Given The Chance To Start Over, Most (71%) Would Get More Professional Career Planning

Toronto, ON- A new Ipsos Reid/CERIC (Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling) survey finds that seven-in-ten (71%) adult Canadians would try to get more professional career planning or job information than they did initially, and that four-in-ten (41%) Canadians agree that they regret not getting a professional career counselling program.

Who have adult Canadians turned to when seeking career and job advice? While most (85%) have turned to their parents for this reason, in the end six-in-ten (58%) parents aren't really involved in helping their children find their job and career paths. Topping the list of the most helpful resources to turn to when seeking job and career advice are mentors, with seven-in-ten (69%) of Canadian adults who have had a mentor saying that this individual was helpful to them in this context (25% very helpful). But according to 98% of adult Canadians, parents do have at least some role to play in shaping a child's career choice, and eight-in-ten (80%) do not agree that parents should just leave it up to the school to help children choose their careers.

Many also appear to see a link between career satisfaction and overall happiness and health, with two-thirds of adult Canadians (65%) agreeing "strongly" that, "The more satisfied you are with your career, the more likely you are to be happier in life, overall." and six-in-ten (57%) agreeing "strongly" that there is a connection between career satisfaction and overall health.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid/CERIC poll conducted from April 5 to April 10, 2007. Complete, detailed results can be found on the following pages of this Factum, and in the attached data tables. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1,174 adult Canadians was interviewed online. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 2.9 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 Census data.

When analysing responses to four-point scales, often the "top two responses" and "bottom two responses" are grouped together in the presentation of findings. For example, "somewhat agree" and "strongly agree" responses are combined into a "total agree" percentage.

Looking Back, Four-in-Ten (41%) Regret Not Getting Professional Career Counselling...

Four-in-ten (41%) adult Canadians agree that they regret not getting a professional career counselling program; one-in-ten (11%) agree "strongly". Regrets run highest among those adult Canadians:

• With less formal education (52% of those who have not graduated from high school vs. 47% of those who have vs. 38% of those with some post-secondary education vs. 30% of university graduates)
• In lower-income households (under $60,000 per year - 47%, vs. $60,000 and over - 33%)

71% of All Canadians Say if Starting Again, They Would Get More Professional Career Help...

If they were to start again to plan their career or work-life, seven-in-ten (71%) respondents agree (28% "strongly") that they would try to get more professional career planning or job information than they did initially. Some are more likely than others to agree that they would do so:

• Females (74%) are more likely than males (67%) to agree
• More mature adults aged 35 years and older more likely to agree (75%) than younger ones (61%)
• Adults living in middle-income households ($30,000 to under $60,000 annually) are the most likely to agree (76%)
• Skilled workers (74%), in technical, blue collar/labourer, or farming/fishing occupations, are more likely than those in executive/management or professional occupations (62%) to agree
• And, Canadians with more formal education are less likely to agree (59% of university graduates vs. 68% of those with some post-graduate education vs. 78% of those with up to a high-school education)

Most See Value in Professional Career Counselling...Especially Females and Retired Canadians...

Thinking back over their own careers, and based on what they now know, over eight-in-ten (84%) Canadian adults say that it would be valuable for a worker to have a professional career counselling program for himself/herself that included one-on-one career counselling or coaching from a career planning and development professional, resume-building, interview training, etc. One-third (34%) say such a program would be "very valuable".

• Females (87%) are more likely than males (80%) to see value in this type of a program
• Retired Canadians (88%) are also more likely to assign value to professional career counselling than are employed Canadians (83%)

If They Could, Six-In-Ten (60%) Would Choose Professional Career Counselling... Females Most Certain About this Choice...

Today, if they could choose a professional career counselling program for themselves that included one-on-one career counselling or coaching from a career planning and development professional, resume-building, interview training, etc., six-in-ten (60%) Canadian adults indicate that they are certain that they would "use or even need such a service"; two-in-ten (22%) appear to be "very certain."

• On this question, females (65% certain) exhibit a more definitive point of view than males (55% certain).

In The Past, They Tried to Turn to Family, Friends and Neighbours for Career Advice...

