Canadians With (85%) And Without (84%) Children `Concerned' With Toy Safety As Holiday

Toronto, ON - With toy recalls abound, particularly relating to those imported from China, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted exclusively on behalf of CanWest News Service and Global Television finds that most Canadians (84%) agree that they are `concerned about the safety of toys being imported into Canada', while just 15% disagree that this is the case.

Interestingly, Canadians with children (85%) and those without children (84%) are equally as concerned with this issue. But perhaps as a result of many being grandparents, it appears that those over the age of 55 are more likely (89%) than middle- aged (87%), aged 35 to 54, or younger Canadians (74%), aged 18 to 34, to indicate that they are concerned about the safety of toys being imported into Canada.

Likely stemming form this concern, most (87%) indicate that `the government should bring in legislation forcing companies to pay for mandatory testing of toys coming into Canada, even if it means paying more for the toys'. One in nine (11%) disagree with this position.

The data also reveals that almost all Canadians who will be purchasing toys this holiday season appear to be willing to pay more to ensure that those toys are safe. Among the two thirds (64%) of Canadians who indicate that they will be buying toys for children this holiday season, nine in ten (90%) believe that the government should introduce legislation which forces companies to `pay for mandatory testing of toys coming into Canada', compared to eight in ten (83%) Canadians who are not intending to purchase any toys this holiday season but believe the same thing.

Thinking about the degree to which this issue has dominated the news media over the past few months, it appears that Canadians think that the attention paid to this issue is well-founded, with only four in ten (41%) believing that `people are over-blowing the issue of imported toy safety nowadays'. On the other hand, six in ten (58%) do not think that this issue has been overblown.

Focusing specifically on toys originating in China, where most of the scrutiny and attention has been centred as of late, Canadians are split on whether or not the fact that a toy is made in China is inherently bothersome. Nearly one half (49%) indicate that this fact does bother them, while only a slim majority (51%) disagrees that they are bothered by this.

In terms of the shopping habits among those individuals who say that they will be buying toys this holiday season, four in ten (42%) indicate that they are now `really, really paying close scrutiny' to toy safety and where they come from, or trying to `avoid buying toys wherever possible because of safety concerns' (13%). Four in ten (36%) `are being careful but not changing their buying amount', while only 8% `don't really think much about safety concerns' of the toys which they purchase.

Of particular interest is that individuals with children are more likely (41%) than those without any kids (33%) to indicate that they are being careful but not changing their buying habits. However, those without kids (14%) are more likely than parents (11%) to say that they now `avoid buying toys', and that they are `paying close scrutiny to their safety' (44% without kids, 39% with kids).

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of CanWest News Service and Global Television from Nov 20 to Nov 22, 2007. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1000 adult Canadians 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 adult population of Canada 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 that the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

Regional Highlights...

Eight in ten (84%) Canadians agree (58% strongly/27% somewhat) that `they are concerned about the safety of toys being imported into Canada. Just 15% of Canadians disagree (7% strongly/9% somewhat) that this is the case.

• British Columbians (89%) appear to be the most concerned with the safety of toys being imported in Canada, while fewer residents of Ontario (87%), Quebec (83%), Alberta (82%), Atlantic Canada (80%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (84%) indicate that they are concerned.

Nine in ten (87%) Canadians agree (59% strongly/28% somewhat) that `the government should bring in legislation forcing toy companies to pay for mandatory testing of toys coming into Canada even if it means paying more for the toys'. Just one in nine (11%) Canadians disagree (strongly 5%/6% somewhat) with this position.

• Quebecers and Atlantic Canadians are the most likely (90%) to agree, followed by residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (88%), Ontario (86%), Alberta (85%) and British Columbia (85%).
• Interestingly, women (91)% are significantly more likely than men (83%) to agree.

Four in ten (41%) Canadians agree (strongly 17%/somewhat 24%) that `people are over blowing the issue of imported toy safety nowadays'. A majority (58%), on the other hand, disagrees (strongly 38%/20% somewhat) that this issue has been overblown.

• One half (50%) of Albertans believe that this issue has been overblown, while fewer residents of Quebec (45%), Atlantic Canada (42%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (39%), Ontario (38%) and British Columbia (36%) believe that it has been overblown.
• Men (46%) are much more likely than women (36%) to agree that this issue has been overblown.
• Younger Canadians have a higher propensity (47%) to suggest that this issue has been overblown, compared to middle-aged (38%) and older (39%) Canadians.

Nearly one half (49%) of Canadians agree (24% strongly/24% somewhat) that `the fact that a toy is made in China does not bother me', while a majority (51%) disagrees (31% strongly/20% somewhat) with this sentiment.

• Residents of Alberta (57%) are the most likely to agree that `toys from China do not bother' them, while residents living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (55%), Atlantic Canada (52%), Quebec (48%), Ontario (47%) and British Columbia (44%) are less inclined to agree with this statement.
• Younger Canadians are much less likely (59%) to be bothered if a toy were made in China, compared to middle-aged (48%) or older Canadians (42%).
• Men (52%) are more likely to not be bothered by this fact than are women (46%).

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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