An Oakville-based public opinion firm has launched an online poll to gauge views on the H1N1 flu outbreak.
The aim of the poll is to find out public attitudes and get an idea of how people could behave if the situation develops into a major worldwide pandemic.
Future Strategies Chief Operating Officer Bob Gilson says they were curious to find out what people thought about the possibility of being quarantined and how it would relate to their financial situation.
Gilson says the situation is good so far, and hasn’t developed into a major problem, but he says it’s a wake up call for governments when it comes to properly responding if if becomes a serious problem.
Gilson says based on the results from the first 100 respondents, 73 percent are not concerned about becoming sick, but he says 55 percent are concerned about a family member possibly becoming ill.
Gilson tells Bayshore Broadcasting News that number is a reflection of Canadians’ tendency to put their family members before themselves.
The poll so far shows that 45 percent of people have changed their behaviour as a precaution against H1N1.
On the economic side, 90 percent said people should not go to work if they are sick, but 66 percent of those without paid sick days said they would go to work anyway.
The poll also asks questions about how government should respond to the H1N1 outbreak.
Gilson says Future Strategies plans to provide the results to all levels of government as a suggestion for how they should respond.
The poll started on May 5 and Gilson says it will remain active until response rates begin to decline.
The results are being updated every 48 hours until May 19 and can be viewed online.
Anyone can complete the survey or view results simply by logging onto www.themindsuite.com/h1n1