It appears that seniors in Canada are the population most concerned about their physical and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a recent survey from Statistics Canada, six in 10 seniors aged 65 or over said that they are very or extremely worried about their personal health. This is much higher than younger demographics. The data showed only 23 percent among those aged 15 to 24 and 28 percent among those aged 25 to 34 were very concerned about health.
The data also shows that seniors have some of the highest concerns when it comes to maintaining social ties as well, particularly among those aged 75 and older (37%).
According to census data, one-third of seniors in this age group live alone, which could create a larger risk of social isolation.
“Because seniors are more likely to have a limited social network, lone seniors may be more at risk in the context of the pandemic,” said Statistics Canada in their report.
According to Statistics Canada, the latest results on seniors come from a crowdsourcing study that included close to 200,000 people through the first week of April.
On the flip side of the coin, the agency points to the social effects of the pandemic as the bigger concern for younger participants.
The youngest demographic was “less focused on personal health worries, and more focused on social stressors resulting from the pandemic, such as family stress from confinement or the possibility of civil unrest.”
The data shows that 41 percent of respondents aged 15 to 24 were concerned about confinement in the home. That was almost equal to the 40 percent of people who were aged 35 to 44, who are more likely to have younger kids, the agency adds.
Young participants were also more likely to report that the current crisis would have an impact on their job or finances.
Nearly half of respondents in the youngest demographic say the pandemic would likely have a moderate or major effect on their “ability to meet their financial obligations.”
This compared with the overall rate of 34 percent for all participants.
“Similarly, youth were also more likely than older participants to think that they would be losing their job or self-employment income as a result of the pandemic – 43 percent, compared with 28 percent for all participants,” added Statistics Canada.
While the data mostly varied for each category depending on the age group, there were some categories where the concerns were more universal.
“For example, at least 80 percent of participants in all age groups reported being very or extremely anxious about overloading the health system. Similarly, the vast majority of participants reported that they were worried about vulnerable people’s health,” reads a summary statement from Statistics Canada.
The survey results were similar for both men and women.
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Graham Cox
