Canadians Put Extra Effort into Conveying Feelings on Valentine's Day, But Some Don't Know What to Say (25%) or Write (23%)

Toronto, ON - A new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Hallmark Canada finds that a majority (65%) of Canadians who are currently in a relationship indicate that they `put a little extra effort' into conveying their feelings to their partner on Valentine's Day.

However, many Canadians who are in a relationship appear to be struggling to find the right words, with one quarter agreeing that they find it difficult to express their feelings either in writing (25%) or in words (23%), and a similar proportion (22%) saying that they get nervous or tongue-tied when trying to convey their emotions.

In fact, at a loss for words, fully one half (50%) of Canadian love-birds say that they find it easiest to express their feelings physically to their partner on valentine's day.

Focusing specifically on love letters, seven in ten (68%) Canadians who are in a relationship say that they have sent a love letter at some point in their lives, while slightly fewer (65%) have been lucky enough to receive one. However, one quarter (24%) of Canadians in a relationship say that they have never sent nor received a love letter.

When thinking about the type of relationship that they have with their partner, Canadians are split on whether it most closely resembles that of Stephen and Laureen Harper (34%), Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt (34%), or Homer and Marge Simpson (33%). However, when asked what relationship they thought their partner would choose, the Simpsons (36%) and Brangelina (36%) beat out the Harpers (28%).

Do You Get Tongue Tied?

One quarter of Canadians say that they get tongue-tied or nervous (22%) when trying to express their feelings, and some find it difficult to convey their feelings both verbally (25%) and in writing (23%). One half (50%) of Canadians say that they find it easiest to express their feelings physically on Valentine's Day.

• Men (30%) are more likely than women (20%) to say that they find it difficult to express their feelings in writing to their partner on Valentine's Day. In fact, more men (57%) than women (44%) say that they find it easiest to express their feelings physically to their partner on Valentine's Day.
• More older Canadians (29%) than middle-aged (23%) or younger Canadians (22%) are having trouble expressing their feelings in writing.
• Albertans (30%) are the most likely to admit to getting tongue-tied when trying to convey their feelings, followed by residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (27%), Ontario (22%), Atlantic Canada (21%), British Columbia (20%), and Quebec (19%).

The Prime Minister, the Movie Star, or ...Homer...

Asking Canadians to choose whether their relationship most closely resembles that of Stephen and Laureen Harper, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, or Homer and Marge Simpson has uncovered some interesting discrepancies:

• Four in ten (40%) men fancy themselves being like the Prime Minister, and say that their relationship most closely resembles that of the Harpers. However, thinking about what their partners would say, Brangelina (35%) beats out the Harpers (34%) and the Simpsons (31%).
• Asking women which couple their relationship most closely resembles yields a different story. Women believe that their relationship with their partner more closely resembles that of the Simpsons (36%) or Brad and Angelina (36%), followed by the Harpers (28%).
• Residents of Alberta (44%) were most likely to say that their relationship most closely resembles that of the Harpers, followed by those in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (42%), British Columbia (41%), Ontario (32%), Atlantic Canada (31%) and Quebec (26%).
• Residents of Quebec (43%) were most likely to name Brangelina as the couple they most closely resemble, followed by residents of Ontario (33%), Atlantic Canada (31%), Alberta (29%), British Columbia (27%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (27%).
• Atlantic Canadians (38%) were the most likely to believe that their relationships resemble that of the Simpsons, followed by those living in Ontario (35%), British Columbia (32%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (31%), Quebec (31%), and Alberta (27%).

Love Letters...

Seven in ten (68%) Canadians in a relationship have sent a love letter, and two thirds (65%) have received one. Just one quarter (24%) of Canadians who are in a relationship have never given or received a love letter.

• Residents of British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba (64%) are the most likely to have sent and received a love letter at some point during their lives, followed by those living in Atlantic Canada (59%), Alberta (57%), Ontario (56%) and Quebec (55%).
• Younger Canadians (64%) are more likely than middle-aged (58%) or older Canadians (52%) to have sent and received a love letter.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Hallmark Canada from Dec 22 to Dec 27, 2007. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1791 adult Canadians was interviewed online. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 1772.3 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.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Sean Simpson
Research Manager
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.

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