When considering 17 possible resources, adult Canadians are most likely to say they have turned to parents (85%), other relatives/friends/neighbours (88%) and newspapers (83%) when seeking to plan their career or contemplating a job in the past. They are least likely to say they have turned to a head-hunter (42%) for this purpose.

In general, older Canadians aged 55 years and above, and retired Canadians, are the least likely to have experience with any of these resources. Younger adults aged 18 to 34 years tend to have significantly more experience than older ones with turning to parents (95%), other relatives/friends/neighbours (93%), a high school teacher (73%), a career site on the internet (73%) and a school guidance counsellor (71%). Other key variations among different pockets of the population in the context of where they have turned to for career and job advice include:

• Those living in households with children (89%) are more likely to have turned to their parents than those living in adult-only households (84%)
• This group is also more likely to have turned to other friends/relatives/neighbours (92% vs. 86% in households without children)
• Looking in newspapers for this purpose is less common among the more affluent, with 80% of those living in households with incomes of at least $60,000 having turned to this resource in the past vs. 85% of those living in lower-income households

But Mentors Were The Most Helpful...

According to those who have experienced these resources, the most helpful ones appear to be "a person who was a mentor to me" (69% helpful, 25% "very helpful"), "other relatives/friends/neighbours" (68% helpful, 21% "very helpful"), a "co-worker/associate" (66% helpful, 15% "very helpful"), and "your parent(s)" (65% helpful, 24% "very helpful"). Key variations within the population relating to feelings of how relatively helpful each of these resources were include:

• "A person who was a mentor to me"
• Perceived helpfulness highest among university graduates (83%)
• Also elevated among those aged 55 years and above (75%)
• And lowest in Quebec (58%)

• "Parents"
• Parents appear to have been more helpful to younger than older Canadians (71% of those aged 18 to 34 years say they their parents were helpful vs. 62% of older respondents)

• "Other relatives/friends/neighbours"
• 72% of females say turning to these peers was either very or somewhat helpful (vs. 64% of males)
• Younger adults aged 18 to 34 years (74%) are the most likely to be of the opinion that turning to these individuals was helpful (vs. 68% of middle-aged adult Canadians and 61% of those over 55)
• Similarly, employed Canadians (69%) are more likely than retired individuals (60%) to think so

Six-In-Ten (58%) Parents Uninvolved in Helping Children Find Their Job and Career Paths...

While most adult Canadians (85%) have turned to their parents in search of career and job advice, six-in-ten (58%) respondents, overall, identify most with the sentiment that their parents really didn't get involved in helping them find their job and career path. Almost four-in-ten (37%) Canadians feel that their parents were supportive in this pursuit, and only 5% feel that their parents were overbearing.

In the past, it appears that parents have been most supportive of...

• Younger respondents (44% of those aged 18 to 34 years vs. 34% of older respondents say their parents were wonderfully supportive)
• University graduates (48% vs. 35% of those with less formal education)

... and least supportive of those in British Columbia (where 30% say their parents were wonderfully supportive).

Also of note is the fact that wealthier respondents are more likely than less wealthy ones to say that their parents did not really get involved in helping them find their job or career path (62% living in households with incomes of or exceeding $60,000 per year vs. 53% under $30,000 and 57% $30,000 to $60,000). Similarly:

• More mature respondents aged 35 years and older (61%) are more likely than younger ones (51%) to say so
• And those in British Columbia (67%) are the most likely to hold the sentiment that their parents did not really get involved in helping them find their job or career path

Very Few Wish Their Parents Had Eased Up on Them...

The same small proportion (5%) of adult Canadians agrees "strongly" that, "I wish my parents had backed off and given me more freedom to choose my own career." Overall, 15% agree with this statement, leaving a very strong majority (85%) who disagree with it. The propensity to disagree appears to increase with formal education and household income, suggesting that those with more education and wealth may see more of a role for parents in helping their children choose a career. Specifically:

• 88% of university graduates or those with at least some post-secondary education disagree, vs. 84% of high school graduates, vs. 74% of those who have not graduated from high school
• 90% of those in households with annual incomes at or above $60,000 disagree, vs. 84% of those in middle-income households vs. 79% of those with annual household incomes under $30,000

In Shaping Child's Career, Exposure to Character-Building Experiences Most Important...

