Moroccan men more anxious than women over Covid-19

Moroccans are still concerned about Covid-19 spread, specifically men who express more anxiety over women on the subject, a recent poll showed.

Many Moroccans praised the government’s preventive measures against the Covid-19 pandemic as proactive and effective, as authorities imposed some of the strongest preventive measures across the region, mobilizing all resources needed to maintain the stability of the health sector among others.

The “Arab Barometer” institution said that despite these government measures, Moroccans are still concerned about the spread of Covid-19. 58 percent of citizens have expressed some concern about the spread of the virus.

The same source indicated that opinions about the spread of the virus and its effects on citizens are not equal among the different groups, as citizens over the age of 30 feel anxious at much higher rates than the age group 18 to 29 years (64 percent compared to 45 percent).

62 percent of citizens with secondary education or less are concerned about the pandemic, compared to 47 percent of those with higher education.

In this context, the same source recorded a difference in opinions between men and women by 10 percentage points in Morocco, where men express more anxiety (63 percent) than women (53 percent).

According to the respondents to the opinion poll, dominant fears include the death or illness of a family member (34 percent).

The report recorded a discrepancy between the Kingdom’s regions regarding fear of the spread of Covid. While 4 out of 10 citizens in the eastern region (45 percent), Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab (44 percent), and Draa-Tafilalt (41 percent) say they are concerned about the death or illness of a relative, and only a quarter of citizens in the Marrakech-Safi region (28 percent) and the Beni Mellal-Khenifra region (26 percent) say the same.
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The report linked this difference to the level of health infrastructure. For example, while there is a university hospital in Marrakech, several health centers, and 46 private clinics, only 4 private clinics are available in the Draa-Tafilalet region.

With regard to the effects of Covid on the most vulnerable groups, 66 percent of citizens believe that the pandemic has more harmful effects on poor citizens, with many saying that their income has decreased or been cut off in the first place. On the other hand, 56 percent of citizens say that the effects of the pandemic were less on citizens in rural areas.