Canadians Take Advantage of Summer Vacation by Enjoying Some Down Time

Toronto, ON - As Canadians get set to enjoy the mid-summer civic holiday long-weekend, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Canada.com has revealed that the most popular type of summer vacation among Canadians is focused on rest and relaxation and staying close to home.

Among a list of various summer vacations, one quarter (24%) of Canadians say their favourite type of summer vacation is staying home and enjoying their own city and home. A similar proportion (23%) says they most prefer to spend time at a cottage on the water.

But the other half of Canadians most like the type of vacation that helps them see the world. Two in ten (18%) say that their favourite type of summer vacation is travelling to another part of the world, while 17% say their favourite vacation is to take a trip to a city within Canada. Others most prefer going camping at a national or provincial park (12%), while 6% say their favourite type of holiday is exploring Canada's wilderness.

Some Canadians are more likely than others to favour certain types of vacations:

• British Columbians (28%) are most inclined to say they most enjoy staying home for their summer vacation, followed closely by Albertans (27%). Others are less likely to say so: Atlantic Canada (24%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (23%), Ontario (23%) and Quebec (21%).
• Residents of Ontario (26%) are most likely to say they most like to spend time at a cottage, followed by those living in Quebec (25%), Atlantic Canada (23%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (21%), British Columbia (19%) and Alberta (13%).
• Quebecers (23%) are most likely to say they most enjoy travelling to another part of the world for their summer vacation, followed by those living in Ontario (21%), British Columbia (13%), Alberta (13%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (13%) and Atlantic Canada (8%).
• Atlantic Canadians (22%) are most likely to say they most like travelling to another Canadian city, while this type of vacation is not as appealing to those living in Quebec (18%), Ontario (18%), Alberta (18%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (13%) and British Columbia (10%).
• Residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (24%), Alberta (21%) and British Columbia (17%) are roughly twice as likely to say they most enjoy going camping at a national or provincial park compared to those in Quebec (10%), Atlantic Canada (9%) or Ontario (8%).
• Atlantic Canadians (13%), British Columbians (12%) and Albertans (10%) are more likely than those living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (6%), Ontario (4%) and Quebec (3%) to say the type of summer vacation they like most is exploring Canada's wilderness.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between June 10 and 14, 2010, on behalf of Canada.com. For this survey, a sample of 1,017 adults from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and 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. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/-3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in Canada 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:
Sean Simpson
Senior 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.

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About Ipsos

Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

Member companies 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. They measure public opinion around the globe. Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999. In 2009, Ipsos generated global revenues of e943.7 million ($1.33 billion U.S.). .

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