Half (50%) of Canadians Expect the Canadian Economy to Grow Before the End of the Year, But See Growth as Modest

Toronto, ON - Half (50%) of Canadians expect the Canadian economy to grow before the end of the year, but two in ten (21%) expect the economy to shrink, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Sun Life Global Investments. Growth is expected to be modest, with most believing it will be either 1% (27%) or 2% growth (19%), with few (4%) believing it will be 3% or greater. Two in ten (16%) believe the economy will be flat; 13% don't know where the economy is headed.

A slim majority (52%) are optimistic (14% very/38% somewhat) about their own financial future over the next five years compared to 21% who are pessimistic (4% very/ 18% somewhat). One quarter (26%) hold a neutral position.

Interestingly, despite half of Canadians being optimistic about their own financial future over the next five years, only one third (33%) are optimistic (3% very/30% somewhat) about the Canadian economy over the next five years. In contrast, four in ten (40%) Canadians (5% very/35% somewhat) say they are pessimistic about the Canadian domestic economy over the next five years, and three in ten (27%) hold a neutral position on the matter. On balance, more are pessimistic (40%) than optimistic (33%) about the Canadian economy. Even though only one third of Canadians are optimistic about the Canadian economy over the next five years, six in ten (57%) of Canadians say they don't plan to invest more in foreign investments in the next 12 months. In contrast, only 16% of Canadians say they plan to invest more in foreign investments while 26% of Canadians are unsure.

The average investment composition that Canadians invest across the following broad categories is:

• Canadian stocks and stock mutual funds - 34%
• Cash (including bank accounts, money market funds, CDs, etc.) - 25%
• Canadian bonds and bond mutual funds (including corporate and government bonds) - 14%
• Foreign stocks, bonds and mutual funds) - 12%
• ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) - 5%
• Other (any financial investments not included above) - 11%

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between July20 to August 8, 2015, on behalf of Sun Life Global Investments. For this survey, a sample of 1,502 Canadians between the ages of 25 to 80 years of age from Ipsos' 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 +/ - 2.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadian adults been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the 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 this news release, please contact:

Sean Simpson
Vice President
Ipsos Public Affairs
(416) 572-4474
[email protected]

About Ipsos in Canada

Ipsos 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 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' 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 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 is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please 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.

Ipsos researchers 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 and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,669.5 ($2,218.4 million) in 2014.

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