Boomers, Beer, And A Healthy Lifestyle

Toronto, ONTARIO - According to a new study conducted by Ipsos-Reid on behalf of the Brewer's Association of Canada, nearly nine in ten (86%) Canadian baby boomers (40-59 years of age) think "beer will cause you to get fat or gain weight." However, in a test of boomers' knowledge about ten common foods and drinks, the product they are most misinformed on is the number of calories in "a 12-ounce bottle of beer," which they overestimate having more than three times the calories than it actually has (447.26 estimate compared to 140 in reality).

Overall, considering their own fitness, eight in ten (80%) boomers consider themselves to be "fit," while two in ten (20%) consider themselves "not fit." Asked to determine approaches and activities, if adopted, would have the most beneficial impact upon their personal health, the top three choices were "regular exercise" (39%), "a healthy diet of foods and beverages" (22%) and "living a life of moderation rather than strictly following specific diet or exercise plans" (21%).

When asked "how many hours per week they usually spend in total exercising by jogging, running, doing aerobics, working out, or playing sports," one-quarter (24%) of boomers said zero. Of those who do exercise during a typical week (76%), they spend a mean average of 6.22 hours doing so. Two-thirds (64%) of boomers say they currently "live a life of moderation, generally trying to be healthy--most of the time, they do not eat or drink excessively, but they also do not follow a specific diet or exercise plan." This compares with one in five (20%) who say they "live their life committed to being as healthy as possible--most of the time, they follow a specific diet or exercise plan," and 16% who say they "live their life without worrying a great deal about their personal health--most of the time, they eat and drink whatever they want."

Six in ten (58%) boomers think "moderate drinking of alcohol is good for your health." Moreover, eight in ten (79%) think "wine is good for your heart," while significant minorities think the same about "liquor or distilled spirits" (30%), "beer" (26%), and "wine or liquor based coolers" (26%).

If drinking one or two beers a day was proven to reduce the chance of a heart attack almost half (44%) of Canadian baby boomers (40-59 years of age) say they'd likely drink about one beer a day and if it was proven to reduce the chance of stroke, the same proportion (45%) say they would be likely to do so.

On average, six in ten (63%) boomers "usually drink at least one alcoholic beverage in a month."

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Brewer's Association of Canada between September 22nd and October 7th, 2003. The telephone survey is based on a randomly selected sample of 1201 Canadians 40-59 years of age. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire population of Canadians 40-59 years of age been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.

Nearly nine in ten (86%) Canadian baby boomers (40-59 years of age) agree (53% "strongly agree," 34% "somewhat agree") "beer will cause you to get fat or gain weight." One in seven (13%) disagree (7% "somewhat disagree," 6% "strongly disagree") with the statement, and the remaining 1% "don't know."

• There are no socio-demographic differences for this question.

Respondents were provided a list of ten food and beverage options, and asked how many calories they thought were in each. Clearly, some major misunderstandings or myths exist when it comes to calorie counts as Canadian boomers significantly overestimated eight and significantly underestimated two.

Please open the attached PDF factum to view "The Myths vs. The Reality" chart.

Considering the mean average of estimates, boomers' overestimation of the number of calories in "a 12-ounce bottle of beer" is more than triple - or 319% - the actual number of calories (447.26 estimate compared to 140 in reality).

• Those most likely to be closest on the caloric content of "a 12-ounce bottle of beer" are Atlantic Canadians (275.06), residents of British Columbia (274.70), women (396.41), and boomers 50-59 (378.87).

• Those most likely to be furthest on the caloric content of "a 12-ounce bottle of beer" are Quebecers (811.61), men (488.04), and boomers 40-49 (482.21).

They provide a 253% overestimate on the calories in "a 7-and-a-half ounce glass of rye and coke, containing 1-and-a-half ounces of rye and 6 ounces of coke" (432.55 compared to 171).

• Those most likely to be closest on the caloric content of "a 7-and-a-half ounce glass of rye and coke, containing 1-and-a-half ounces of rye and 6 ounces of coke" are Atlantic Canadians (260.63), women (426.78), and boomers 50-59 (400.36).

• Those most likely to be furthest on the caloric content of a "7-and-a-half ounce glass of rye and coke, containing 1-and-a-half ounces of rye and 6 ounces of coke" are Quebecers (669.01), men (437.24), and boomers 40-49 (448.83).

They provide a 233% overestimate on the calories in "a standard 12 oz. can of cola" by (340.35 compared to 146).

• Those most likely to be closest on the caloric content of "a standard 12 oz. can of cola" are Atlantic Canadians (250.53), women (273.86), and boomers 50-59 (273.58).

• Those most likely to be furthest on the caloric content of "a standard 12 oz. can of cola" are residents of Quebec (442.87), men (395.18), and boomers 40-49 (360.83).

They provide a 181% overestimate on the calories in "a standard 43 gm. small bag of potato chips" by (415.44 compared to 230).

• Those most likely to be closest on the caloric content of "a standard 43 gm. small bag of potato chips" are Atlantic Canadians (289.82), women (410.64), and boomers 50-59 (343.46).

