Bailey's Irish Cream Summer Fun Survey

Toronto, ON - According to a new survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid on behalf of Bailey's, 35% of Canadians of legal drinking age say their favourite way to enjoy Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur in the summer is "over ice." Given a list of four options, another 13% say "enjoying a nice glass of Bailey's over ice with friends" is closest to their idea of playful indulgence in the summertime.

A majority (71%) of Canadians of legal drinking age plan to get together with friends and family this summer for one to ten gatherings. Many of these get-togethers may be casual and close to home. In fact, when asked which of four options is their most preferred way to spend a playful evening with friends and family this summer, 54% say "whooping it up at a backyard barbecue." Moreover, when asked which of four activities will bring their family and friends together this summer, 51% say "casual gatherings over the course of summer."

"An intimate evening picnic dinner for two" tops the list of four as the most appealing idea for a sensuous evening with someone special, with 30% who say so.

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/Bailey's poll conducted from June 18th to June 20th, 2004. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 995 adult Canadians of legal drinking age was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 2001 Census data.

One-third (35%) of Canadians of legal drinking age say their favourite way to enjoy Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur in the summer is "over ice." Less popular preferences are "in or with your coffee" (16%), "over ice cream or in a milkshake" (11%), and "as part of a special summer cocktail" (4%). One-third (34%) either don't drink or don't drink Bailey's, while 1% "don't know."

• Those 18-54 years of age are more likely than their elders to enjoy Bailey's "over ice" in the summer time (38% vs. 29%).
• Men are more likely than women to enjoy Bailey's "in or with their coffee" in the summer time (19% vs. 14%). 183
• Those with an annual household income of $60,000 or greater are more likely than those with less to enjoy Bailey's "over ice" in the summer time (44% vs. 31%), while those with an annual household income less than $60,000 are more likely than those with more to not drink or not drink Bailey's (36% vs. 26%).

Given a list of four options, 36% of Canadians of legal drinking age say "walking along the beach in bare feet" is closest to their idea of playful indulgence in the summertime and three in ten 30% say "leaving work early for an afternoon of fun outdoors." One in seven say "eating a great big banana split" (14%) or "enjoying a nice glass of Bailey's over ice with friends" (13%). The remaining 7% say "none" (6%) or "don't know" (1%).

183
• Those 18-54 years of age are more likely than their elders to say "leaving work early for an afternoon of fun outdoors" is closest to their idea of playful indulgence in the summertime (38% vs. 13%), while those 55 years of age or older are more likely than those 18-54 to say "enjoying a nice glass of Bailey's over ice with friends" (22% vs. 10%). 183
• Women are more likely than men to say "walking along the beach in bare feet" is closest to their idea of playful indulgence in the summertime (40% vs. 30%), while men are more likely than women to say "leaving work early for an afternoon of fun outdoors" (37% vs. 25%). 183
• The propensity to say "leaving work early for an afternoon of fun outdoors" is closest to their idea of playful indulgence in the summertime increases with annual household income: 18% of those with an annual household income less than $30,000 say so, 29% of those with an annual household income of $30,000-$59,999 say so, and 43% of those with an annual household income of $60,000 or greater say so.

A majority (71%) of Canadians of legal drinking age plan to get together with friends and family this summer for one to ten gatherings (44% say "1-5 gatherings" and 27% say "6-10 gatherings"). One in seven (14%) plan to get together for 11-20 gatherings (9% say "11-15 gatherings" and 5% say "16 -20 gatherings"). Another 8% will get together for "more than 20 different gatherings," while 4% won't get together at all, and 2% "don't know." On average, Canadians are planning just under 8 gatherings this summer.

In fact, when asked which of four options is their most preferred way to spend a playful evening with friends and family this summer, 54% of Canadians of legal drinking age say "whooping it up at a backyard barbecue." Less preferred activities are "enjoying drinks on a patio" (16%), "having an elegant sit down dinner at home" (14%), and "stepping out to a nice restaurant" (14%). Another 2% said none of these would be their preferred way to spend a playful evening with friends and family this summer, while 1% says they "don't know."

183
• Those 18-54 years of age are more likely than their elders to say "whooping it up at a backyard barbecue" (59% vs. 42%) or "enjoying drinks on a patio" (20% vs. 9%) is their most preferred way to spend a playful evening with friends and family this summer, while those 55 years of age or older are more likely than those 18-54 to say "having an elegant sit down dinner at home" (25% vs. 9%) or "stepping out to a nice restaurant" (20% vs. 10%). 183
• Men are more likely than women to say "enjoying drinks on a patio" is their most preferred way to spend a playful evening with friends and family this summer (20% vs. 13%), while women are more likely than men to say "stepping out to a nice restaurant" (18% vs. 9%).

When asked which of four activities will bring their family and friends together this summer, 51% of Canadians of legal drinking age say "casual gatherings over the course of summer." One-third (35%) say "a wedding, anniversary, or birthday celebration," one-quarter (24%) say "a family reunion," while just 3% say "a high school or university reunion." Another 5% say none of these activities will bring their family and friends together this summer.

183
• Residents of British Columbia (60%), Alberta (59%), Ontario (58%), Atlantic Canada (50%), and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (47%) are the most likely to say "casual gatherings over the course of summer" will bring their family and friends together this summer. Residents of Quebec (35%) are the least likely to say "casual gatherings over the course of summer" will bring their family and friends together this summer. 183
• Those 18-54 years of age are more likely than their elders to say "casual gatherings over the course of summer" will bring their family and friends together this summer (56% vs. 41%), while those 55 years of age or older are more likely than those 18-54 to say "a family reunion" (31% vs. 21%). 183
• Women are more likely than men to say "a wedding, anniversary, or birthday celebration" will bring their family and friends together this summer (42% vs. 28%). 183
• The propensity to say "casual gatherings over the course of summer" will bring their family and friends together this summer increases with annual household income: 40% of those with an annual household income less than $30,000 say so, 52% of those with an annual household income of $30,000-$59,999 say so, and 61% of those with an annual household income of $60,000 or greater say so.

"An intimate evening picnic dinner for two" tops the list of four as the most appealing idea for a sensuous evening with someone special, with 30% of Canadians of legal drinking age who say so. One-quarter (23%) say "head down to the beach for a night of cuddling and stargazing," 16% say "draw a luxurious bubble bath with candles and soft music," and 14% say "send the roommates, kids, and family members out for the night." Another 14% find none of these as the most appealing idea for a sensuous evening with someone special, while 3% "don't know."

183
• The propensity to say "an intimate evening picnic dinner for two" is the most appealing idea for a sensuous evening with someone special increases with age: 25% of those 18-34 years of age say so, 31% of those 35-54 years of age say so, and 36% of those 55 years of age or older say so.
• The propensity to say "head down to the beach for a night of cuddling and stargazing" is the most appealing idea for a sensuous evening with someone special decreases with age: 38% of those 18-34 years of age say so, 20% of those 35-54 years of age say so, and 13% of those 55 years of age or older say so. 183
• Men are more likely than women to say "draw a luxurious bubble bath with candles and soft music" is the most appealing idea for a sensuous evening with someone special (19% vs. 13%).

Please open the attached PDF to view the factum and detailed tables.

-30-

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Carla Flamer
Vice-President
Ipsos-Reid
(416) 324-2900