Polarization, Pandemic, and Populism

• In-person event

In March of 2020, EKOS began a major longitudinal study to assess the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Canadian public. The study, called the Risk Monitor, has seen 12 major waves of survey research examining a broad range of issues around public health compliance, vaccine acceptance and hesitancy, support for government responses. And, more recently, links to polarization and disinformation. This presentation will examine how polarization linked to authoritarian populism has been emerging as a critical fault line underlying not only how to deal with the pandemic but also the question of what will the post-pandemic world look like. We will demonstrate how trust, confidence in national direction, and, most importantly, disinformation have become central predictors of whether one is compliant or defiant or whether one is vaccine acceptor or rejector.

Mr. Frank L. Graves is one of Canada’s leading public opinion, social policy and public policy experts as well as being one of its leading applied social researchers. Under the leadership of Mr. Graves, EKOS has earned a reputation for creative and rigorous research in the areas of public policy, social policy and program evaluation and as a leader in innovative survey techniques and methodology. During his career he has directed hundreds of large scale studies of Canadian attitudes to a vast array of issues. Mr. Graves is a Fellow of the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) and an Honorary Fellow with the Calgary School of Public Policy. Mr. Graves sits on the Advisory Board of the Sprott School of Business and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University. Mr. Graves also sits on the Vaccine Confidence Task Force Group.

Please contact soc-anthro@carleton.ca for the Zoom link.

This lecture is part of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology Colloquium Series.