• Those most likely to be furthest on the caloric content of "a standard 43 gm. small bag of potato chips" are residents of British Columbia (493.71), men (419.42), and boomers 40-49 (452.72).

They provide a 174% overestimate the calories in "a 12-ounce bottle of wine or liquor-based cooler beverage, such as a vodka cooler or `hard' lemonade" by (408.53 compared to 235).

• Those most likely to be closest on the caloric content of "a 12-ounce bottle of wine or liquor-based cooler beverage, such as a vodka cooler or `hard' lemonade" are Atlantic Canadians (225.91), women (337.35), and boomers 50-59 (400.72).

• Those most likely to be furthest on the caloric content of "a 12-ounce bottle of wine or liquor-based cooler beverage, such as a vodka cooler or `hard' lemonade" are Quebecers (718.49), men (466.47), and boomers 40-49 (412.51).

They overestimate the calories in "a 12 oz. tall latte" by 167% (333.43 compared to 200).

• Those most likely to be closest on the caloric content of "a 12 oz. tall latte" are Quebecers (229.93), women (303.45), and boomers 50-59 (273.58).

• Those most likely to be furthest on the caloric content of "a 12 oz. tall latte" are residents of British Columbia (403.68), men (360.84), and boomers 40-49 (365.49).

They overestimate the calories in "a 5-ounce glass of wine" by 242% (242.06 compared to 100).

• Those most likely to be closest on the caloric content of "a 5-ounce glass of wine" are Atlantic Canadians (149.20), women (222.74), and boomers 50-59 (233.59).

• Those most likely to be furthest on the caloric content of "a 5-ounce glass of wine" are residents of Quebec (397.60), men (257.79), and boomers 40-49 (246.40).

And, they overestimate the calories in "an 5-ounce glass of orange juice" by 132% (155.69 compared to 118).

• Those most likely to be closest on the caloric content of "an 5-ounce glass of orange juice" are Atlantic Canadians (116.81), women (146.02), and boomers 50-59 (129.20).

• Those most likely to be furthest on the caloric content of "an 5-ounce glass of orange juice" are residents of Saskatchewan/Manitoba (287.86), men (163.80), and boomers 40-49 (169.25).

Boomers underestimate the number of calories in "a half-cup serving of dry roasted peanuts" by 70% (321.36 compared to 456).

• Those most likely to be closest on the caloric content of "a half-cup serving of dry roasted peanuts" are Quebecers (435.68), men (372.02), and boomers 40-49 (329.14).

• Those most likely to be furthest on the caloric content of "a half-cup serving of dry roasted peanuts" are residents of Atlantic Canada (226.14), women (260.00), and boomers 50-59 (306.32).

And, they underestimate the caloric content of " a regular-sized 125 gm. bran muffin" by 58% (210.37 estimate compared to 360 in reality).

• Those most likely to be closest on the caloric content of "a regular-sized 125 gm. bran muffin" are Quebecers (234.19), men (237.03), and boomers 40-49 (219.59).

• Those most likely to be furthest on the caloric content of "a regular-sized 125 gm. bran muffin" are residents of Saskatchewan/Manitoba (176.51), women (179.01), and boomers 50-59 (192.42).,p>

Overall, considering their own fitness, eight in ten (80%) boomers consider themselves to be "fit" (14% "very fit," 65% "somewhat fit"), while two in ten (20%) consider themselves "not fit" (17% "not very fit," 4% "not at all fit").

• Residents of British Columbia (87%) are most likely to describe themselves as "fit," followed by residents of Atlantic Canada (84%), Alberta (81%), Ontario (79%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (77%), and Quebec (76%).

Asked further to determine approaches and activities, if adopted, would have the most beneficial impact upon their personal health, the top three choices were "regular exercise" (39%), "a healthy diet of foods and beverages" (22%) and "living a life of moderation rather than strictly following specific diet or exercise plans" (21%). Other approaches include "a positive mental outlook" (7%), "religion or spirituality" (7%), "getting sufficient sleep" (4%), and "regularly taking vitamins, minerals, and related supplements" (1%).

• "Regular exercise" is the most common response across the regions: Quebec (49%), Atlantic Canada (39%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (38%), Ontario (37%), Alberta (36%), and British Columbia (30%). "A healthy diet of foods and beverages" is the second most common response for residents of Quebec (28%) and Atlantic Canada (22%), while the second most common response for residents of British Columbia (29%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (28%), Alberta (26%), and Ontario (22%) is "living a life of moderation rather than strictly following specific diet or exercise plans."

• Men (44%) are more likely than women (33%) to say "regular exercise," while women (27%) are more likely than men (17%) to say "a healthy diet of foods and beverages."

When asked "how many hours per week they usually spend in total exercising by jogging, running, doing aerobics, working out, or playing sports," one-quarter (24%) of boomers said zero. Of those who do exercise during a typical week (76%), they spend a mean average of 6.22 hours doing so.

