Most Ontarians favour small Thanksgiving gatherings and oppose trick-or-treating due to COVID-19, poll says

Talking turkey and trick-or-treating will not be the same this year thanks to the , a new poll suggests.

The Campaign Research survey for the Star found most Ontarians favour small Thanksgiving gatherings this weekend and oppose the customary Halloween festivities on Oct. 31.

One third of those polled — 33 per cent — said only the people residing in a single household should celebrate Thanksgiving together.

Almost half — 48 per cent — said fewer than 10 people should gather for the traditional turkey dinner.

Ten per cent said Ontarians should be allowed to do whatever they want on the annual holiday while six per cent said between 10 and 25 people should be permitted to get together under one roof and three per cent had no opinion.

“There is a lot of noise out there, but the research suggests people are accepting what they have to do and accepting their own personal responsibility,” Campaign Research principal Nick Kouvalis said Sunday.

Campaign Research polled 1,017 people across Ontario last Wednesday through Friday using Maru/Blue’s online panel. It is an opt-in poll, but for comparison purposes, a random sample of this size would have a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The firm found 60 per cent were opposed to letting children canvas for candy on Halloween due to the risks of COVID-19.

Only 33 per cent favoured pandemic trick-or-treating and eight per cent had no opinion.

While Premier Doug Ford recommended small gatherings for Thanksgiving and has , the Ontario government is not restricting the two October celebrations.

“Really, what it comes down to is … use your best judgment. I’ve got a lot of calls, ‘Should I go see my 80-year-old mother for Thanksgiving?’ You have to use common sense, and that really comes down to your family members,” Ford said Monday.

“Do we want you to tighten the circle? One hundred per cent we want you to tighten it. Do we want you to stick within the same group that you’re always around, be it family members? Absolutely,” he said.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said “with Thanksgiving coming up next weekend … if you have any very vulnerable family members, people over the age of 70 or people that may have pre-existing conditions, you may not want to get together with them to protect their health and safety.”

At city hall, Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health, went further.

“Please do not hold a big ‪Thanksgiving dinner. Please limit your Thanksgiving dinner to the people you live with. If you live alone, your safest option is to join with others virtually,” said de Villa.

Kouvalis pointed out that “leaving aside government orders and recommendations from health officials, people are already telling us what they’re going to do.

“The research suggests the public doesn’t need the government to tell it what to do,” said the pollster, who has worked with Conservative and Liberal candidates across Canada and managed the winning Toronto mayoral campaigns of Rob Ford and John Tory.

“While there is a significant portion of the public that appears to want additional restrictions, they don’t need to be told.”

Some two-thirds of respondents — 67 per cent — agreed with the provincial government’s three-stage plan to reopen the economy with 30 per cent opposed and the rest unsure.

But with COVID-19 infections again on the rise, 62 per cent said they favoured a return to a modified Stage 2 where indoor restaurants and bars would be closed but schools would remain open.

About one-third — 31 per cent — opposed that and seven per cent had no opinion.

When Campaign Research asked about returning to Stage 2 with schools also being closed, support dropped to 53 per cent. More than one-third — 37 per cent — opposed that and nine per cent weren’t sure.

Kouvalis noted Ontarians appear to be wrestling with how things should proceed.

Campaign Research bored down and asked what is closer to Ontarians’ view today, with 39 per cent saying the province should remain in Stage 3 and 42 per cent wanting a more restrictive Stage 2 with restaurants, bars, gyms, banquet halls and schools closed for all indoor activity.

“That’s four out of 10 wanting things as they are and four out of 10 wanting to go back,” he said, adding 11 per cent wanted to go back to Stage 1 with government “stay home” orders and nine per cent weren’t sure.

“This is where the public is at. There’s a real split.”

Ontarians are also divided as to what the public health threshold should be for returning to Stage 2 as average new infections hover at around 600 a day.

About a quarter — 26 per cent — said the bar should be 500 to 600 new cases daily for a week while nine per cent said it should be 600 to 700 new cases and nine per cent said it should be 700 to 800. Three per cent said 800 to 900, four per cent said 900 to 1,000, and four per cent said more than 1,000.

But one third — 33 per cent — said the number of cases “doesn’t matter” as long as there are hospital beds available for those who have severe symptoms and need medical attention. Twelve per cent weren’t sure.

One issue that did not appear to be contentious was the wearing of masks to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Fully 87 per cent agreed with the current provincial edict making it mandatory to wear a mask indoors in public places, such as school and shops, and on transit. Only 11 per cent were opposed with two per cent unsure.

Even outdoor mask-wearing was acceptable with 83 per cent favouring that while 15 per cent were opposed and two per cent had no opinion.

With files from David Rider

is the Star’s Queen’s Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: