Toronto, ON- McLeansville, NC native, Jennifer Gattis beats the odds and wins a car by answering online surveys. Gattis was one of over 105 300 North Americans eligible to win. Representatives from Ipsos i-Say, a leading online market research panel will be in Greensboro on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 to present Gattis with a 2009 Toyota Prius.

With the unemployment rate reaching 8.1% in February 2009 (United States Department of Labor), people are looking for more cost-effective alternatives to replace their pricier hobbies. Many are turning to the internet. The Online Publisher’s Association (OPA), a not-for-profit trade organization, reports that in “January 2009, [there] was a boom for total time spent online…up about 12% from January 2008.” Some of the more popular activities include: watching movies, visiting social networking sites and participating in online surveys.

Online surveys present a great opportunity for people to earn rewards for their time and opinions. With an average Ipsos i-Say survey lasting between 10 and 30 minutes the rewards quickly add up. Just ask Gattis, who was selected as the winner of Ipsos i-Say’s annual car giveaway.

This draw was open to anyone in the United States and Canada who was a member of the Ipsos i-Say panel (www.i-say.com) and who answered the majority of surveys offered to them for at least two quarters during 2008. I-Say’s incentives package provides many reasons to join: reward points, sweepstakes and a VIP program. Ipsos i-Say is one of the largest online panels in North America.

This event is open to the media. Photo opportunities are available. Please contact organizers to RSVP.

Date:

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Time:

1:30 PM – Presentation of car
1:45 PM – Photo/Interview Opportunities

Location:

RICE TOYOTA
2630 Battleground Avenue
Greensboro, NC
27408-4091

What Will Canadians Be Doing in the Dark?

Toronto, ON – March 28, 8pm, will mark Earth Hour, when individuals and business around the world are encouraged to turn off their lights for an hour in order to raise awareness of environmental problems and concerns. According to an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Coca-Cola, seven in ten (70%) Canadians say that they plan on participating in Earth Hour, up from 59% of Canadians who said they participated last year, according to a post Earth Hour survey also conducted by Ipsos Reid.

Atlantic Canadians (84%) are the most likely to say they’ll participate this year, followed by those living in British Columbia (77%), Ontario (72%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (71%), Alberta (63%) and Quebec (63%). Considerably more women (78%) than men (63%) indicate their intention to participate in Earth Hour.

Among the three in ten (30%) who don’t intend to participate, the most common reason why they aren’t is that they haven’t heard of Earth Hour (33%), while others are simply not interested (26%) or believe that it is too inconvenient (17%). One quarter (23%) have some other reason for not participating.

23% Will Hire Fewer Seasonal Employees This Summer,
While 46% Will Not Hire Any at All

New York, NY – As the unemployment rate continues to rise due to economic recession, a new Ipsos Public Affairs poll conducted on behalf of SnagAJob.com has revealed that summer jobs for students might be hard to come by this year as nearly one half (46%) of hourly hiring managers with responsibility to recruit summer employees indicate that they will not be hiring this summer.

Among those who won’t be hiring, the most common reasons include that their existing staff will take on the additional hours instead (37%), that their business levels have been down (27%), that they do not have the budget for it (25%), that the company is under a hiring freeze (14%), that they anticipate their business levels to decrease by the summer (12%), or that their business has already laid off workers (9%).

Further, nearly one quarter of hiring managers (23%) say they will be hiring fewer seasonal employees this summer, while one quarter (25%) will hire the same number of employees. Just 6% will expand their seasonal workforce this year over last.

Among those hiring managers who intend to reduce the number of seasonal hires this year, 37% intend to cut it by 1-10%, while 27% will cut their hiring by 10-25%, and 21% will cut their hiring by 25-50% over last year. Two in ten (16%) will reduce their seasonal hiring by more than 50% compared to last year.

So while there will likely be fewer openings for summer jobs this year, three quarters (73%) of hiring managers expect there will be more applicants than last year, compared to 23% who believe the proportion will be the same and 4% who think there will be fewer applicants this year than last.

In terms of which group represents the biggest competition for students trying to get an entry-level job this summer, most (54%). believe that this competition will come from other students. However, three in ten (29%) believe this competition will come from workers who have recently entered the workforce because of economic pressures, up 9 points from last year. And for those who are looking for a summer job for the first time, they will be competing against those with more experience, as managers estimate that 65% of their seasonal staff will be returning from a previous season.

And what are hiring managers looking for in their seasonal employees? Four in ten (39%) most want a positive attitude and eagerness to have the job (39%), while three in ten (27%) are most looking for someone who has the ability to work the daily schedule they need. Others are looking for previous experience in the industry, with the company or that particular location (25%), while 12% most want the commitment to work for the entire summer and not to quit early.

Survey results suggest that the time has come to start the job hunt as most managers who plan to hire say they will be doing so in the coming months of April (24%) and May (31%). Others have started in March (7%) or report that those positions are already filled (12%). Some will wait until June (13%) or even July (2%), and 11% will continue hiring throughout the summer because they need to account for turnover. Hiring managers also expect to pay these workers on average $10.20, up 40 cents from the average amount reported in last year’s survey.

Survey of Americans Aged 16-22 Finds that Half (53%) Will Be Looking for Summer Job …

In a separate survey of more than 500 Americans aged 16-22, a majority (53%) of youth say they plan on looking for a job this summer. One in ten (11%) say they will not, while a similar proportion (10%) plan to wait closer to the summer to make a decision. One quarter (26%) say they already have a job, and so they won’t be hunting.

Most (72%) believe their biggest competition will be from other high school or college students who are also looking for a job, but two in ten (20%) believe that the biggest challenge will come from workers who have recently entered the workforce because of economic pressures (20%), or from immigrants who have recently entered the workforce (8%).

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One in Twenty Farmers in Canada (6%) Indicate That the Federal Budget Will Help Their Farm Operation, While Twice as Many (13%) Feel it Will Hurt Their Farm Operation
However, Most Feel the Harper Government is Committed to Doing What it Takes to get Canada’s Economy Back on Track

Winnipeg, MB - An Ipsos Forward Research poll of members of Producers’ Perspectives ~ the Ipsos Canadian AgriForum, conducted just after the details of the federal budget were released, indicates that only one in twenty Canadian agricultural producers (6%) feel that the budget will help their farm operation, while twice as many (13%) believe that the budget will hurt their farm operation.

The majority of Canadian farmers are of the opinion that the recently released federal budget will neither help nor hurt their operation (48%), or are they are unsure of the impact that it will have (33%).

* On a regional level, farmers in Saskatchewan are the most likely to think that the budget will hurt their operation (19%), followed by farmers from Atlantic Canada (17%) and British Columbia (15%).
* Farmers from Atlantic Canada (10%) are also among the most likely to feel the new budget will help their operation, followed closely by Alberta farmers (9%). Conversely, producers in British Columbia (3%) and Quebec (1%) are least likely to feel this way.

Three quarters of the Canadian farmers (74%) disagree with the statement “the budget helps the agricultural industry in Canada”; with a large portion strongly disagreeing with this comment (33% strongly versus 40% somewhat disagree).

* Regardless of region, the majority of farmers indicate that they do not think the budget helps the agricultural industry. Farmers from Quebec (81%) and Saskatchewan (79%) are the most likely to disagree with the notion that the budget will help their industry, while farmers from Alberta (65%) are the least likely to feel this way.
* Of note, farmers from Saskatchewan disagree most strongly with this statement; nearly half (47%) strongly disagree that the budget helps the agricultural industry in Canada, followed closely by farmers from the Atlantic region (41%) and Quebec (38%).

Despite the fact that the majority of Canadian farmers do not feel the federal budget will help their operation or the Canadian agricultural industry in general, the majority of farmers (63%) agree that the Harper government is committed to doing what it takes to get Canada’s economy back on track.

* Regionally, farmers from the three prairie provinces (Alberta – 77%, Saskatchewan – 71% and Manitoba – 69%) are most likely to agree that the Harper government is committed to doing what it takes to get Canada’s economy back on track, while farmers from Quebec (40%) are least likely to hold this view.

Toronto, ON – If they had a chance to be an Olympic Torchbearer and could choose any Canadian (living or deceased) to pass the torch to, nearly one half (44%) of Canadians would choose to relay the torch to Terry Fox, the heroic Canadian who was unable to complete his cross-Canada Marathon of Hope in 1980. Terry Fox topped the list across the country, among all age categories, and for both men and women. Receiving the next-most votes is hockey-legend Wayne Gretzky (14%), followed by former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (12%), pop-star Celine Dion (7%), hockey-legend Gordie Howe (5%), and jazz-pianist Oscar Peterson (3%).

Rounding out the top-ten are Nancy Greene (3%), Tommy Douglas (3%), Emily Carr (3%) and a three-way tie among Margaret Atwood (2%), Hayley Wickenheiser (2%), and Maurice Richard (2%).

Two in Ten (19%) Spend At Least An Hour A Day Cleaning and Tidying Their Home

Toronto, ON – The results of a new Ipsos Reid poll, conducted on behalf of P&G, have revealed that a majority (54%) of Canadians ‘enjoy’ (12% very much/42% somewhat) cleaning their home. In fact, two in ten (19%) Canadians say they spend at least an hour a day cleaning and tidying their home, with 8% spending more than an hour and a half of their time daily on this activity.

