In Ideal Week at the Cottage, Canadians Could Do Without Mosquitoes (59%), Blackberry/Cellphone (23%), the In-Laws (8%) and the Kids (4%)

Toronto, ON - What could be better than a week of relaxing at the cottage during the summer with perfect weather? A new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Canada.com reveals that if they could spend a week at a cottage this summer, most Canadians would choose to leave something behind at home, likely in an effort to make that week even better.

While, understandably, a majority (59%) of Canadians could do without the mosquitoes, one quarter (23%) of Canadians say they could handle them so long as they could leave their blackberry, cellphones and other electronic devices at home, perhaps trying to leave the office behind.

One in ten (8%) say they'd ideally leave the in-laws behind, while 2% would choose to leave Fido at home. Interestingly, 4% of Canadians with children living in their home would love to take the opportunity to take a holiday without the kids, saying they'd most like to leave them behind at home when heading out for a week at the cottage.

But nearly one in ten (6%) Canadians say they wouldn't want to leave any of these things behind, taking along with them the mosquitoes, blackberries, in-laws and all!

The data reveal that the results vary across the country and within other demographic groups studied:

• Residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (69%) are most likely to say they'd most like to do without the mosquitoes, while British Columbians (28%) are most inclined to say they could do without the distraction of their mobile devices. Residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (15%) are also most likely to say they could do without the in-laws while at a cottage for the week.
• Ontarians (10%) are most likely to say that they wouldn't want to do without any of these things while at the cottage. Apparently it's all part of the experience.
• Women (63%) are signifcinatly more likely than men (54%) to say they could do without the mosquitoes; men (28%) are much more likely than women (18%) to say they'd most likely to leave behind their mobile devices.
• Just 18% of those aged 18 to 34 say they'd most likely to leave behind their mobile devices, compared to 23% of those aged 35 to 54 and 27% of those aged 55 and older.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between June 10 and 14, 2010, on behalf of Canada.com. For this survey, a sample of 1,017 adults from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and 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. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/-3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in Canada been polled. 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
Senior Research Manager
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
(416) 572-4474
[email protected]

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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.

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