Hockey Fans in BC Cautiously Welcome Back the NHL and the Vancouver Canucks
Although the end of the NHL lockout feels like Christmas in January to some, not all hockey fans in the province feel the same way. Most British Columbian hockey fans are not excited that the NHL settled its labour dispute and that NHL hockey is back this season (59%). Overall, 41% are excited for the season to begin, with only 9% very excited. Excitement is higher among younger fans, with 55% of those aged 18-34 excited about the upcoming season, compared to 40% of those aged 35-54 and 29% of those 55 or older.
Viewership may be down, with just over half (53%) of hockey fans in the province planning to watch a lower percentage of Canucks games this year. Another 44% plan on watching the same percentage of Canucks games as they did last year, with only 3% planning to watch a higher percentage. Older fans are more likely to say they plan to watch a lower percentage of Canucks games this year (59% among those aged 35-54 and 55% among those aged 55+ vs. 42% among those 18-34).
"Although excitement is low, once the puck is actually dropped we could see the Canucks bandwagon start to grow in popularity. As a recent example in BC, excitement for the 2010 Winter Olympics amongst British Columbians grew from 53% before the Opening Ceremony to 86% by the time the Games were completed." says Dave Pierzchala, Senior Vice President and Managing Director at Ipsos Reid.
Expectations for the Vancouver Canucks this year are mixed. Nearly one-half (47%) of fans are expecting them to make a good run in the playoffs, including an optimistic 10% who believe the Canucks will win the cup. In contrast, just over half (53%) think they'll either make the playoffs, but will make a quick exit or they won't make the playoffs at all.
The largest proportion of hockey fans think Cory Schneider (28%) will be the team's Most Valuable Player this year. A similar percentage are split between the Sedins - 15% vote for Daniel and 15% vote Henrik as MVP for the Canucks. Alex Burrows (12%) and Ryan Kesler (10%) round out the top five choices for MVP. Only 5% are expecting Robert Luongo to win the award this season.
Pierzchala adds, "Cory Schneider seems to be riding a wave of popularity with hockey fans in BC. They are ready to see him step up and fill the void that may be left with the possible departure of Roberto Luongo.". These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid study fielded from January 14 to January 16, 2013. This online survey of 1,356 adult British Columbians who watch hockey, 18 years and older, was conducted using Ipsos Reid's proprietary "Voice of the West Interactive Forum" - an online panel of more than 6,500 British Columbians who have been randomly recruited to match the overall characteristics of the adult residents of the province. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online studies of this nature, however, an unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 2.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The margin of error would be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. Data was weighted to be representative of age distributions in the province of BC.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Dave Pierzchala
Senior Vice President, Managing Director
Ipsos Reid
778-373-5006
[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.
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. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.
With offices in 84 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 e1,363 billion (1.897 billion USD) in 2011.
Visit www.ipsos-na.com to learn more about Ipsos' offerings and capabilities.
