Most Parents of Elementary (80%) and High School (70%) Students Would Take Their Kids Out of School for a Week+ Vacation

Toronto, ON - One the verge of March Break, a new survey of parents with kids in the household who have traveled by air to a sun destination within the last three years or plan on doing so within the next year reveals that most parents are willing to pull their kids out of the classroom for a week or longer when it comes time to take a family vacation.

Eight in ten (80%) parents would take their kids out of elementary school for a 5-day school week or more for a vacation, while seven in ten (70%) would take their teenagers out of high school for a similar school week for the purposes of vacationing, according to the Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Tripcentral.ca. This compares to the one in ten parents who would explicitly not take their children out of elementary (7%) or high school (11%).

The following table outlines in the full the extent to how long parents would pull out their children from either elementary or high school:

(Click to enlarge image)

The results of the family vacation survey reveal that families with teenagers have overwhelmingly positive travel experiences with each other when it comes to their vacations as 95% of parents and 98% of teens either love or like being away on vacation with their family.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between February 19th to 24th, 2014 on behalf of tripcentral.ca. For this survey, a sample of 1,000 Canadian parents (n=500 moms and n=500 dads) who had traveled to a sun destination within the last three years or plan on doing so within the next year from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. The survey also included n=295 teenaged respondents who were willing to answer a few questions on their family's vacation habits. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to 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. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/- 3.5 percentage points had all Canadians parents been polled and within +/- 6.5 percentage points had all teenaged Canadians been surveyed. 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
Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
416.572.4474
[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. Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry.

With offices in 86 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 e1,712,4 million (2 274 M$) in 2013.

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