Volume 8 • 2021 • Issue 6

Abacus Public Opinion Data on Dentistry and COVID-19 Since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the Canadian Dental Association (CDA) has tracked evolving public behaviour, attitudes, and perceptions related to the dental community in Canada through Abacus DataCOVID-19Tracking Surveys.Abacus presented its latest findings from its August 2021 COVID-19 Tracking Survey. The following article includes some key takeaways from the August report. UPSWING IN PANDEMICWORRY 8 IN 10ADULTS PARTIALLY VACCINATED INCREASEDMEDIA EXPOSURE OF DELTAVARIANT There’s been amodest increase in concern and worry over the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase goes against a trend of declining concern that had been recorded since Fall 2020. Public opinion is reacting in real time to the signals that Canadians are receiving from public health officials and news media outlets about what may lay ahead in Fall/ Winter 2021. The proportion of Canadians who believe that “the worst is yet to come” has doubled (24%, up from 11%). More Canadians continue to be vaccinated (+10% since June 2021). In August 2021, over 80% of Canadians had received at least one dose of vaccine. The proportion of Canadians who will not take the vaccine under any circumstances, or who would prefer not to take the vaccine but could be persuaded, has remained steady since June 2021 (7% and 4% respectively). As the spread of the Delta variant has worsened and public officials issue warnings, there has been an uptick in the number of Canadians who have heard about new,more contagious forms of COVID-19. 16 | 2021 | Issue 6 CDA atWork