During the COVID-19 pandemic, many long-term care facilities – including several here in Manitoba – have experienced significant outbreaks of the virus causing many deaths. Some of the worst outbreaks have been at privately-owned and operated long-term care facilities, which has led to calls for the provincial government to take over these facilities.

A new Probe Research survey finds that Manitobans are more likely to want the province to take over the operations of these facilities, with nearly one-half expressing this view compared to just one-in-five who say these facilities should remain privately operated (fully one-third are unsure). 

chart showing nearly one-half of Manitobans support a government takeover of privately owned long term care homes

Confidence in the level of care at long-term care facilities has decreased sharply in the past four months. Today, only slightly more than one-third are very or somewhat confident a loved one would receive an adequate level of attention compared to nearly one-half who expressed the same level of confidence in August.

chart showing number of Manitobans confident in level of care at long-term care facilities

As well, a growing proportion of Manitobans say improving long-term care facilities should be the highest priority for governments across Canada. Nearly one-half of Manitobans share this view, with fully six-in-ten people over the age of 55 saying this should be the top priority for the federal and provincial governments.

number of Manitobans who say improving long-term care is a priority

Disclosure Statement

Probe Research is a member of the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) and confirms that this research fully complies with all CRIC Standards including the CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards and Disclosure Requirements. Learn more at: https://www.canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca/standards/por/

Methodology

Between October 31st and November 3rd, 2020, Probe Research surveyed a representative sampling of 800 adults residing in Manitoba. This included members of Probe Research’s online proprietary panel, as well as Dynata, a supplemental online panel. Because an online survey is a sample of convenience, no margin of error can be ascribed. For the purposes of comparison, a non-probabilistic sample of N=800 would have a margin of error of ± 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.​ Minor statistical weighting has been applied to this sample to ensure that age and gender characteristics properly reflect known attributes of the province’s population. All data analysis was performed using SPSS statistical analysis software.​ The questionnaire was designed independently by Probe Research.