Some, though, are not quite as enthused with the task of cleaning their home, saying that they don’t enjoy it ‘very much’ (30%), or ‘not at all’ (16%). Four in ten (38%) spend less than 30 minutes a day cleaning and tidying, and a similar proportion (42%) says this task takes between half an hour and an hour to complete on a daily basis.

Women (28%) are more likely than men (11%) to say they spend at least an hour a day cleaning and tidying their home. Conversely, men (49%) are more likely than women (28%) to spend less than 30 minutes a day.

And what room do Canadians enjoy cleaning the most? Four in ten (41%) say the kitchen is their favourite room to clean, while 27% voted for the living room. Others enjoy cleaning the bedrooms (17%) the most, and 7% say cleaning the bathroom takes the cake. One in ten (8%) chose some other room.

New York, NY - Despite mounting job losses and a stock market spiraling toward a 12-year low, U.S. consumer sentiment edged up this month according to the most recent results of the RBC CASH (Consumer Attitudes and Spending by Household) Index. The survey, which measured the attitudes of 1,000 Americans earlier this week, found that consumer sentiment remained very low, but stable. As a result, the overall RBC CASH Index stands at 8.2 for March 2009, up slightly from 1.6 in February, the lowest level on record since the inception of the Index in 2002.

"Consumer confidence looks to be trying to find a bottom," said Larry Miller, managing director, RBC Capital Markets. "The March improvement taken together with the stabilization of spending intentions we've seen in our restaurant and other consumer surveys and in the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) may suggest the consumer has dialed back its spending to a level that is reflective of the current macroeconomic realities. Holding these levels will be key to restoring investor confidence."

The RBC CASH Index is a monthly national survey of consumer attitudes on the current and future state of local economies, personal finance situations, savings and confidence to make large investments. The Index is composed of four sub-indices: RBC Current Conditions Index; RBC Expectations Index; RBC Investment Index; and, RBC Jobs Index. The Index is benchmarked to a baseline of 100 assigned at its introduction in January 2002. This month's findings are based on a representative nationwide sample of 1,000 U.S. adults polled from March 5-9, 2009, by survey-based research company Ipsos Public Affairs. The margin of error was ±3.1 per cent.

Highlights of the survey results include:

• The RBC Current Conditions Index rallied to 14.8, up 13.2 points compared to February's 1.6 record-low level. Currently, 35 per cent of Americans rate their personal finances as weak, down from 39 per cent last month. Consumers' evaluations of the current state of their local economy also improved this month as 47 per cent of Americans (48 per cent) rated their local economy as weak, down from 54 per cent in February.
• Consumers' overall opinions regarding investing also edged up this month. The RBC Investment Index, which was at 17.6 in February, currently stands at 24.6. Most of the increase in investment confidence stems from improvements in consumers' financial conditions, although consumers are still anxious. And, despite the plunge in the value of the stock market, the number of Americans who believe it is a "bad time" to invest in the stock market held steady at 70 per cent this month.
• With unemployment rates creeping to their highest levels in two decades, the RBC Jobs Index dropped to an all-time low of 40.8, down from 42.3 in February. The decline in American's job security confidence is led by real experiences in job loss. Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of Americans say that they or someone in their close circle has lost their job in the past six months due to the economy, up from 62 per cent last month.
• Although still in negative territory, the RBC Expectations Index held steady in March, ticking up just 2.2 points to - 25.9, up from - 28.1 last month. This month, 31 per cent of Americans say they expect their personal financial situation to improve over the next six months, a decrease from 33 per cent in February. Confidence in the recovery of local economies is more mixed; one-in-three (30 per cent) consumers believe the local economy will strengthen in the next six months, nearly one in four (38 per cent) believe it will stay about the same and one in three (30 per cent) believe it will weaken.

Obama’s approval rating (65%) slips only slightly from one month ago (69%); approval breaks strongly along party lines.

Washington, DC – The latest Ipsos/McClatchy poll indicates the majority of Americans (65%) continue to approve of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president. This represents only a slight decline from the 69% approval rating Obama received exactly one month ago in the Ipsos/McClatchy poll.

Obama’s approval rating breaks heavily along political party lines, with 89% of Democrats approving the job he has done, while only 25% of Republicans approve of his work as president. Among independents, 58% approve how Obama has handled his job as president.

Despite Strong Approval Ratings for Obama, Nearly Half Say US On Wrong Track

Americans are split on the direction of the country, with 48% saying the US is on the wrong track, compared to 44% who think the country is headed in the right direction.

Americans’ outlook varies by political party, with 62% of Democrats saying the US is headed in the right direction, while only 20% of Republicans feel this way.

