The Hallmark Wild Romance Valentine's Poll

Toronto, ON - A new Ipsos Reid survey conducted on behalf of Hallmark Canada indicates that three in four (74%) Canadians celebrate Valentine's Day.

Many Canadians are planning a "wildly romantic" Valentine's Day this year. Four in ten (39%) Canadians who celebrate the day and are currently in a relationship say they're planning a wildly romantic celebration as are 35% of single Canadians who celebrate Valentine's Day. Moreover, one-third (33%) of St. Valentine enthusiasts are hoping for "an invitation to walk on the wild side" this Valentine's Day. Men appear to be more in the wild spirit than women:

• Approximately half of men in a relationship (46%) and even single men (49%) who celebrate Valentine's Day are planning something wildly romantic for February 14th (versus 31% and 25% of women, respectively).
• Men are twice as likely as women to be looking for an invitation to walk on the wild side (45% vs. 22%).

Three in ten (30%) would prefer "a giant bear hug", while one in ten would rather "butterfly" (9%) or "puppy dog" (8%) kisses.

The survey also finds that 28% of Canadians who celebrate Valentine's Day would prefer a "tame, family oriented affair" and 21% would opt for a "romantic evening with the sounds of Michael Buble playing in the background". Less popular celebrations include "hunting for love" (4%) and being a "party animal with your sweetie" (7%).

St. Valentine celebrants were asked which of a series of animal pet names best describes their current or ideal romantic partner. The three most popular choices are "cuddly bear (17%), "kitten" (14%), and "tiger" (11%).

• Women are more likely to see their partner as a "cuddly bear" (25% vs. 9% of men), while men are more likely to say "kitten" of their partner (21% vs. 6%).

Finally, the survey indicates that six in ten (61%) Canadians that celebrate Valentine's Day will be buying a card to help express their love this year, with men slightly more likely to do so (65% vs. 57% of women). Humorous (36%), contemporary romantic (27%), and traditional romantic (26%) are the most popular types of cards to be given, beating out flirtatious, sexy cards (6%) and big (1%) or expensive (1%) cards.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid/Hallmark poll conducted from January 2nd to 5th, 2006. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1005 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within +/-3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The sample size of Canadians that celebrate Valentine's Day is 554, yielding a margin of error of +/-4.2%. 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.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Jennifer McLeod
Senior Research Manager
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 324-2900
[email protected]

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 300 researcher 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 - including the Ipsos Trend Report, the leading source of public opinion in the country - 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, 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 2004, Ipsos generated global revenues of 605.6 million Euro ($752.8 million U.S.).

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