Many parents are planning to let their children go trick-or-treating this year B次元官网网址� but a new poll suggests they may find fewer doors open than in pre-pandemic Halloweens.

Some 93 per cent of respondents whose kids trick-or-treated last year intend to have them go candy hunting again this Sunday, according to a new survey by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies.

But the online poll suggests fewer than half of Canadians will open their doors to trick-or-treaters due to COVID-19.

Of the 56 per cent who checked no, half said they would typically dole out candy on Halloween but will not this time B次元官网网址済iven the current pandemic.B次元官网网址�

Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque says some parents who kept their kids at home last year may allow them to hit the pavement on Oct. 31, given the high vaccination rates now versus the absence of vaccines a year ago.

Either way, the poll figures suggest theyB次元官网网址檒l face a few more darkened doorways.

B次元官网网址淚f youB次元官网网址檙e opening your door do you fear that youB次元官网网址檙e going to let the virus in? I donB次元官网网址檛 know,B次元官网网址� Bourque said. B次元官网网址淯sually you stay on the porch.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e already bought the candy to open the door.B次元官网网址�

Many Canadians also trick or treat in condo and apartment buildings, where open-air interactions are not an option.

Of the 447 respondents who had children of trick-or-treat age, 252 let them costume up and go porch to porch last year, with the vast majority of those planning the same for Sunday. The sample size is small and may not be fully reflective of CanadiansB次元官网网址� Halloween plans.

Conducted Oct. 22 to 24, the online poll surveyed 1,512 Canadians and cannot be assigned a margin of error because internet-based polls are not considered random samples.

The survey also asked Canadians to weigh in on economic questions.

About four in five respondents said the minimum wage should rise. It ranges from $11.75 in New Brunswick to $16 in Nunavut, hovering between $12.75 and $15.20 in most provinces.

More than a third of respondents said the higher cost of goods is the economic factor that affects them the most, followed by the cost of gas B次元官网网址� $1.38 on average in Toronto last month and a spooky $1.57 in Vancouver B次元官网网址� at 22 per cent.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 the big sort of conundrum B次元官网网址� higher salaries, higher inflation. And people are feeling it,B次元官网网址� Bourque said.

SeptemberB次元官网网址檚 inflation rate came in at 4.4 per cent B次元官网网址� the fastest annual pace since February 2003 B次元官网网址� according to Statistics Canada, though Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem said last week that recent inflation readings are B次元官网网址渢ransitoryB次元官网网址� and rate adjustments would only be spurred by more long-term pressures.

B次元官网网址擟hristopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press