Canadians On Summer Reading

Toronto, ON - According to a new Ipsos-Reid survey conducted on behalf of Indigo, in the summer half (47%) of Canadians tend to read "any kind of book they can get their hands on." Those with more particular preferences would choose either "books that are lighter and more entertaining than those they usually read" (25%) or "books that are more challenging and in-depth than what they usually read" (21%).

When it comes to the specific genre of book most preferred in the summer, "non-fiction, such as history books or biographies" tops the list of four with 44% of Canadians who say this is their preferred genre. One-third (32%) of Canadians would prefer to read "mysteries or thrillers," while just one in ten would prefer "romance or chick literature" (9%) or "Canadian authors" (8%).

Thinking about what they want from a book, half (46%) of Canadians say they prefer to read books that make them "escape." Three in ten (31%) want to "laugh" and one in seven (14%) prefer to read a book that makes them "feel warm and fuzzy."

Do Canadians have anything to feel guilty about when it comes to their reading habits? Six in ten (58%) Canadians "start a new book without finishing the one they were already reading," one-third (34%) "skip chapters or read ahead," 10% "hide or disguise what they're reading from others," and 9% "pretend they've read the book when they've only seen the movie."

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/Indigo poll conducted from May 11th to May 13th, 2004. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1000 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population 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 the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 2001 Census data.

In the summer, half (47%) of Canadians tend to read "any kind of book they can get their hands on." One-quarter (25%) read "books that are lighter and more entertaining than those they usually read" and one in five (21%) read "books that are more challenging and in-depth than what they usually read." The remaining 7% "don't know" what they tend to read in the summer.

• The propensity to choose "any kind of book they can get their hands on" decreases with age: 54% of Canadians 18-34 years of age tend to read "any kind of book they can get their hands on" in the summer compared to 47% of Canadians 35-54 years of age and 42% of Canadians 55 and older.

• Women are more likely than men to read "books that are lighter and more entertaining than those they usually read" (29% vs. 21%), while men are more likely than women to read "books that are more challenging and in-depth than what they usually read" (24% vs. 18%).

• Canadians with a university degree are more likely than others to read "books that are more challenging and in-depth than what they usually read" (28% vs. 17%).

Given a list of four book genres to choose from, 44% of Canadians would prefer to read "non-fiction, such as history books or biographies" in the summer. One-third (32%) of Canadians would prefer to read "mysteries or thrillers," while just one in ten would prefer "romance or chick literature" (9%) or "Canadian authors" (8%). One in twenty (6%) would rather not read any of these genres of books and 1% "don't know" which they'd prefer.

• Residents of Quebec (52%) are more likely to prefer to read "non-fiction, such as history books or biographies" in the summer, followed by residents of Saskatchewan/Manitoba (45%), British Columbia (45%), Ontario (41%), Alberta (39%), and Atlantic Canada (34%).

• The propensity to choose "non-fiction, such as history books or biographies" increases with age: 39% of Canadians 18-34 years of age tend to read "non-fiction, such as history books or biographies" in the summer compared to 44% of Canadians 35-54 years of age and 48% of Canadians 55 and older.

• Women are more likely than men to read "mysteries or thrillers" (38% vs. 27%), while men are more likely than women to read "non-fiction, such as history books or biographies" (57% vs. 32%).

Half (46%) of Canadians say they prefer to read books that make them "escape." Three in ten (31%) want to "laugh" and one in seven (14%) prefer to read a book that makes them "feel warm and fuzzy." One in ten (8%) "don't know" which they'd prefer.

• Canadians 18-54 years of age are more likely than their elders to prefer to read books that make them "escape" (52% vs. 34%), while Canadians 55 and older are more likely than those who are younger to prefer to read books that makes them "feel warm and fuzzy" (20% vs. 12%).

Six in ten (58%) Canadians "start a new book without finishing the one they were already reading," with 11% who do this "all of the time" and 47% who do this "some of the time." The remaining 42% say they do this "none of the time."

• Residents of Quebec (50%) are most likely to never "start a new book without finishing the one they were already reading," followed by residents of Ontario (44%), Atlantic Canada (43%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (38%), Alberta (36%), and British Columbia (27%).

• Women are more likely than men to never "start a new book without finishing the one they were already reading" (46% vs. 38%).

• Canadians without a university degree are more likely than men to never "start a new book without finishing the one they were already reading" (48% vs. 30%).

One-third (34%) of Canadians "skip chapters or read ahead," with 5% who do this "all of the time" and 29% who do this "some of the time." Two-thirds (65%) say they do this "none of the time" and 1% "don't know" how often they do it.

• There are no statistically significant demographic differences for this question.

One in ten (10%) Canadians "hide or disguise what they're reading from others," with 1% who do this "all of the time" and 9% who do this "some of the time." A strong majority (89%) say they do this "none of the time" and 1% "don't know" how often they do it.

• Residents of Atlantic Canada (96%) are most likely to never "hide or disguise what they're reading from others," followed by residents of Quebec (91%) Ontario (89%), British Columbia (87%), Alberta (85%), and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (84%).

One in ten (9%) Canadians "pretend they've read the book when they've only seen the movie," with 1% who do this "all of the time" and 8% who do this "some of the time." A strong majority (90%) say they do this "none of the time" and 1% "don't know" how often they do it.

• Canadians 35 and older are more likely than those who are younger to never "pretend they've read the book when they've only seen the movie" (93% vs. 85%).

Please open the attached PDF to view the factum and detailed tables.

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For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Ipsos-Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2900