Majority of Americans Expect Economy To Worsen

A majority of Americans (57%) say the worst is yet to come with the US economy. While one in three Americans (35%) think the economy has stabilized, almost no one (3%) thinks the US economy has turned the corner.

Wealthier Americans are more likely than those with lower incomes to think the economy will worsen. Two in three Americans with household incomes of at least $50,000 (66%) say the economy will continue to erode. However, only 50% of Americans with household incomes less than that say the economy will get worse.

Half of Americans Have Unfavorable View of Rush Limbaugh

Overall, nearly half of Americans (46%) hold an unfavorable view of Rush Limbaugh, while one-third (30%) have a favorable view of him. The remaining Americans (21%) have no opinion of him.

Opinions of Limbaugh split heavily by political party, with 59% of Republicans holding a favorable view of him compared to only 14% of Democrats who view Limbaugh favorably.

Ipsos/MS&L Survey Uncovers Drivers of Digital Influence and Reveals How Information Is Shared Online

NEW YORK – Traditional media play a vital role in igniting the process that leads influencers to share information online and via word of mouth, according to a new Ipsos Public Affairs study developed by IM MS&L, the influencer marketing practice of MS&L. Among nearly 1,000 digital influencers in the areas of beauty, personal health or the environment, more than eight in ten say they often go online to find out more after reading something in a magazine or newspaper (84%) or hearing something on TV or on the radio (84%.) The research shows that both traditional and online media sources help shape public opinion in the complex world of online influence.

The study helped develop a tool called the “IM MS&L Sharability Index,” which ranks sources of online information based on how often material from those locations is shared by a category’s most powerful influencers. The index was introduced as a method for maximizing digital influence based on learnings from the research and was designed to help marketers make decisions on influencer strategies to create campaigns for maximum impact.

The index takes into account online influencers’ propensity to both gather and share information. It also considers information sources influencers use most often and the sources with maximum “sharability,” or those most likely to be shared. The index then ranks 15 types of online sources within three distinct categories of digital influencers: beauty, personal health, and environmental cause. Sources with the highest sharability generate the most digital word-of-mouth per contact.

Below are some of the key findings of the research:

Beauty influencers rely heavily on manufacturers’ websites for their point of view.

• In a good sign for advertisers, company and product websites are more effective sources for driving word-of-mouth in the beauty category than in either personal health or environmental cause.
• Online community Web sites rank the highest of 15 sources for sharability among digital beauty influencers, and portals and search engines have the lowest sharability score.
• In the beauty category, consumer opinion may motivate more sharing than in other categories: Blogs, discussion boards and chat rooms are rated above average on the index.

Non-profit and academic web sites should not be neglected for green content.

• Influencers in the environment space spend a great deal of time gathering information from non-profit, association and academic Web sites (42% do so at least once per week).
• Digital influencers in the category of environmental cause embrace traditionally credible and objective sites when it comes to sharability.
• The highest sharability scores go to Web sites of environment-related publications, magazines and TV networks, and non-profit/academic Web sites.
• Banner ads and online community sites have the lowest sharability scores, meaning that environmental influencers share information from these sources much less frequently than they do information from all other sources, relative to how often they gather information from each of these sources.

Nutrition is a hot topic for health influencers

• Majorities of personal health influencers frequently gather information about nutrition (54%) and nearly half frequently share this content with others.
• The most “sharable” source among digital influencers in this category are national and local government Web sites, even though these sites are not as widely visited and used as other sites that provide health information.
• These Web sites trigger a great deal of word-of-mouth on the part of the personal health influencers who access them, so the sites may provide the biggest bang for a marketer’s digital communications’ buck.
• While influencers often use portals and search engines to gather health information, these are among the sources with the lowest “sharability” rankings.

Home-Buying Intentions Rebound From Last year As More Canadians are Likely To Buy a Home in Next Two Years

Toronto, ON – Opportunity awaits as two in three (65%) Canadians believe the current real-estate market in Canada is a buyer’s market, according to the 16th Annual RBC/Ipsos Reid Housing Poll. Nearly three in ten (27%) say they’re ‘likely’ (9% very/18% somewhat) to purchase a home within the next two years’, up 4 points from last year and the largest single-year increase since 2001. The proportion that says they’re ‘very likely’ to purchase a home is up from 7% last year to 9% this year. But Canadians are split on whether buying conditions will change to be more favourable within the next year, such that it makes more sense to wait until next year (52%) or buy now (48%).

• Albertans (35%) are most inclined to say they’re at least somewhat likely buy a home within the next two years, followed by those living in Ontario (30%), British Columbia (26%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (25%), Atlantic Canada (25%), and Quebec (22%).
• British Columbians (78%) are the most likely to believe that it’s a buyer’s market right now, followed by those living in Ontario (73%), Alberta (72%), Atlantic Canada (58%) and Quebec (52%). Only one in three (34%) in Saskatchewan and Manitoba believe the same.

