Canadians Say Computer Hardware (86%) And Teacher Training (82%) Are The Two Main Barriers To Greater Use Of Computers And Internet In Schools
Almost all Canadians (97%) believe that computer technology and the Internet are key to Canada's ability to compete in the global economy in the future. More specifically, three in four (74%) believe this is very important, 23% somewhat important, 2% not very important and 1% not important at all.
Moreover, the results show that almost all Canadians think it is important for today's students to have access to computers (77% say very important, 19% somewhat important) and the Internet (54% say very important, 36% somewhat important) at school.
When it comes to the use of computers and the Internet in education in Canada, Canadians generally feel that computers and the Internet are used either the right amount or not enough. Half of Canadians (47%) say that at the elementary school level, computers and the Internet are used the right amount, while 33% feel they should be used more, and 12% believe they are used too much. At the high school level, 49% indicate that computers and the Internet are used the right amount, while a further 35% feel that they should be used more. Seven percent of Canadians say computers and the Internet are used too much at the high school level. When discussing the use of computers and the Internet at the college level, more Canadians (63%) indicate that computers and the Internet are used the right amount, while only 7% say they are used too much and 20% say too little. Similarly, only 7% of Canadians believe computers and the Internet are used too much at the university level and 18% feel they are used too little. Most (65%) believe these technologies are used the right amount at the university level.
These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid / Microsoft Canada survey conducted between March 28th and April 7th, 2002. The survey is based on a randomly selected sample of 800 adult Canadians. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within "b 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been surveyed. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sampleЎ166s regional and gender composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 1996 Census data.
The survey findings also indicate that almost all parents (95%) who have children in school believe that their child has access to a computer at school. When asked how often their child has access to a computer at school, one third (34%) believe it is at least once a day, 31% say a few times a week, 23% say once a week, 6% believe it is less often and 6% are not aware. Three in four (74%) parents also indicate that their child has access to the Internet at school.
With regard to the supervision the children get when using the Internet at school, 17% of parents with children accessing the Internet at school, say that the supervision is more than enough, 62% about the right amount, 14% not enough and 7% are not aware of the amount of supervision.
Funding of Technology in Schools
Nine in ten Canadians (90%) agree that the government should be providing more funding for technology in schools (55% strongly agree, 35% somewhat agree, 7% somewhat disagree and 3% strongly disagree). Support is stronger in Ontario (61% strongly agree) and the Atlantic Provinces (67% strongly agree) as well as among parents who have children in school (65% strongly agree).
More specifically, 65% believe that the provincial government should be responsible for funding technology in schools, while 59% say it should be the federal government and 17% think it should be the municipal government.
Furthermore, more than three quarters (78%) feel that it is a good idea for private sector companies such as computer and software companies to partner with or sponsor schools to help teach children about computers and the Internet. This includes 38% who say it is a very good idea and 40% who say it is a good idea. Only two in ten believe it is a fair (11%) or poor idea (11%).
To view the complete factum and tables, please open the attached PDF file.
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For more information on this news release, please contact:
Janet Lazaris
Senior Vice-President
Consumer Strategy Group
Ipsos-Reid
(416) 324-2900
