COVID-19 community phone survey: Knowledge, behaviors and impacts

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Between May 15 and June 11, 2020, Public Health Sudbury & Districts conducted a bilingual telephone survey of persons aged 16 years and older to better understand knowledge, behaviours and impacts of COVID-19 in Sudbury & Districts. The survey was completed by CCI Research on behalf of Public Health. The results from this survey are used by Public Health to inform planning and service coordination.

Respondent profile
Perceived seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic
Impact of COVID-19
Precautions taken to reduce risk
Personal situational assessment

Sample

476 surveys were completed
77% reported residency in Greater Sudbury*
23% reported residency within the districts of Sudbury East, Manitoulin Island and Espanola
5% completed the survey in French
69% of the sample identified as female
70% of respondents were 55 years of age or older
15% of respondents were between the ages of 40 and 54 years
51% of respondents were employed
35% of employed respondents were working from home because of COVID-19

*Greater Sudbury includes: Capreol, Coniston, Falconbridge, Garson, Skead, Wahnapitae, Walden, Lively, Azilda, Chelmsford, Valley East, Onaping Falls and Copper Cliff

Perceived seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic

Key findings:

The majority of respondents in Sudbury and districts perceived the COVID-19 pandemic as serious.

This bar graph depicts perceived seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data for this graph can be found in the table below.

Seriousness	Sudbury % (n)	Districts % (n)
Extremely serious	76 (304)	73 (84)
Somewhat serious	22 (55)	25E (24)

Impact of COVID-19

Key findings:

Overall, the primary concern identified by the survey sample in Sudbury and districts was the safety of friends or family whose health is frail (72%, n=346), followed closely by the impact on personal or household member’s social life (66%, n=292).

This bar graph depicts impact of COVID-19. Data for this graph can be found in the table below.

Impacts	% (n)
The safety of friends/family whose health is frail	72 (346)
Impact on personal or household member's social life	66 (292)
Impact on personal or household members' mental health	48 (204)
Loss of in-person health-related services	38 (182)
Impact on personal or household members' physical health	35 (167)
Loss of in-person community-based programs	33 (156)
Burning out	31 (113)
Impact on child/children's education	28 (97)
Loss of personal or household income	27 (91)
Finding someone to cover caregiving responsibilities for others	24 (100)
Potential loss of support from other people	22 (104)
Impact of having limited or no access to technology or internet	18 (86)
Loss of food programs or services	17 (83)
Impact on personal education	16 (38)

Precautions taken to reduce risk

Key findings:

Regular hand washing was the most reported precaution taken in Sudbury and districts (98%, n=468).
District respondents were less likely to wear a mask (face covering) outside of the home (50%, n=32), but more likely to shop alone (87%) compared to respondents from Sudbury (64%, 84%).

This bar graph depicts precautions taken to reduce risk. Data for this graph can be found in the table below.

Precautions	Sudbury % (n)	Districts % (n)
Washed my hands more regularly	97 (359)	100 (109)
Stayed at least two (2) meters away from other people	94 (352)	88 (101)
Tried to reduce touching your face	92 (337)	85 (93)
Eliminated in-person visits with friends and non-immediate family	89 (322)	84 (89)
Avoided leaving the house for non-essential reasons	86 (316)	85 (86)
Shopped alone rather than with family or friends	84 (305)	87 (88)
Stocked up on essential supplies, excluding prescriptions	68 (246)	61 (75)
Wore a mask when outside of the home	64 (245)	50 (63)
Stayed home when ill	57 (219)	54 (69)
Eliminated in-person interactions of children with others outside of household	57 (188)	56 (58)

Personal situational assessment

Key findings:

The primary sentiment in Sudbury and districts was the feeling of having a supportive family and/or friend (94%, n=449).
Within the last seven days, more participants from the districts than from Sudbury reported participating in some form of physical activity for 30 minutes or longer (88%) and actively participating in an enjoyable hobby or activity (82%).

This bar graph depicts personal situational assessment. Data for this graph can be found in the table below.

Statement	Sudbury	Districts
I have a supportive family and/or friend around me	94 (345)	94 (104)
I have made it a point to eat nutritionally balanced and wholesome meals	86 (324)	75 (93)
I have participated in some form of physical activity for 30 minutes or longer	79 (266)	88 (89)
I have actively participated in an enjoyable hobby or activity	75 (276)	82 (91)
I have spent facetime with a social or activity group	32 (98)	28E (31)
I have practiced some form of deep relaxation exercises (e.g., meditation, yoga)	28 (105)	14E (21)
I have used free programs and services online	27 (78)	15E (19)
I have applied for subsidies for economic relief	19 (49)	F
I have attended spiritual services online	14E (60)	9E (18)

E: Interpret with caution: high sampling variability
F: Estimates has been suppressed due to high sampling variability

Note: Percentages are weighted, counts are unweighted.

This item was last modified on October 19, 2020