The increase in likely home-buying intentions appears to be led by the under 35 segment of the population, as 48% say they’re at least ‘somewhat likely’ (18% very/29% somewhat) to purchase a home in the next two years, up 12 points from last year. Renters also see an opportunity to enter the real-estate market, as four in ten (38%) say they’re at least ‘somewhat likely’ (11% very/26% somewhat) to purchase in the next two years.

Overall, most (83%) Canadians are still convinced that buying a house or condominium is a ‘good’ (34% very/48% somewhat) investment. While this proportion is down 3 points from last year and 8 points from its high of two years ago, it is still well above its low (72%) of 1999.

Among those individuals who say they’re at least somewhat likely to buy a home within the next two years, three in ten (28%) say that favourable housing prices are among their reasons for purchasing. A majority (54%) of Canadians believe that housing prices will continue to drop next year (up from 23% last year), compared to 25% who think they will be higher (down from 56%), or 21% who believe that prices will be the same at this time next year (unchanged).

One in ten (14%) homeowners believe their home has lost value within the last two years, but a majority (54%) of these individuals believe the value of their home will recover within 3-5 years, while others believe it will be a shorter time-frame (30%), longer (11%), or never (6%).

Among those individuals who are not likely to purchase a home within the next two years, most (60%) say they’ve already got a home, but few cite job anxiety (8%) or general concern for current economic conditions (6%) as the reason they’re not likely to purchase a home. Three percent (3%) are waiting for prices to stabilize or decrease further.

One in Three (31%) Are Investing Fewer Resources into Upgrades and New Technologies, But Most Are Staying the Course (59%) or Investing More Resources (10%)

Toronto, ON — It appears that the economic downturn is putting a strain on many IT departments across the country, with a new Ipsos Reid poll of business managers and executives conducted on behalf of Microsoft indicating that six in ten (62%) ‘agree’ (19% strongly/43% somewhat) that their IT staff is ‘expected to do more work with less resources’ as a result of the impact that the economy is having on their business. Just four in ten (38%) ‘disagree’ (9% strongly/29% somewhat) that this is the case.

Despite the fact that most (71%) ‘agree’ (25% strongly/46% somewhat) that their company ‘uses technology to help people drive resources and to keep the company competitive’, and that their number-one technology investment goal is to ‘help save money in the long run’ (77% ‘agree’, 28% strongly/49% somewhat), one in three (30%) says their priority to upgrade or invest in new technologies has changed, and that they’re investing fewer resources.

On the flipside, most (59%) business have not changed their priorities in this regard, and some (10%) are even investing more resources into technology and upgrades. Further, one half (48%) of respondents says their business will be looking at new technology and upgrades to help drive their business during the economic downturn, focusing on software plus services (44%), hardware (23%), software (21%) or some other (12%) type of technology or upgrade. Moreover, three quarters (74%) ‘agree’ (24% strongly/50% somewhat) that their company ‘is continuing to invest in tools to support and drive technology’.

Two in three (63%) managers and executives believe that their IT workers are ‘stretched to meet the business’ IT needs’. Despite this admission, eight in ten (82%) say their co-workers expect the same benefits of their company’s technology solutions as before the economic downturn.

Interestingly, IT workers in Quebec appear to be most likely to be stretched:

• Quebecers (84%) are by far the most likely to say their IT workers are stretched to meet their business’ IT needs, followed by those living in Atlantic Canada (59%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (59%), Alberta (58%), Ontario (56%) and British Columbia (52%).
• They are also the most likely (67%) to say that their IT staff is expected to do more work with less resources, followed by those living in Atlantic Canada (63%), Ontario (61%), Alberta (59%), British Columbia (57%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (56%).
• Quebecers (72%) are least likely to say that their co-workers expect the same benefits of their company’s technology solutions as before the economic downturn. Those living in Ontario (82%), Atlantic Canada (86%), British Columbia (89%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (90%) and Alberta (92%) are more likely.

Two in Three (65%) Say It’s a Buyer’s Market Right Now

Toronto, ON – Opportunity awaits as two in three (65%) Canadians believe the current real-estate market in Canada is a buyer’s market, according to the 16th Annual RBC/Ipsos Reid Housing Poll. Nearly three in ten (27%) say they’re ‘likely’ (9% very/18% somewhat) to purchase a home within the next two years’, up 4 points from last year and the largest single-year increase since 2001. But Canadians are split on whether buying conditions will change to be more favourable within the next year, such that it makes more sense to wait until next year (52%) or buy now (48%).

