Honeywell/Child Find Child Safety Survey

Toronto, ON - A new Ipsos Reid survey of Canadian parents of children 4-17 years of age, conducted on behalf of Honeywell Canada and Child Find Manitoba, reveals that child abduction and sexual abuse are among the top three safety issues parents worry about most for their child.

The survey also finds that nine in ten parents surveyed feel they are knowledgeable about how to teach their child how to prevent these things from happening, yet the national average our Child Safety Quiz is only a "C". In fact, only 8% of parents scored an "A".

Finally, 80% of parents of children 4-17 years of age think their child should learn about personal safety strategies at home and at school.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid/Honeywell/Child Find online survey conducted from March 10 to 15, 2006. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 2133 adult parents of children 4-17 years of age was interviewed. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within +/-2.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire population of adult parents of children 4-17 been polled. 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.

Child Abduction & Sexual Abuse Among Top3 Worries For Parents

Canadian parents of children 4-17 years of age were asked to think about the three safety issues they worry about most for their own children. Child abduction and sexual abuse are among the top three (19% and 18%, respectively) with drugs and alcohol (29%). In fact, abduction and sexual exploitation are on par with car safety and bullying (17% each). Other issues include peer pressure, road safety, and online safety (10% each). All other responses were offered by fewer than 10% of parents surveyed.

While 9/10 Parents Feel They Are Knowledgeable When It Comes To Teaching Safety Strategies To Their Kids...

Nine in ten parents surveyed feel they are knowledgeable about how to teach their child how to prevent sexual exploitation (92%), being abducted or kidnapped (91%), being harassed/lured over the Internet (90%), and running away (87%). Specifically,

• 46% feel "very knowledgeable" about how to teach their child how to prevent sexual exploitation, 46% feel "somewhat knowledgeable", and 7% feel "not very knowledgeable".
• 43% feel "very knowledgeable" about how to teach their child how to prevent being abducted or kidnapped, 48% feel "somewhat knowledgeable", and 9% feel "not very knowledgeable".
• 42% feel "very knowledgeable" about how to teach their child how to prevent being harassed/lured over the Internet", 47% feel "somewhat knowledgeable", 9% feel "not very knowledgeable", and 1% feel "not at all knowledgeable".
• 41% feel "very knowledgeable" about how to teach their child how to prevent running away, 46% feel "somewhat knowledgeable", 11% feel "not very knowledgeable", and 1% feel "not at all knowledgeable".

Most Parents Score Only Moderately Or Worse On Quiz

The Child Safety Quiz consists of nine questions around various child safety strategies. Only 8% of parents surveyed scored an "A" on the quiz (8-9/9 correct). In comparison, 21% scored a "B" (7/9 correct), 31% scored a "C" (6/9 correct), and 26% scored a "D" (5/9 correct). The remaining 14% failed the quiz (less than 5/9 correct). The national average is a "C".

The parents were given the following series of strategies for protecting the personal safety of children. For each one, they were asked to indicate which one they think is most effective. The findings are as follows:

1) The most effective way to teach your child about inappropriate touching is to...

• Teach them that no one has the right to touch any part of their bodies that a bathing suit would cover (CORRECT ANSWER): 16%
• Teach them what are good touches and what are bad touches: 14%
• Both: 65%
• Neither: 5%

2) The best way to supervise your child online is to:

• Be involved in their online activities (CORRECT ANSWER): 65%
• Use filtering software: 9%
• Put the computer in the family room: 26%

3) When teaching your child about being safe it is most important to teach them not to talk to strangers...

• True: 74%
• False (CORRECT ANSWER): 26%

4) Children should be taught to do the following if they become lost...

• Use a predetermined plan that was created with the adult (CORRECT ANSWER): 47%
• Stay where they are and wait for an adult to find them: 8%
• Find an adult : 7%
• Any of the above: 38%

5) Parents should never scare children when teaching about personal safety...

• True (CORRECT ANSWER): 69%
• False: 31%

6) A 30-minute personal safety lesson each year is the right amount to keep kids safe...

• True: 13%
• False (CORRECT ANSWER): 87%

7) Practicing "what if" scenarios with children so they know what to do in specific situations is an effective way for children to remember what to do if they are lost or in trouble...

• True (CORRECT ANSWER): 97%
• False: 3%

8) Children should be taught their full telephone number and address as soon as they are...

• Old enough to remember it (CORRECT ANSWER): 90%
• Old enough to go to school : 8%
• Old enough to go places without you: 3%

9) Instant messenger is a safe online activity for children because only people they know can talk to them online.

• True: 16%
• False (CORRECT ANSWER): 84%

8 In 10 Parents Think Kids Should Learn Personal Safety At Home And At School

Eight in ten (80%) parents of children 4-17 years of age think their child should learn about personal safety strategies at home and at school. In comparison, 18% think they should learn about it only at home and 2% think they should learn about it only at school.

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For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2900
[email protected]