There’s a global pandemic, Kobe Bryant died, the Olympics are postponed, and Australia suffered unspeakable losses to fire.
If the year 2020 seems like the worst you can remember, you’re not alone, as a new survey from Canadian-owned polling and marketing research firm Leger found that 50% of the country thinks this is the worst year of their lives.
Overall, Quebec and BC were the most optimistic provinces about 2020, as 46% of respondents called it the worst year of their lives, both the lowest reported figures for any province in the survey.
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From there, Albertans came in at the average, with a divisive 50% saying that 2020 was the pits. The Maritimes and Manitoba/Saskatchewan tied at 53%, and Ontario took the top position with 54% of surveyed residents saying this year was the worst of their lives.
Legers
Respondents’ ages clearly also played a role, as 56% of Canadians 18 to 34 years old said this is the worst year in memory, while the grim outlook declined as age went up. People ages 35 to 54 and over 55 clocked in at 49% and 47%, respectively.
When looking at what makes a worse year than this one, respondents said that the death of a loved one, personal problems (e.g., stress, anxiety, uncertainty about the future), and depression are the top three factors.
Canadians remain, however, more optimistic than those on the other side of the border –despite 43% of Canadians believing the worst of the pandemic is yet to come. The same survey found that 58% of Americans said 2020 was the worst year of their lives.
Leger
A total of 1,513 Canadians and 1,003 Americans contributed answers to the questionnaire between August 7 to 9. Using the 2016 Census, the data was analyzed and weighted by Leger’s statisticians according to gender, age, language spoken, region, education level and the presence of children in households in order to create an accurate sample of the general population.
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