Eight in Ten (79%) Canadians Believe Being a Small Business Owner is Less Risky Than Working for Someone Else Since They Can Control their Financial Future

Toronto, ON - Eight in ten (79%) Canadians agree (27% strongly/52% somewhat) that being a small business owner is less risky than working for someone else, as it allows them to be in control of their own financial future, according to a new Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of RBC. Many Canadians appear to have something of an entrepreneurial itch, with six in ten (60%) saying they've thought about owning their own business.

For a significant majority of Canadians, owning their own business means they would have more autonomy. Nine in ten (92%) say they would start a business to have control over their career. Just as many (92%) like the idea of not having to answer to anyone, saying they would like to own a business so they can be their own boss.

For current business owners, opportunity is a key driver for starting a new venture. Two in three (64%) Canadian business owners say they started a business because the opportunity presented itself. Having a strong business idea can also get the ball rolling - four in ten (43%) business owners say that having a great idea for a business is what drove them to start their own. Others were driven by personal perseverance: four in ten (41%) business owners say they always had a goal of starting a business.160 One in three (34%) say they started one because they needed a job or a source of income. Only two in ten (17%) business owners say they waited until they had the cash saved up before starting a business.

While a majority of Canadians show an interest in starting their own business, those in Alberta express the most entrepreneurial spirit, compared to the rest of the provinces. Three in four (75%) Albertans say they have thought of owning a business followed by two in three (67%) British Columbians, two in three (67%) Atlantic Canadians, 64% of residents in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, 62% of Ontarians, 43% of those in Quebec.

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These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between August 11-16, 2016, on behalf of RBC. For this survey, a sample of 1,236 Canadians from Ipsos' online panel was interviewed online. Weighting160was then160employed 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.160 In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/ - 3.2 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
(416) 324-2002
Ipsos Public Affairs
[email protected]

About Ipsos

Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry. With a strong presence in 87 countries, Ipsos employs more than 16,000 people and has the ability to conduct research programs in more than 100 countries. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is controlled and managed by research professionals. They have built a solid Group around a multi-specialist positioning-- Media and advertising research; Marketing research; Client and employee relationship management; Opinion & social research; Mobile, Online, Offline data collection and delivery. Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999. www.ipsos.com