Concern (79%, Up 12 Points) about Ebola Transmission to Canada Grows, But So Too Does Confidence in Precautions Taken to
Prevent Spread to Canada (72%, Up 9 Points)

Toronto, ON - Concern about the spread of Ebola to Canada is rising, but so too is the belief that health, government and other officials are taking precautions to prevent its spread to Canada, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Global News.

Nearly all (95%) Canadians say they're aware of the Ebola virus outbreak in Western Africa, up from the 84% of Canadians who said they were aware of the outbreak in August.

Eight in ten (79%) Canadians say they're `concerned' (38% very/40% somewhat) that the `Ebola virus may be transmitted to Canada by a person who has visited the outbreak areas in Africa who has unwittingly infected others through travel and contact'. This level of concern is up significantly from the 67% of Canadians who were concerned (26% very/42% somewhat) in a similar poll conducted by Ipsos Reid two months ago.

Conversely, two in ten (21%) say they're `not concerned' (3% not at all/18% not very) about Ebola's transmission to Canada, down from the 33% who weren't concerned (6% not at all/27% not very) in August.

While concern for Ebola's spread to Canada is high, Canadians are increasingly confident that officials in Canada are taking the proper steps to prevent its spread into Canada. Nearly three quarters (72%) `think that health, government, and other officials are taking enough precautions and preparations to ensure that the virus does not come into Canada' (15% yes very much/57% yes somewhat). This compares to the 63% of Canadians who thought Canadian officials were taking the right steps in August (12% very much/51% somewhat).

On the other hand, three in ten (28%) Canadians do not believe enough precautions are being taken (10% not at all/18% no somewhat), down from 37% in August (14% not at all/24% no somewhat).

Concern Highest in Ontario; Confidence in Precautions Lowest in BC...

The data reveal that concern about the spread of Ebola to Canada is higher among some Canadians than others:

• Concern is highest in Ontario (82%), followed by those living in Atlantic Canada (78%), Quebec (78%), Alberta (77%), British Columbia (76%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (70%).
• Concern is higher among those with a high school diploma (82%) or some postsecondary education (80%), but lower among those with a university degree (71%) or those without a high school diploma (69%).
• Men (78%) and women (79%) are equally concerned, as are those aged 18 to 34 (76%), 35 to 54 (79%) and those aged 55+ (80%).

Confidence that enough precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of Ebola fluctuates across the country as well:

• Atlantic Canadians (78%) are most likely to believe officials are taking enough precautions to ensure Ebola doesn't spread to Canada, followed by those living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (75%), Quebec (73%), Alberta (72%), Ontario (72%), and British Columbia (68%).
• Those aged 18 to 34 (78%) are most likely to believe appropriate precautions are being taken, while fewer Canadians aged 35 to 54 (71%) or 55+ (68%) are confident.
• Men (72%) and women (73%) are equally as likely to believe proper precautions are being taken.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between October 7 and 11, 2014 on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,009 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:

Darrell Bricker, PhD
CEO
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 324-2001
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country's leading provider of public opinion research. 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 Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and on-line panels. Ipsos Reid's Canadian marketing research and public affairs practices are staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, offering the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada--all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group. To learn more, 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.

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