Six in Ten Canadians (59%) Aren’t Confident They’ll Take a Winter Vacation This Year

Toronto, Ontario, December 6, 2017 — A new Ipsos poll for Allianz Global Assistance has found that a majority of Canadians (59%, +1 pt since 2016) aren’t confident they’ll take a vacation this winter (38% not at all/21% not very), despite the fact that only half (54%) have had a vacation over the past year (+6 pts).

The second annual Canadian Winter Vacation Confidence Index defines a vacation as a leisure trip of at least one week outside of a respondent’s home province, and reveals that while many Canadians aren’t likely to take a vacation this winter, most find vacations in general to be important: seven in ten (71%, +1 pt) say annual vacations are important to them (36% very/35% somewhat). Despite this, one in three (33%) haven’t taken one in more than two years (-3 pts). Gen X Canadians (40%), aged 35-54, are more likely than Millennials (25%) or Baby Boomers (32%) to have skipped taking an annual vacation for two or more years.

Winter Vacation Price Tag Holds Steady

The four in ten Canadians (41%, -1 pt) who are confident (22% very/19% somewhat) they’ll take a vacation this winter (rising to 52% among those with children), say they expect to spend about $2,673, on average, on the trip. This is very similar to expected winter vacation spend reported last year, up by just $80 or 3% on average.

Taking Time Off Work

Just as some Canadians are putting off taking a vacation this winter, many aren’t taking full advantage of the time off work they’re entitled to. The poll finds that Canadians with paid vacation allowance are entitled to 21 days off, on average, but are only taking 17. This includes nearly one in ten (8%) say they don’t take any paid vacation at all.

Off-Peak Savers

When it comes to planning vacation travel, most Canadians (77%) say they travel during off-peak season. For many, it’s a question of cost: four in ten (43%) say they travel on vacation during off-peak times to save money. For another one in three (34%), off-peak vacationing helps to avoid the crowds.

Of those who vacation during peak times, only 12% say it’s because they like to travel during those periods, even if it means they pay higher rates as a result. The remaining one in ten (10%) say they don’t have a choice: they pay higher rates for vacationing during peak times because these are the only times they can get time off.

About the Study

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between October 30 and November 2, 2017, on behalf of Allianz Global Assistance. For this survey, a sample of 2,005 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed. 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 ±2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadian adults been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. 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, Canada
Ipsos Public Affairs
+1 416 324-2002
[email protected]

About Ipsos Public Affairs

Ipsos Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research practice made up of seasoned professionals. We conduct strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of Canadian American and international organizations, based not only on public opinion research, but elite stakeholder, corporate, and media opinion research.

Ipsos has media partnerships with the most prestigious news organizations around the world. In Canada, Ipsos Public Affairs is the polling partner for Global News. Internationally, Ipsos Public Affairs is the media polling supplier to Reuters News, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. Ipsos Public Affairs is a member of the Ipsos Group, a leading global survey-based market research company. We provide boutique-style customer service and work closely with our clients, while also undertaking global research.

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 fourth in the global research industry.

With offices in 88 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across five research specializations: brand, advertising and media; customer loyalty; marketing; 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 €1,782.7 million in 2016.