Canadians Optimistic for Blue Jays Postseason Hopes as
Optimists Outweigh Pessimists by 4 to 1

Toronto, ON - Since the non-waiver trade deadline the Toronto Blue Jays have been on fire, and for what seems like the first time in over two decades the Jays have a serious shot at contending in the post-season. A new Ipsos poll conducted for Global News has revealed that the optimists outweigh the pessimists by a ratio of 4 to 1, with most believing that the Blue Jays will make the postseason.

While 52% of Canadians say they have `no idea' how far the Blue Jays will make it in the 2015 MLB season, among the people who have an opinion, eight in ten (82%) believe the Jays will make the postseason, while two in ten (18%) believe they won't make the postseason.

In terms of just how far they'll go, 14% of those with an opinion believe Toronto's ball club will win the World Series (something they haven't done since 1993), while 18% think they'll win the American League pennant, but lose in the World Series. Others believe they'll be eliminated in the American League Championship Series (13%) or in the division series (20%). Two in ten (17%) think the Jays will make it to the wildcard playoff, but will ultimately lose the one-game showdown. The Blue Jays are presently in the second Wild Card spot, and if the season ended today they would play the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in such a contest.

All in all, Canadians appear optimistic that Canada's only major-league ball club will make the postseason, but there is no consensus with how far they'll make it in October. Some are more confident than others that the Blue Jays will make the postseason: those with an opinion in Alberta (96%) and BC (90%) are most likely to believe the Jays will make the postseason, followed by those in Atlantic Canada (84%), Ontario (83%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (76%) and Quebec (72%).

Interestingly, seven in ten (71%) decided adults aged 18 to 34 think Toronto will make the postseason, fewer than the eight in ten (82%) 35 to 54 year olds or nine in ten (91%) Canadians aged 55+ who believe they'll make the postseason.

Who is most optimistic for a World Series championship? Those aged 55+ (18%) and Atlantic Canadians (29%).

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between August 4 and 7, 2015 on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,004 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. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/ - 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadian adults been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. 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
Vice President
Ipsos Public Affairs
(416) 572-4474
[email protected]

About Ipsos in Canada

Ipsos 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 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' 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 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 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. Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry.

With offices in 86 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 e1,669.5 ($2,218.4 million) in 2014.

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