Despite NHL Lockout, Majority (56%) of Hockey Fans Say Hockey Will Still Be a Part of Their Life

Toronto, ON - Despite an NHL lockout, those Canadians who say that hockey has been a part of their life will continue to make it so, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of RBC. Of the 56% of Canadian who say that hockey is a part of their life, a majority (56%) say that it will still be a part of their life despite professional players being locked out of competing in the NHL for the second time in eight seasons. A minority (44%), however, say that hockey will not be a part of their lives during the lockout.

Among those for whom hockey has been a part of their life, Atlantic Canadians (70%) are the most likely to say that hockey will still be a part of it, followed by Quebecers (61%), Ontarians (57%), residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (53%), British Columbians (51%), and Albertans (45%). Western Canadians (British Columbia - 49%, Alberta - 55%, and Saskatchewan and Manitoba - 47%) are most likely to say that hockey won't be a part of their lives given another lockout.

With no end to the lockout in sight, the one third (33%) of Canadians who need a hockey fix will need to satisfy their fix through some other other means. Among these hockey addicts, six in ten (61%) say they will get their hockey fix by going to a Major Junior game, with Albertans (75%) being most likely to attend these games. Half (45%) will watch competitive community teams at their local rink, with British Columbians (57%) being the most likely to watch local hockey. Other ways they'll get their hockey fix include playing hockey on a videogame console (17%), playing real-life hockey themselves (17%), watching hokey movies or highlights from previous years (15%), and volunteering with their local hockey in their community (4%).

With some Canadians getting their predominant hockey exposure from local teams at the community rink, there have been questions as to whether another NHL lockout will have a detrimental effect on grassroots hockey in local communities. Just 14% of Canadians believe that grassroots hockey in their community will be negatively affected by the lockout. Nine in ten (86%), however, do not believe that grassroots hockey will be negatively affected.

Quebecers (17%) are most likely to believe that community hockey will be negatively affected by the lockout, followed by Ontarians (15%), Albertans (14%), residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan (12%), British Columbians (11%) and Atlantic Canadians (11%). British Columbians (89%) and Atlantic Canadians (89%), however, are most likely to believe that local hockey will not be negatively affected by the lockout, followed closely by residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (88%), Albertans (86%), Ontarians (85%), and Quebecers (83%).

Without hockey to occupy them on Saturday nights, many Canadians will have to find ways to replace time they would have spent watching the game. Given a list of activities, more than one-third (35%) will fill their hockey-watching time by spending more time with friends and family. Three in ten (30%) will replace time spent watching hockey by watching other sports, while two in ten (17%) will exercise or play other sports. Others will go to the movies (14%), get more sleep (13%), or even cry because there is no hockey (3%). Four in ten (38%), however, say that they wouldn't do any of the listed activities to replace their hockey-watching time. Quebecers are most likely to spend more time with friends and family (44%) or exercise and play other sports (22%), while residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (40%) are most likely to watch other sports. Ontarians (5%) are the most likely to say they'll cry about it.

How hockey fans in Canada get through the lockout might be dependent on what kind of hockey personality they consider themselves to be. Three in ten (29%) consider themselves "social watchers", where they watch hockey at the bar or when their friends insist. One-quarter consider themselves "hockey enthusiasts" (24%), who watch most of the games, while a similar proportion consider themselves to be "bandwagon fans" (23%), who watch only when their team is in the playoffs. Some (3%) Canadians even consider themselves to be "hockey-obsessed" or a "die-hard hockey fan", where they eat, sleep, dream, and breathe hockey. Two in ten (22%), however, classify themselves as "hockey haters", who don't like hockey at all.

Residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (40%) are most likely to be "social watchers, Albertans (30%) are most likely to be "hockey enthusiasts", and Quebecers (28%) are most likely to be "bandwagon fans". Interestingly, Atlantic Canadians are most likely to be "hockey haters" (27%) and are tied with Albertans (4%) as being most likely to describe themselves as "hockey-obsessed".

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between September 17th to 20th, 2012, on behalf of RBC. For this survey a sample of 1,016 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 has a credibility interval of +/- 3.5 percentage points for the Canadian general population. 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 how to credibility intervals, please visit the Ipsos website at http://ipsos-na.com/dl/pdf/research/public-affairs/IpsosPA_CredibilityIntervals.pdf

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Sean Simpson
Associate Vice President
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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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. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

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