Canadians say Protests Following Grand Jury Verdicts Following Death of Black Suspects by Police Named Top US News Story of 2014 (34%)

Toronto, ON - Reflecting on a tumultuous year south of the border, Canadians say that the spontaneous protests following grand jury verdicts following the death of black suspects by police officers is the top US news story of 2014, according to new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Global News.

Over the last few months there have been numerous and ongoing large-scale protests highlighting the underlying racial tension that exists across much of the United States following the deaths of unarmed black men by police - Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York City - and then the subsequent verdicts by grand juries not to indict the police officers responsible for the deaths. According to the poll, one in three (34%) Canadians says that this story was the top US story of the year, chosen from 11 possible candidates as chosen by Global News.

Rounding out the top three stories include the arrival of Ebola to the United States (19%), and Obama's decline in popularity and the midterm election results (11%), which saw control of the Senate handed over to the Republicans for the last two years of Obama's final term as President. One in ten believes that move to legalize marijuana in various states is the top story for 2014 (9%), or the US-led coalition attack on ISIS in Iraq (8%).

Other notable stories chosen by fewer Canadians as the top US story include the gay marriage equality debate occurring in many states (5%), the California drought and wild fires (4%), the test flight of Mars Orion Spacecraft (4%), NFL Player Ray Rice punching his girlfriend (3%), the Polar Vortex (2%), and Hilary Clinton's presidential speculation (2%).

The data reveal some interesting demographic trends:

• Men (37%) were more likely than women (31%) to name the protests the top story of the year. Those aged 55+ (38%) and 35 to 54 (36%) were much more likely than those aged 18 to 34 (25%) to say the protests were the top story.
• Women (22%) are more likely than men (15%) to say that the arrival of Ebola in the US was the top story.
• Older Canadians (17%) are more likely than younger (11%) or middle-aged (6%) Canadians to say Obama's fall in public opinion is the top story.
• Younger Canadians were more likely to focus on marijuana legalization (13%) or the gay marriage debates (10%).
• Interestingly, Atlantic Canadians (19%) were far more likely than those in the rest of the country (national average 9%) to say that the legalization of marijuana in some states was the top news story of the year.
• Nearly one in ten (7%) adults under the age of 35 says that the Ray Rice story was the top story of 2014.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between December 16 to 19, 2014 on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,005 Canadians 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 had all Canadians adults 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:

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.

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 e1,712,4 million (2 274 M$) in 2013.

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