• Albertans (35%) are most likely to say they’ll buy a home within the next two years, followed by those living in Ontario (30%), British Columbia (26%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (25%), Atlantic Canada (25%), and Quebec (22%).
• British Columbians (78%) are the most likely to believe that it’s a buyer’s market right now, followed by those living in Ontario (73%), Alberta (72%), Atlantic Canada (58%) and Quebec (52%). Only one in three (34%) in Saskatchewan and Manitoba believe the same.

The increase in home-buying intentions appears to be led by the under 35 segment of the population, as 48% say they’re ‘likely’ (18% very/29% somewhat) to purchase a home in the next two years, up 12 points from last year. Renters also see an opportunity to enter the real-estate market, as four in ten (38%) say they’re ‘likely’ (11% very/26% somewhat) to purchase in the next two years.

Overall, most (83%) Canadians are still convinced that buying a house or condominium is a ‘good’ (34% very/48% somewhat) investment. While this proportion is down 3 points from last year and 8 points from its high of two years ago, it is still well above its low (72%) of 1999.

Among those individuals who intend to buy a home within the next two years, three in ten (28%) say that favourable housing prices are among their reasons for purchasing. A majority (54%) of Canadians believe that housing prices will continue to drop next year (up from 23% last year), compared to 25% who think they will be higher (down from 56%), or 21% who believe that prices will be the same at this time next year (unchanged).

One in ten (14%) homeowners believe their home has lost value within the last two years, but a majority (54%) of these individuals believe the value of their home will recover within 3-5 years, while others believe it will be a shorter time-frame (30%), longer (11%), or never (6%).

Among those individuals who are not intending to purchase a home within the next two years, most (60%) say they’ve already got a home, but others cite job anxiety (8%) or general concern for current economic conditions (6%) as the reason they’re not likely to purchase a home. Three percent (3%) are waiting for prices to stabilize or decrease further.

45% of Canadians Agree that Serious Action on Climate Change Should Wait Until the Recession is Behind Us
Seven in Ten (71%) Say It is More Important for the Government to Focus on Jobs Than Climate Change at the Moment

Toronto, ON – As Canadians and their governments try to figure out how best to move forward in this time of economic recession, many have argued that other important issues have taken a back seat to economic concerns. A new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Dominion Institute has revealed that nearly one half (45%) of Canadians ‘agree’ (13% strongly/32% somewhat) that ‘serious action on climate change should wait until the recession is behind us’. Four in ten Canadians (43%) also ‘disagree’ (12% strongly/31% somewhat) that ‘Canada should take serious action on climate change right now, even if it means higher deficits’, meaning that a majority (57%) ‘agrees’ (19% strongly/37% somewhat) with this premise.

• Albertans (57%) are the most likely to believe that serious action on climate change should wait until the recession is behind us, followed by those living in Ontario (48%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (44%), Quebec (43%), British Columbia (39%), and Atlantic Canada (33%).
• Atlantic Canadians (68%) are most likely to agree that serious action should be taken right now even if it means higher deficits, while those living in Quebec (65%), Ontario (55%), British Columbia (53%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (52%) and Alberta (42%) are less likely.
• Those aged 18 to 34 are more likely (63%) to believe that action should be taken right now, while those aged 35 to 54 (55%) and 55+ (54%) are less likely.

In fact, seven in ten (71%) ‘agree’ (30% strongly/42% somewhat) that ‘it is more important for the Canadian government to focus on jobs than climate change at the moment’.

• Older Canadians (76%) are more likely than middle-aged (71%) or younger Canadians (67%) to say that it is more important for the Canadian government to focus on jobs than on climate change at the moment.
• Albertans (81%) are most likely to say that jobs should be the focus before climate change, followed by those in British Columbia (75%), Ontario (75%), Quebec (66%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (66%) and Atlantic Canada (58%).

With the economy dominating the political landscape, two in three (62%) believe (16% strongly/47% somewhat) that ‘the Canadian government is less concerned about climate change than it was a year ago’. However, the survey shows that Canadians don’t necessarily see economic stimulus and environmental action as being a trade-off, as three quarters (73%) ‘agree’ (23% strongly/49% somewhat) that ‘the Canadian government should only adopt economic stimulus measures that are environmentally sustainable’.

• Younger Canadians are most likely (79%) to think that only environmentally sustainable initiatives should be adopted with stimulus funds, while middle-aged (72%) and older Canadians (67%) are less likely to think so.

In an interesting measure of their desire for environmental protection vis a vis economic progress, two in three (64%) ‘agree’ (22% strongly/42% somewhat) that the ‘development of the Alberta Tar Sands should stop until a clean method of extraction can be found’, with nearly one half (47%) of Albertans agreeing with this position. Those in other areas of the country are more likely to agree, though: Quebec (73%), Atlantic Canada (71%), Ontario (64%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (59%), British Columbia (58%).

