The Canadian-Content Conundrum:

Toronto, ON - Canadians are split on the `Cancon'--Canadian Content--conundrum, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Canadian Journalism Foundation. Canadian television stations are required to broadcast a certain proportion of Canadian Content (60% overall) in order to acquire and maintain their license to operate, and Canadians are split over whether this practice should continue or not.

One half (47%) of Canadians say they `value and care about having more Canadian content made and broadcast because it fosters our national culture and it is critical to promoting our unique identity as a people'. Those who are significantly more likely than others to value and want more Canadian content include university-educated Canadians (68%), and those living in Atlantic Canada (62%), Quebec (62%).

However, the other half (53%) more closely agrees with the sentiment that `we should stop worrying about and imposing Canadian content rules on the TV industry because we know what our identity is and we should just care about and value creating good entertainment that anyone will tune into, and if it happens to be Canadian in content and/or production, all the better'. Those living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (69%), Ontario (62%) and British Columbia (55%) are most likely to feel this way.

Thinking about various television stations that are available across the country - such as CBC, CTV, BNN, CP24, local cable stations, etc - and the Canadian content that is accessible to Canadians on TV through all of these channels, two in three (64%) believe that the amount of Canadian content is fairly balanced while three in ten (28%) think there is not enough Canadian content. Just one in ten (8%) believe there is too much Cancon available.

Reviewing the Reviewers...

Canadians appear to be paying attention to those who critique and review movies, plays, shows and other forms of entertainment--and in many cases they are heeding their advice.

According to the poll, most Canadians (77%) either `always' (17%) or `sometimes' (60%) make a point of reading or hearing a review of a movie or show either online, in a newspaper, on the radio, etc, before going to see a movie, play, show or some other form of entertainment. One quarter (23%) say they never look for a review before taking in some entertainment.

Among those who do seek out a reviewer's opinion (77%), a majority (56%--or 43% of all Canadians) say they usually find the review to be accurate and reflective of what they have gone to see. However, four in ten (44%--or 34% of all Canadians) of those who read, hear or see a reviewer's opinion have found that their opinion of the entertainment usually differs from that of the reviewer.

So, what's the influence of reviewers on potential entertainment goers? If all Canadians were glancing through the entertainment pages to find out the time for a show or event and saw a review of that very event that said it was lousy or not worth going to see, four in ten (40%) would actually heed the advice contained in the review and avoid that activity and find something else to do. Six in ten (60%) say they'd go anyways to find out for themselves, despite the poor review.

Focusing on who is most likely to be influenced by a negative review of a show or event:

• Atlantic Canadians (49%) are most likely to say they'd avoid it and find something else to do, followed by those living in British Columbia (45%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (42%), Quebec (39%), Ontario (38%) and Alberta (36%).
• Men (42%) are slightly more likely than women (38%) to be influenced by the review.
• Those aged 55+ are more likely (45%) than Canadians aged 35 to 54 (37%) or younger (39%) to say they'd be dissuaded to attend a show based on a negative review.
• Interestingly, university graduates (51%) and those without a high school diploma (47%) are the most likely to say they'd change their plans based on a lousy review of a show, while those with only a high school diploma (35%) or some post-secondary education (37%) are much less likely to say they're influenced by reviews.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted April 1-5, 2010, on behalf of the Canadian Journalism Foundation. For this survey, a sample of 1,024 adults from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/-3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in Canada been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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