Comparing Macro Influences on Individuals’ Initial Coping and Response to COVID-19 in Canada and USA

It is a responsibility of national leadership to provide guidance and provisions to their citizens during a pandemic. National responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have greatly varied internationally. The purpose of this study was to compare how people in Canada and the USA coped to the COVID-19 pandemic, with an eye towards discerning if any differences relate to macro systems differences between the neighboring countries. Data were analyzed from an online, cross-sectional survey administered to people (N = 1405) living in Canada and the USA in June 2020. Significant results show that respondents from Canada were felt more prepared, adapted/coped better to the pandemic, had less life disruption, fewer challenges with healthcare and financially, and were personally less affected by the pandemic than respondents from the USA. Those from Canada also showed significant higher levels of support for both their national and provincial/state leadership and belief in the necessity of preventative measures than those in the USA. Respondents from the USA were more likely to use family and friends as a source of information and as a basis for their personal preventative practices, whereas those in Canada were more likely to follow the official government recommendations. There were no significant differences in methods of coping. These results support the need for a clear role of government and for government to respond to individuals in a way that promotes equity and social justice, and thus, ensuring human rights.