1 in 3 people in B.C. say they haven't been asked to show a vaccine card at a venue where it's required: poll
10% say they've witnessed negative reactions to requests for proof of vaccination, Insights West poll finds
A new poll has found that a third of British Columbians have not been asked to show a vaccine card at a business or venue requiring the measure.
According to the poll from Insights West, more than half of the population of the province has attempted to use a vaccine card at restaurants or other non-essential businesses or events in the two weeks since the province mandated the system.
But 33 per cent of those who have entered either a restaurant, bar, movie theatre, gym or casino reported that the venue failed to ask for proof of vaccination when they should have done so, the poll found. About half of that group have experienced this multiple times, it said.
Two out of three respondents said they would take action on the matter, with nearly a third saying they would not return to the business again.
About a quarter said they would confront or question the business owner, 16 per cent said they would give the business another chance, while 13 per cent said they would report the business to the authorities.
Ten per cent of those polled reported witnessing negative behaviours such as refusing to show vaccine cards or being rude to employees at the business.
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High support for vaccine card
The poll also shows steady support for the provincial vaccine card.
Seventy seven per cent of respondents said they support the system, with nearly 60 per cent saying they "strongly support" it.
Seventeen per cent said they "somewhat support" the system, while 20 per cent were opposed to it.
The vaccine card is available through the provincial Health Gateway website and can be downloaded to a mobile device or printed.
Residents are required to show the card to prove they have been immunized. Adults aged 19 and over also need to show a government-issued piece of photo ID.
People with just one dose can use their vaccine card until Oct. 24. After that date, everyone using the vaccine card must be fully vaccinated.
The poll found nearly half of those who had used the card said they now felt more comfortable going to a restaurant or bar, while nearly 30 per cent said they felt more comfortable going into a movie theatre, wedding venue or conference centre.
Of the 58 per cent who reported using the card, most were in the 18-34 year old age group, male, and reporting a higher income.
The Insights West results were based on an online study conducted Sept. 22-26 among a sample of 826 residents across B.C. The margin of error with the total sample is +/- 3.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.