A majority of Canadians say they are concerned about the spread of coronavirus, but also have trust in the public health system’s response to the growing outbreak, according to a new poll.

Results from the survey conducted for the Star by Forum Research show that 62 per cent of Canadians feel some level of concern about the virus. People under age 25 make up the bulk of respondents most worried about the virus, followed by those 65 years and older.

However, 58 per cent of those polled believe the Canadian health care system is doing a “good job” at addressing cases of COVID-19 and providing necessary information to the public, while 28 per cent of respondents are not satisfied with the response.

As of Friday, Ontario had confirmed two new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total in the province to 28

Forum Research president and founder Lorne Bozinoff said the findings show that most Canadians have managed to avoid being swept up in a lot of misinformation about the virus.

“One note of concern, however, are the responses of young people,” Bozinoff wrote in a media release. “Not only are they the age group most likely to say they're worried about the virus and think public-health organizations aren’t doing a good job, they're also most likely to draw a few incorrect conclusions about the virus.”

That includes false information about things like face masks. While 65 per cent of respondents correctly said a mask is not an effective way to combat the coronavirus, the poll found that 31 per cent of people under 25 years of age think it is.

And, although health organizations across the globe have said race is not a factor in whether someone contracts the coronavirus, 27 per cent of poll respondents under 25 years of age say they have heard that people of Asian descent are more susceptible to the virus.

However, 70 per cent of respondents were aware that people of Asian ancestry are as likely as anyone else to contract the virus.

A majority of respondents (83 per cent) also knew that frequent handwashing is an effective way to avoid catching the virus, with nearly a third (32 per cent) correctly identifying 20 seconds as the duration public health officials recommend for effective handwashing.

The poll also found that nearly 80 per cent of Canadians are not so concerned about the virus that they are stockpiling home supplies such as food, water and toilet paper.

Forum Research surveyed 1,112 people for the poll. The results are considered accurate within three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.