Married... With Children? Not Always So

Toronto, ON - Canadians, on average, say that having 2.4 kids is the ideal number of children to have in their family, including 7% of those who say having no children is ideal according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Postmedia News. Interestingly, just two in ten (19%) Canadians who currently don't have kids say that having no kids is ideal, suggesting that eight in ten (81%) Canadians who currently don't have children would have some, in an ideal situation. Canadians who did not have children felt that 1.9 kids would be an ideal number whereas those Canadians who already had children expressed that 2.6 kids was ideal.

But many Canadians don't ever make it to their ideal number of children. Nearly four in ten (36%) say that they have fewer children than they initially wanted, with women (40%) being significantly more likely to say that this is the case than men (32%). Conversely, one in ten (9%) Canadians have more children than they initially wanted. The majority (54%) of Canadians, though, have the same number of children as they initially wanted.

The group of Canadians who were most likely to say they have more kids than they initially wanted was those who have children (15%) who are currently under the age of 18. Not surprisingly, Canadians without kids (44%) are the largest group who say they have less children than they initially wanted. Canadians who have adult children that have moved out (62%) are the most likely to feel they have the number of kids that they initially wanted.

Life can often get in the way of the ideal plans, though, with various factors having an influence on the number of children one has. Three quarters (75%) of Canadians say that one's personal preference is an important factor (42% very/33%), while the reality of one's financial situation comes in a close second place (72% important, 34% very/38% somewhat). Others believe that their overall health (67% important, 36% very/31% somewhat), age (59% important, 26% very/33% somewhat), parents and how they were brought up (52% important, 21% very/31% somewhat), career considerations (47% important, 18% very/29% somewhat), fertility issues (35% important, 18% very/17% somewhat), faith (28% important, 12% very/17% somewhat), and their friends (18%, 6% very/12% somewhat) are important factors in determining how many children to have.

Of particular note is that those who have children under the age of 18 were more likely to express (76%) that that money was an important factor in deciding how many kids to have.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted September 17 to 22, 2010, on behalf of Postmedia News. For this survey, a sample of 2,039 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 +/-2.2 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:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[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.

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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 2009, Ipsos generated global revenues of e943.7 million ($1.33 billion U.S.).

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