Ipsos Reid / Dominion Institute
Canadians Improve Their Military History Knowledge

Increased Knowledge Likely A Result Of Key Battle Anniversaries And The Work Of Veterans Organizations

Toronto, ON- In a major ten-year benchmark study of Canadians aged 18 to 24, a new Ipsos Reid / Dominion Institute poll reveals that young Canadians have increased their knowledge of key military history facts, improving on their scores of ten years ago on questions dealing with the two World Wars and other armed conflicts in Canadian history. While on the full thirty-question test, Canadians evidenced a decline in knowledge on social and political history questions, Canadians' knowledge of military history has generally increased over the past ten years.

The increase in knowledge is likely a result of major anniversaries of important battles such as Vimy Ridge, as well as other key dates in history like D-Day and VE-Day, coupled with the ongoing activities of veterans to tell their stories to young people across the country.

More specifically, the military history questions where Canadians improved their score are as follows:

• In 1997, 31% of Canadians knew that the Battle of Vimy Ridge was an important victory for the Allies in WWI. In 2007, 37% of Canadians know this fact.
• In 1997, just 11% of Canadians could identify two of the countries against which Canada fought in WWI (Germany, Austria/Hungary, Turkey). In 2007, 17% of Canadians know this fact.
• In 1997, 33% of Canadians knew that the date on which Remembrance Day is observed, November 11, marked the last date of WWI. In 2007, 37% of Canadians know this fact.
• In 1997, 26% of Canadians could identify one of the wars in which Canada was invaded by the United States (War of 1812, War of Independence). In 2007, though, 29% of Canadians know this fact.
• In 1997, 35% of Canadians knew that on D-Day, Allied forces landed in Normandy. In 2007, 37% of Canadians know this fact.

However, despite the general increase in knowledge on matters relating to military history, there were a few questions where Canadians didn't perform as well this year as they did ten years ago:

• While in 1997, 63% of Canadians knew that Great Britain was the country that took control of Quebec away from France by winning the Battle on the Plains of Abraham, in 2007 62% of Canadians know this fact.
• While in 1997, 30% of Canadians knew that the American Civil War helped to convince Canadians and their leaders to unite and form a federation, in 2007, just 22% of Canadians know this fact.
• While in 1997, 14% of Canadians knew that Lester B Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for peacefully resolving the Suez Crisis, in 2007 12% of Canadians know this fact.

Methodology
These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Dominion Institute from Sep 6 to Oct 25, 2007. For the survey, a randomly selected sample of 1,004 adult Canadians aged 18 to 24 was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the aggregate results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had this entire population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within each sub-grouping of the survey population. The study methodology was precisely the same as it was 10 years ago so as to ensure consistency across time, and to provide accurate comparisons across the data.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[email protected]

OR

Rudyard Griffiths
Co-Founder
Dominion Institute
(416) 737-9626

For full tabular results, please visit the Ipsos Reid website at:www.ipsos.ca.

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.

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 2006, Ipsos generated global revenues of 857.1 million euros ($1.1 billion USD).

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

Ipsos, listed on the Eurolist of Euronext - Comp B, is part of SBF 120 and the Mid-100 Index, adheres to the Next Prime segment and is eligible to the Deferred Settlement System. Isin FR0000073298, Reuters ISOS.PA, Bloomberg IPS:FP