Celebrating the Victoria Day Weekend: Only 22% Believe Weekend has `Historical Meaning'

Toronto, ON - For the upcoming Victoria Day long weekend, the birthday of the late Queen Victoria and the `official' birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of MSN finds that only 22% of Canadians believe that this holiday has historical meaning to them. On the other hand, 78% feel that it is `just a time to relax and have an extra day off.' To that effect, nearly half (43%) of Canadians say the most ideal way to spend the weekend is to `stay at home relaxing'. The next most-popular activity for Canadians this upcoming `May Two-Four' weekend is to `spend time at the cottage or in the country' (30%), followed by `hanging out with friends at a restaurant, patio, or bar' (16%). Three in ten (27%) plan on either attending an official fireworks display (16%), setting off their own fireworks with friends and family (7%), or doing both (4%).

Continuing in the theme of relaxation, one in six (17%) Canadians say that they will take at least one extra day off, either on the Friday before the long weekend (10%), or the Tuesday following the holiday Monday (2%). Some (5%) even say that they will take both the Friday and the Tuesday off.

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These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of MSN from to May 1 to May 3, 2007. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1517 adults was interviewed online. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult 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 that the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

Only 22% of Canadians Believe `Victoria Day Long Weekend Time to Honour reign of Late Queen Victoria'... Despite the deep historical meaning of Victoria Day, only 22% of Canadians believe that the holiday is `a time to honour the reign of Queen Victoria' and that `it has historical meaning'. As the birthday of the late Queen Victoria, it is also the official birthday of the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Nevertheless, most Canadians (78%) maintain that `the Victoria Day weekend is just a time to relax and have an extra day off'.

• Quebecers appear to have the least amount of attachment to the monarchy, with almost nine in ten (86%) indicating that the holiday is `just a time to relax and have an extra day off'.
• Those in Atlantic Canada are the most likely of all Canadians to be attached to the historical aspect of the holiday, with three in ten (30%) claiming that the holiday has historical significance to them, compared to the national average (22%).
• One third (32%) of older Canadians agree that the long weekend `is a time to honour the reign of Queen Victoria', and that it has historical significance to them. This makes them 12 points more likely than middle-aged Canadians (20%) to say that this particular holiday has historical significance to them, and 17 points more likely than young adults (15%), aged 18-34, to say the same.

Nearly Half (43%) of Canadians say Relaxing is Ideal; Others Say Cottage (30%) is Ideal Way to Spend Holiday...

With less than one quarter (22%) of Canadians indicating that Victoria Day has an `historical meaning' to them, nearly half (43%) are planning to enjoy the upcoming extra day off by spending `time at home relaxing'. Long regarded as the start of cottage season, three in ten (30%) say that it would be ideal to spend the holiday in the country or at the cottage, while two in ten (16%) would like to enjoy the extra day off from work at a restaurant, patio, or bar.

Fireworks are often an important part of the celebrations for Canadians. Nearly three in ten (27%) intend to see fireworks, with some going to an official display (16%), and others setting of their own fireworks with family and friends (7%). A small (4%) yet dedicated proportion of Canadians intend to do both.

• Those most likely to take it easy and relax are residents of Atlantic Canada, where a majority (53%) say `spending time at home' is most ideal. To a similar margin, a majority (52%) of older Canadians (aged 55 and over) say that they will stay home and relax.
• Albertans are least likely to stay home, with only four in ten (37%) claiming that they will do so.
• It appears as though Canadian men might be spending some time at home alone this holiday weekend. Almost one-half of men in Canada (47%) will stay home, while only four in ten (38%) women will do the same.
• Albertans are most likely to spend time in the country or at a cottage, with four in ten (40%) saying that they intend to do so.
• Quebecers are most likely of all regions within Canada to hang out with friends at a restaurant, on a patio, or at a bar, with one quarter (24%) indicating their intentions to socialize in this way.
• Ontarians appear to be the most mesmerized by fireworks, with over four in ten (41%) indicating that they will enjoy at least one fireworks display. In contrast, those in Quebec are least likely to attend a fireworks display, with only 13% indicating that they will take part in one.

Two in Ten (17%) Plan to Take an Extra Day Off...

What better time to take an extra day off from work or school than a day that precedes or follows a long weekend? Two in ten (17%) Canadians indicate that they will take at least one extra day off. One in ten (10%) say that they will take the Friday before the weekend off, while few (2%) say that they will take the following Tuesday off. However, 5% of Canadians will enjoy an extra-long weekend by taking both the Friday and the Tuesday off. Conversely, most Canadians (83%) will complete the entire week prior, and head back to work on the Tuesday.

• Albertans are the most likely residents of any region in Canada to take both the Friday before and the Tuesday off, with one in ten (9%) saying that they will do so.
• Individuals whose family income is in excess of $60,000 a year are five points more likely than the average Canadian to take an extra day off (22% vs. 17%).

Despite Ambivalence, Most Canadians Know the History of Victoria

Almost all (93%) Canadians know that Queen Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Canada, and the Commonwealth. Further, six in ten (59%) correctly identified the late 1800s as the proper period during which the majority of Victoria's reign occurred. As the longest serving British monarch in history, she holds a place of particular distinction in the history of the monarchy.

• Residents of Ontario are the most likely of all regions to know that Victoria was the Queen of the United Kingdom and Canada, with nearly all (97%) providing the correct time period. Comparatively, only 84% of those in Quebec know the timeframe during which she reigned.
• Those with a Univeristy degree are 21 points more likely to know the time period of Victoria's reign than those without a high school diploma (67% vs 46%).