Focusing specifically on shaping a child's career choice, when asked specifically about the importance of several different possible roles parents can play, adult Canadians point to "Expose child to different character-building experiences (e.g. sports, hobbies, etc.)" most often (59%). Talking with the child about choosing a career (42%), encouraging the child to volunteer in different roles (41%), and helping the child develop career-related skills/aptitudes (41%) are also perceived to be important roles for parents. Only 2% point to none of these roles.

The importance of exposing children to different character-building experiences is perceived to be especially high among:

• Females (62% vs. 56% of males)
• Younger Canadians aged 18 to 34 years (63% vs. 57% of older Canadians)
• University graduates (67% vs. 59% of those with some post-secondary education, 57% of high school graduates, and 50% of those who have not completed high school)

UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE IN QUEBEC

Regarding the importance of these different parental roles, there is a unique perspective in Quebec. Just about as important as exposing the child to different character-building experiences (53%) is talking with the child about choosing a career (50%), while the importance of encouraging a child to volunteer in different roles (25%), and exposing the child to a variety of careers (26%) are perceived to be less important in this province vs. the rest of the country.

Not Just Up to The Schools...

Eight-in-ten (80%) adult Canadians disagree that, "Parents should just leave it up to the school to help children choose their careers", with four in ten (38%) "strongly" disagreeing. Two in ten (20%) agree. This feeling that parents should leave this responsibility up to the school is most pronounced among:

• Males (23% vs. 17% of females)
• Younger adults (25% of those aged 18 to 34 years vs. 18% of more mature adults)
• Those who have not graduated from high school (31%)
• Those in Eastern Canada (Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic - 22%) vs. in Western Canada (15%)
• Lower-income households (27% of those in households with an annual income under $30,000 vs. 20% of middle-income households vs. 15% in $60,000+ income households)

Career Satisfaction and the Link to Health and Happiness... Women Make The Connection More Than Men...

LINK TO GREATER OVERALL HEALTH

When asked, over nine-in-ten (93%) of adult Canadians agree that, "The more satisfied you are with your career, the more likely you are to have greater overall health." 57% agree "strongly" with this statement, and those most likely to do so are:

• Females (64%, vs. 49% of males)
• Older respondents, as the propensity to see this link increases with age (51% of those aged 18 to 34 years vs. 57% of those aged 35 to 54 years vs. 62% of those aged 55 and above)
• University graduates (64%)
• Those in executive/managerial or professional occupations (65% vs. 46% of those working in "skilled" occupations - technical, blue collar/labourer, or farming/fishing)

Quebecers are the least likely to agree "strongly" (47%).

LINK TO OVERALL HAPPINESS

On a similar note, almost all (96%) agree that, "The more satisfied you are with your career, the more likely you are to be happier in life, overall", with a full two-thirds (65%) "strongly" agreeing. Patterns of agreement are also similar, as this sentiment appears to be most pronounced among:

• Females (71% agree "strongly" vs. 59% males)
• Older respondents, aged 55 years and above (73%)
• Canadians with more formal education (68% of those with at least some post-secondary education vs. 60% of those without any)
• Retired Canadians (70%), compared to 63% of those currently employed
• Respondents working in executive/managerial or professional occupations (71%) compared to skilled labourers (56%)

Here again, Quebecers are least likely to agree "strongly" with this statement (57%).

For more Information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
416-324-2900
[email protected] For full tabular results, please visit our website www.ipsos.ca. News Releases are available at: http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/.

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.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

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 2006, Ipsos generated global revenues of 857.1 million euros ($1.1 billion USD).

Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos offerings and capabilities.

Ipsos, listed on the Eurolist of Euronext ЎV Comp B, is part of SBF 120 and the Mid-100 Index, adheres to the Next Prime segment and is eligible to the Deferred Settlement System. Isin FR0000073298, Reuters ISOS.PA, Bloomberg IPS:FP