Canadians Most Encouraging to Children Pursuing Career
as a Doctor, Pharmacist or Nurse

Toronto, ON - Canadians are more likely to encourage their children to pursue a career in some areas than others, with a profession in healthcare taking the top-three spots in a list of 30 professions, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television.

Canadians say they'd be most encouraging if their child wished to pursue a career as a doctor (94%), pharmacist (93%) nurse (90%) or accountant (89%), with researcher (87%) and business executive (87%) tied in 5th place. Conversely, and at the bottom of the list, Canadians would be much less thrilled if their child wanted to become a car salesman (38%), union leader (41%), priest/minister (44%), national/provincial politician (47%) or local politician (49%).

Interestingly, more would strongly discourage than strongly encourage their child if they wanted to pursue a career as a soldier (18% strongly encourage vs. 21% strongly discourage), environmental activist (18% strongly encourage vs. 22% strongly discourage), priest/minister (15% strongly encourage vs. 25% strongly discourage), union leader (14% strongly encourage vs. 28% strongly discourage), car salesman (11% strongly encourage vs. 24% strongly discourage), provincial/national politicians (18% strongly encourage vs. 26% strongly discourage) or local politician (17% strongly encourage vs. 21% strongly discourage).

Below is a complete list of the 30 professions tested, along with the percentage of Canadians who say they'd `encourage' (strongly/somewhat) or `discourage' (strongly/somewhat) their children to pursue a career in that profession:

(Click to enlarge image)

Men and women don't always have the same level of encouragement when it comes to certain professions, and it appears that women are generally more encouraging, overall. For example, women are more likely than men to encourage their kids to become a lawyer (85% women vs. 78% men), chiropractor (82% women vs. 76% men), financial advisor (80% women vs. 74% men), journalist (81% women vs. 71% men), charity worker (77% women vs. 64% men), daycare worker (70% women vs. 62% men) environmental activist (60% women vs. 44% men), priest/minister (47% women vs. 40% men) or union leader (47% women vs. 35% men).

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between March 15 and 19, 2012, on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television. For this survey, a sample of 1,003 adults from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to 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:

Sean Simpson
Associate Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
416.572.4474
[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.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

With offices in 84 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,363 billion (1.897 billion USD) in 2011.

Visit www.ipsos-na.com to learn more about Ipsos' offerings and capabilities.