Obama and the Kyoto Protocol…

Seven in ten (68%) Canadians think (19% strongly/49% somewhat) that ‘the US will do more to tackle climate change under President Barack Obama than Canada will’. Perhaps as a result, nine in ten (91%) ‘agree’ (36% strongly/55% somewhat) that ‘Canada and the US should harmonize their climate change policies’.

• Younger Canadians are most likely (75%) to agree that ‘the US will do more to tackle climate change under President Barack Obama than Canada will’, followed by those aged 55+ (68%) or aged 35 to 54 (62%).

The Kyoto Protocol has been a contentious issue in Canada since its inception, and one that divides many Canadians and political parties. Canadians continue to be nearly evenly divided on this topic, with half (51%) ‘agreeing’ (16% strongly/36% somewhat) that ‘Canada should meet its Kyoto commitments even if this results in higher costs of living for Canadians’, while the other half (49%) ‘disagrees’ (16% strongly/33% somewhat).

• Atlantic Canadians (64%) are the most likely to say that ‘Canada should meet its Kyoto commitments even if this results in higher costs of living for Canadians’ followed by those living in Quebec (59%), British Columbia (50%), Ontario (49%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (45%) and Alberta (34%).

Canadians and Climate Change…

Contrary to their beliefs about the government, six in ten (59%) ‘agree’ (20% strongly/39% somewhat) that they are ‘more concerned about climate change than a year ago’, while one in three (31%) ‘agree’ (5% strongly/26% somewhat) that they are less concerned than a year ago.

Eight in ten (85%) Canadians ‘agree’ (22% strongly/64% somewhat) that they are doing their fair share to fight climate change. Further, seven in ten think (15% strongly/55% somewhat) that they’re ‘doing more than most people when it comes to helping the environment’.

• Interestingly, younger Canadians are least likely (81%) to say they’re doing their part, while middle-aged (87%) and older Canadians (86%) are more likely.
• Atlantic Canadians (88%) are the most likely to agree that they’re doing their part, followed by Ontarians (87%), British Columbians (87%), Quebecers (85%), residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (84%) and Albertans (75%).

Six in ten (59%) agree (9% strongly/49% somewhat) that ‘Canada will have an environmentally-sustainable economy within their lifetime’, but four in ten (41%) ‘disagree’ (6% strongly/35% somewhat) that this will be the case.

• Younger Canadians (63%) are most likely to believe that this will be the case, while middle-aged (60%) and older Canadians (53%) are less likely.

Focusing on consumer trends and habits, two in three (66%) Canadians ‘agree’ (15% strongly/51% somewhat) that they are ‘prepared to pay more for an energy-efficient product’. However, nearly one half (45%) says they’re less likely to pay more for an environmentally-friendly product than they were a year ago – a change in behaviour likely brought on by tougher economic times.

• Younger Canadians are the most likely (73%) to say that they’re prepared to pay more for energy-efficient products, while older (67%) and middle-aged (62%) individuals are less likely.

For Companies in Unpopular Industries, the Silver Lining Is a Greater Opportunity to Stand Out

New York, NY – Since 2006, Ipsos Public Affairs has been studying and tracking the corporate reputation of over one hundred leading corporations in the United States, and of over thirty different economic sectors or industries with a research program named I-Rep American Public.

The results from this study show an interesting pattern: in sectors that are poorly rated – e.g., the oil and gas, mortgage-lenders and pharmaceutical industries – individual companies can receive surprisingly high favorability ratings. The wide gap between industry favorability scores and company favorability scores suggests that companies that operate in a challenging environment, but nurture their reputation can truly stand out. In contrast, the gap between favorability scores for popular industries such as information technology, food and beverage, and household cleaning products and those for the best-scoring companies in these sectors is not as wide.

These findings suggest that an equal gain in favorability provides a greater opportunity for a company in an unpopular sector to distinguish itself from its category than it does for a company in a well-liked sector. Considering that favorability is highly correlated with familiarity in all sectors, one could argue that equal gains in awareness and familiarity would have a higher relative impact on the image of a company operating in a poorly-liked sector than it would on the image of, say an IT or a CPG company. As awareness and familiarity result from exposure (through marketing, advertising, media coverage, etc.) the logical next step is to posit that companies in difficult sectors get a bigger return for their communications efforts than do those companies in more popular sectors.

