The pandemic was already polarizing now vaccines have become partisan as well

It was inevitable that the federal government's handling of COVID-19 vaccines would become political. Politics hasshaped publicperceptions of the pandemic'sseverity since it began.

But now thevaccines themselves are becoming politically polarized, with divisions emergingbetween those who want them and those who don't.

Since the spring, polls have shown consistentlythat one of the major factorsassociated withhow Canadians view the pandemic is how they vote. Supporters of the Liberals and New Democrats have been more likely to report concernsabout the public health risks of COVID-19, while Conservative voters have been more likely to eschew precautions and oppose restrictions.

Polling conducted by a number of firms in November as cases across the country continued to rise still showed signs of this splitbetweenleft and right in Canada.

The latest survey by Lger for the Association of Canadian Studies suggests that only 12 per cent of Liberal voters want to ease pandemic restrictions as soon as possible even if another wave is possibleearly in the newyear while31 per cent of Conservative voters say theywant governments to ease up.

The poll also found that 52 per cent of Conservative voters are very or somewhat afraid of contracting COVID-19, compared to 66 per cent of New Democratic voters and 74 per cent of Liberal supporters.

A recent poll by the Angus Reid Institute (ARI) found that between 87 and 89 per cent of Canadians who voted for the Liberals, NDP or Bloc Qubcois in last year's election report regularly wearingmasks indoors;71 per cent of Canadians who voted for the Conservatives reported doing the same.

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And Liberal, NDP and Bloc voters were about twice as likely as Conservative supportersto list COVID-19 as one of their top three issues of concern.

When asked how governments should prioritize their responses to the pandemic, Conservatives were about twice as likely as Liberals to tell a recent survey forAbacus Data thatthere has been "too little emphasis on limiting the impact on jobs, income and the economy" and more than three times as likely to say there has been "too much emphasis on limiting the health risk."

We've seen proof of these political attitudes in how Canadians voted in October's provincial elections in Saskatchewan and British Columbia. The New Democrats (the main left-of-centre party in both provinces) did significantly better among voters who castballots by mail and avoided crowds by doing so than among those who voted in person. Right-of-centre parties in both provinces did much better in the in-person voting.

The polarization of immunization

Since attention has turned to vaccines, the Conservatives in Ottawa have focused their attacks on the federal government's plan to acquire and distribute the vaccines in this country. Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole has claimed that Canada will be "near the back of the line," though vaccines are expected to start arriving in early 2021.

But this week's Lger poll suggests a minority of Canadians share O'Toole's concern. While the poll suggests 37 per cent of Canadians are worriedCanadamight not get the vaccine at the same time as the United States and the United Kingdom where the vaccines are produced 48 per cent said theyare "not that concerned" and feel "a few months won't make much of a difference."

It's hard not to see partisanship behind some of this, as the Lger poll suggests Conservative voters are the onesmost likely to be concerned aboutdelaysand the onesleast likely to say they would take the first vaccine made available to the public.

This is in part because many Canadians harbourdoubts about potential COVID-19 vaccines.

A recent Ipsos/Global News poll suggested that 71 per cent of Canadians feel nervous about a vaccine beingcreated and approved so quickly. A similar shareof those surveyed said they are concerned about long-term side-effects.

On average, polls conducted by Abacus, ARI and Lger suggest only 34 per cent of Canadians would get immunized as soon as possible, while 41 per cent said they would wait a little before getting the needle. Between 11 and 15 per cent of those polled said they would not get vaccinated at all.

Conservatives more likely to wait or avoidvaccination

There is certainly a level of distrust among Conservative voters specific to the Trudeaugovernment. According to Lger, about half of Conservative votersbelieve that the current federal government is withholding information about vaccines. Only 15 per cent of Liberal voters feel the same way.

This trust (or lack of it) could have an impact on Canadians' willingness to get vaccinated. In the ARI, Abacus and Lger surveys, an average of just 27 per cent of Conservative voters said they would get vaccinated as soon as possible, compared to 43 per cent of Liberals and 39 per cent of New Democrats.

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An average of 84 per cent of Liberal voters and 79 per cent of New Democrats said they would get vaccinated either right away or eventually, compared to 69 per cent of Conservatives. The number who said they won't get vaccinated averaged just five per cent of the sampleamong Liberal supportersand nine per cent among New Democrats, but rises to 19 per cent among Conservative voters.

The potential public health risk of this polarization could be mitigated if the federal government revealed a detailed plan for the acquisition and distribution of vaccines. Statements of support for such a plan from conservative premiers some of whom haveechoed O'Toole's attacksrecently alsocould help toreduce this partisan split before vaccine doses start arriving.

Will thathappen? The answermight depend on how much partisanshipis runningthrough Canadians' veins right now.