• Residents of Atlantic Canada (79%), British Columbia (78%), Alberta (78%), Quebec (78%), and Ontario (74%) are the most likely to spend some time in a typical week exercising, while residents of Saskatchewan/Manitoba (68%) are less likely.

Two in three (64%) boomers say they currently "live a life of moderation, generally trying to be healthy--most of the time, they do not eat or drink excessively, but they also do not follow a specific diet or exercise plan." One in five (20%) say they "live their life committed to being as healthy as possible--most of the time, they follow a specific diet or exercise plan," and the remaining 16% say they "live their life without worrying a great deal about their personal health--most of the time, they eat and drink whatever they want."

• Residents of British Columbia (73%) are most likely to live a life of moderation followed by residents of Ontario (63%), Quebec (62%), Atlantic Canada (62%), Alberta (61%), and finally Saskatchewan/Manitoba (58%).

• Men (20%) are more likely than women (11%) to live a life without worries, while women (24%) are more likely than men to live a life committed to being as healthy as possible.

Six in ten (58%) boomers agree (15% "strongly agree," 43% "somewhat agree") that "moderate drinking of alcohol is good for your health." Four in ten (41%) disagree (25% "somewhat disagree," 16% "strongly disagree") with the statement, and the remaining 1% "don't know."

• Atlantic Canadians (64%) are most likely to agree that "moderate drinking of alcohol is good for your health," followed by residents of Quebec (59%), Ontario (59%), British Columbia (57%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (52%), and Alberta (51%).

• Men (67%) are more likely than women (47%) to agree that "moderate drinking of alcohol is good for your health."

• Boomers 50-59 years of age (67%) are more likely than those 40-49 (53%) to agree that "moderate drinking of alcohol is good for your health."

Moreover, eight in ten (79%) boomers agree (25% "strongly agree," 54% "somewhat agree") that "wine is good for your heart." Two in ten (20%) disagree (13% "somewhat disagree," 7% "strongly disagree") and 1% "don't know."

• Residents of Quebec (83%) are most likely to agree that "wine is good for your heart," followed by residents of British Columbia (82%), Alberta (79%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (78%), Ontario (77%), and Atlantic Canada (71%).

Three in ten (30%) boomers agree (5% "strongly agree," 24% "somewhat agree") that "liquor or distilled spirits is good for your heart." Seven in ten (69%) disagree (31% "somewhat disagree," 38% "strongly disagree") and 1% "don't know."

• Residents of Quebec (37%) are most likely to agree that "liquor or distilled spirits is good for your heart," followed by residents of Ontario (28%), Alberta (27%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (27%), British Columbia (26%), and Atlantic Canada (23%).

• Men (36%) are more likely than women (22%) to agree that "liquor or distilled spirits is good for your heart."

One-quarter (26%) of boomers agree (4% "strongly agree," 21% "somewhat agree") that "beer is good for your heart." Seven in ten (72%) disagree (36% "somewhat disagree," 36% "strongly disagree") and 3% "don't know."

• There are no significant regional differences for this question.

• Men (32%) are more likely than women (18%) to agree that "beer is good for your heart."

One-quarter (26%) of boomers agree (5% "strongly agree," 22% "somewhat agree") that "wine or liquor based coolers are good for your heart." Seven in ten (70%) disagree (34% "somewhat disagree," 36% "strongly disagree") and 3% "don't know."

• Men (30%) are more likely than women (22%) to agree that "wine or liquor based coolers are good for your heart."

If drinking one or two beers a day was proven to reduce the chance of a heart attack 44% of boomers say they'd likely (19% "very likely," 25% "somewhat likely") drink about one beer a day, while 55% say they would be unlikely (35% "not likely at all," 20% "not very likely") to do so.

• Atlantic Canadians (50%) are the most likely to drink a beer a day if it is proven to reduce the chance of a heart attack, followed by residents of British Columbia (47%), Ontario (45%), Alberta (42%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (42%), and Quebec (41%).

• Men (54%) are more likely than women (33%) to drink a beer a day if it is proven to reduce the chance of a heart attack.

If drinking one or two beers a day was proven to reduce the chance of a stroke, the same proportion (45%) say they would likely (18% "very likely," 28% "somewhat likely") drink a beer or so a day, while 54% would be unlikely (34% "not likely at all," 21% "not very likely") to do so.

• Atlantic Canadians (50%) are also the most likely to drink a beer a day if it is proven to reduce the chance of a stroke, followed by residents of British Columbia (48%), Alberta (45%), Ontario (45%), Quebec (43%), and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (41%).

• Men (53%) are more likely than women (36%)to drink a beer a day if it is proven to reduce the chance of a stroke.

On average, six in ten (63%) boomers "usually drink at least one alcoholic beverage in a month," while four in ten (37%) do not.

• Residents of Quebec (68%) are most likely to "usually drink at least one alcoholic beverage in a month," followed by residents of Ontario (62%), British Columbia (62%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (61%), Alberta (58%), and Atlantic Canada (55%).

• Men (66%) are more likely than women (59%) to "usually drink at least one alcoholic beverage in a month."

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

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For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Ipsos-Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2900