Looking at data recently collected through I-Rep American Public, Ipsos Public Affairs compared favorability scores for each of eight sectors and those for specific companies within these sectors. More precisely, the metric used for the analysis is the “net favorability” score for each industry or company, calculated by subtracting the percentage of unfavorable responses (“very unfavorable” or “somewhat unfavorable”) from the percentage of favorable responses (“very favorable” or “somewhat favorable”). We have focused our analysis on eight sectors with diverse levels of net favorability and on a total of 51 companies operating in these sectors:

1. three sectors that consistently enjoy high levels of net favorability among the American public -- the information technology, food and beverage and household cleaning product industries;
2. two sectors that are relatively unpopular as they receive almost as many unfavorable opinions as favorable opinions: the automotive and payment cards industries; and
3. three sectors with negative net favorability scores: the oil and gas industry, which has had a very poor image for a long time, the mortgage lending sector, which has only recently become as unpopular as the oil and gas industry and the pharmaceutical sector which now receives slightly more negative than positive ratings.

Our analysis shows that, while the net favorability score for the information technology sector is +47 (as 56% have a favorable opinion of it and 9% an unfavorable opinion of it, the remainder being neutral), the score for the highest rated company in the IT sector is +74. Therefore, the gap between the best-rated IT company’s net favorability score and that of the sector in general is 27 points. In the food and beverage sector, the results are similar; the net favorability score for the sector is +49, while the top company’s score is +72, showing a gap of 23 points. In the other “popular” sector in our analysis – household cleaning products – the gap between the top-rated company’s score (+62) and the sector’s score (+48) is only 14 points. In sum, among those three “popular” sectors, the best-rated company’s score never exceeds that of its sector in general by as much as 30 points.

In contrast, “unpopular” sectors previously mentioned show considerably larger gaps between the best-rated company’s score in its sector and that sector’s score.

The oil and gas sector has a net favorability score of -57 (indeed 69% have an unfavorable opinion of it compared with only 12% who view it favorably), while one major company in the sector has a score of +12. This represents a gap of 69 points, or threefold the gap observed in the food and beverage sector. The results for the mortgage lenders sector are similar: while the sector’s net score is -53, the net favorability score for one of the key players in that industry is +18, a gap of 71 points. And in the pharmaceutical industry, the best-rated company enjoys a net score of +60 while the sector’s is -11 — also a gap of 71 points. In all three sectors with a net negative score, the gap approximates 70 points.

The picture in the “relatively unpopular” sectors is barely any better: The payment cards sector shows a gap of 55 points and the automotive sector a gap of 52 points. (See graph below )

As we mentioned before, extensive research demonstrates that familiarity breeds favorability; which means that generally, with the right conditions, the more a company is well known, the better it is liked. However, in order for familiarity to translate into favorability, the type of exposure feeding familiarity plays a major role. Research shows that unlike the old cliché, there is such a thing as “bad publicity”.

To illustrate this point we have taken two companies from the mortgage lenders sector; one that is ‘known at least a little’ by 54% of the general public (Lender A), and one known by 36% of the general public (Lender B). Between these companies there is an 18-point gap in favor of Lender A when it comes to familiarity. In terms of favorability, however, the story is different; Lender A’s net score is -16 (as 14% have a favorable opinion of it, 30% an unfavorable opinion of it and 57% are neutral), compared to +18 for Lender B (20% have a favorable opinion, 2% an unfavorable opinion of it and 78% are neutral). While both companies were measured at different times , the interesting point is that due to the negative media exposure presented by Lender A at the time of the survey, the favorability score was impacted negatively despite of its comparatively high familiarity.

The generally popular food and beverage sector, which has not suffered from the same type of negative exposure as the mortgage lending sector, presents a very different picture. When comparing Food Company A’s and Food Company B’s familiarity levels (94% and 45%, respectively) – the measured companies in the food and beverage sector with the highest and lowest familiarity scores , one can observe that the gap between their familiarity scores is exactly the same as the gap between their net favorability scores (+66 for Food Company A and +17 for Food Company B), 49 points. We have also compared familiarity and favorability of over one hundred companies measured by I-Rep American Public since 2006, and while the relationship is not as linear as it is with Food Companies A and B, it is undeniably present (see graph below).

Two important conclusions can be drawn from these analyses. First, there is a clear relationship between familiarity and favorability; however, in order for the relationship to be positive and to translate into an increment in favorability, the exposure that feeds familiarity must be positive. Second; for companies in unpopular sectors, a gain in familiarity resulting from positive exposure is likely to create a more effective differentiation from its sector than for companies in popular industries.

One could argue that it is in times of sector-wide crisis – when overall sector favorability is low – that companies committed to enhancing their reputation can most efficiently differentiate themselves from their direct competitors and emerge as reputation leaders in their sector. Undertaking a careful examination and evaluation of their reputation is an important first step that companies can take to stand out.