandated health measures and have less intention of getting vaccinated compared to individuals in groups with lower levels of reactance.

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• Research report #10

Sydoriak, S., Tremblay, R., Lacourse, E., Carrier, J., Dorfman, A., Lina, J. M., Pelletier-Dumas, M., Stolle., D., Taylor, D.M, & de la Sablonnière, R. (2022). COVID-19 Canada: The end of the world as we know it (Research Report No10). Sleeping patterns of Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Université de Montréal.

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[Summary] The global spread of the COVID-19 virus has impacted people’s lives and well-being, increasing uncertainty, stress, anxiety, and psychological distress. Since sleep is one of the most important indicators of general health and well-being, we investigated sleep patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic to learn about Canadians’ health. We used six sleep indicators: sleep quality, quantity, time awake, time to fall asleep, dream quality, and dreams related to COVID-19. The majority of Canadians reported having good sleep throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a minority of individuals reported certain sleep disturbances.

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• Research report #11

Turcotte-Ménard, V., Côté, É., Nadeau, A., Pelletier-Dumas, M., Dorfman, A., Lacourse, É., Lina, J. M., Stolle, D., & de la Sablonnière, R. (2023). COVID-19 Canada: The end of the world as we know it? (Research Report No. 11). Measuring the impact of dramatic social change: How did the COVID-19 crisis impact the negative emotions felt by Canadians? University of Montreal.

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[Summary] Major events such as hurricanes, coups, or the COVID-19 crisis have the potential to cause widespread dramatic social change (DSC). This form of rapid and profound change is associated with negative impacts on society as a whole and on individuals. However, because the study of DSC and its impacts was scientifically neglected until the COVID-19 crisis, our understanding of DSC is limited. The present report addresses three objectives. First, based on a large longitudinal survey of 3,617 Canadians, we will track perceptions of DSC from the onset of the COVID-19 crisis in April 2020 through December 2020. Second, we explore the link between DSC perceptions and an objective indicator of the magnitude of the COVID-19 crisis: the actual number of COVID-19 cases. Finally, we examine the link between DSC perceptions and the prevalence of negative emotions, a key indicator of mental health.

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Technical reports​

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• Technical report #1

de la Sablonnière, R., Dorfman, A., Pelletier-Dumas, M., Lacourse, É., Lina, J. M., Stolle, D., Taylor, D. M., Benoit, Z., Boulanger, A., Caron-Diotte, M., Mérineau, S., & Nadeau, A. (2020). COVID-19 Canada: The end of the world as we know it? (Technical report No. 1). Presenting the COVID-19 Survey. Université de Montréal.

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[Summary] A description of the survey sample using data collected during the first wave of the survey allowed us to establish its representativeness of the Canadian population on all the socio-demographic characteristics investigated, with the exception of education. The sample appears to have a higher level of education than the Canadian average, a common result when using online surveys.

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• Technical report #2

Caron-Diotte, M., Dorfman, A., Pelletier-Dumas, M., Lacourse, É., Lina, J. M., Stolle, D., Taylor, D. M, & de la Sablonnière, R. (2021). COVID-19 Canada: The end of the world as we know it? Technical Report No. 2. Handling planned and unplanned missing data. Université de Montréal.

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[Summary]  To decrease data collection costs and participants’ fatigue, researchers often reduce the length of a survey with planned missingness (PM). PM is a useful technique to reduce a survey’s length without compromising its validity. The present report introduces two state-of-the-art methods to handle planned (and unplanned) missing data in the COVID-19 Canada project - estimation by full information maximum likelihood (FIML) and multiple imputation (MI). With FIML, parameters are estimated by taking into account the patterns of missing values. With MI, a number of complete datasets (usually at least 50) are produced by estimating missing values, conditional on all the variables included in the imputation model. Statistical analyses are then performed on these complete datasets and pooled to obtain single parameters estimates and adequate standard errors. Researchers can select a set of auxiliary variables that are strongly correlated with important variables or explain why some values are missing to improve the prediction in both FIML and MI. When analyzing data from the project, it is recommended to use FIML or MI to handle missingness. This report contains some applied examples for both techniques utilizing the research project’s dataset and provide suggestions for further reading.