Hollywood’s Bestsellers Are Books! Two-thirds (67%) of Canadians Think the Best TV Shows & Movies are Based on Books
Toronto, ON, September 23, 2020 — It seems that every good book ends up becoming a movie or TV show, with classic novels such as Little Fires Everywhere, Lock & Key, the Invisible Man, Defending Jacob, and the Witcher all hitting the big screen recently. It is therefore not surprising that a new Ipsos poll, conducted on behalf of !ndigo, reveals a vast majority (88%) of Canadians have read a book that is associated with a TV show or movie. Further, around four in five or more express an interest in reading such books in the future (79%) or have been inspired to watch at least one movie or TV show because they read the book it was based on (84%).
Gen Z (97% vs. 86% aged 25-70) and women (91% vs. 84% of men) are among the most likely to report having read a book that is associated with a TV show or movie, with Gen Z also being most likely to have been inspired to watch at least one movie or TV show because they read the book it was based on (92% vs. 82% aged 25-70). Women (84% vs. 75% of men) as well as those aged 18-44 (83% vs. 75% aged 45-70) are more likely to express interest in reading books that are associated with movies and/or TV shows in the future.
Canadians enjoy a good story, regardless of the media (i.e., book or TV show/movie) through which it is transmitted and appear to be interested in consuming the same story through multiple channels wherever possible. Indeed, after watching a good TV show or movie three-fifths (61%) of Canadians say they look forward to reading the book, a figure which rises to seven in ten (69%) among those aged 18-44 (vs. 52% aged 45-70). After reading a good book, an even higher proportion (81%; 86% aged 18-44 vs. 77% aged 45-70) look forward to watching the Hollywood adaptation. Two-thirds (67%) would even go as far as to say the best TV shows or movies are based on books, with men (70% vs. 65% of women) and the 18-44 cohort (72% vs. 62% aged 45-70) among the most likely to hold this view.
Around one in four (27%) of those who have watched a TV show or movie based on a book prefer the TV show or movie, a figure which rises in one in three among men (31% vs. 23% of women) and Quebecers (33% vs. 25% ROC). Three-quarters (73%) prefer the book, possibly because it can include more details about the story that may have needed to be removed from the screen version.
Worth the Wait? Gen Z Thinks So!
A full one-third (34%) of Canadians claim to have postponed watching a TV Show or Movie simply because they wanted to read the book it was based on first, a figure which includes a majority (54%) of the Gen Z cohort. By comparison, only three in ten (31%) over the age of 25 are willing to wait until they have read the book first before watching the TV show or movie.
Most (69%) admit they try and read the book version before watching the movie or TV show it is based on. Gen Z (80% vs. 67% aged 25-70) and women (72% vs. 66% of men) are particularly inclined to do this, as they are most likely to say they try and read the book version first. Three-quarters (74%) of the nearly nine in ten (88%) Canadians who report having read a book that is associated with a movie or TV show say they read the book first, then watched the TV show or movie later. Only one in four (26%) watched the TV show or movie first.
Even if they are not reading the book, nearly three in ten (28%) Canadians indicate that watching movies or TV shows based on books has compelled them to read more. Young adults (18-34) are nearly twice as likely (at 39%) compared to those over the age of 35 (22%) to have felt compelled to read more as a result of watching movies or TV shows based on books. Seven in ten (69%) say that watching movies or TV shows based on books has not impacted their reading habits, a figure which rises to four in five (80%) among Boomers and falls to two-thirds (64%) among those aged 18-54. Only four percent (4%) feel compelled to read less, after watching movies or TV shows that are based on books, including a significantly higher proportion of men (5%) compared to women (2%).
Nearly half (44%) of Canadians are using movies or TV shows to learn about new books, with Boomers (55-70) being far & away the least likely to report having done this (29% vs. 50% aged 18-54). This cohort (57% vs. 38% aged 35-70), and men (48% vs. 41% of women) are statistically most likely to use movies or TV shows to learn about new books.
About the Study
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between March 2nd and 9th, 2020 on behalf of !ndigo. For this survey, a sample of 1,101 Canadians aged 18-70 were 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 ±3.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians aged 18-70 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 press release, please contact:
Sean Simpson
Vice President, Ipsos Public Affairs
+1 416 324 2002
[email protected]
About Ipsos
Ipsos is the world’s third largest market research company, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people.
Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. We serve more than 5000 clients across the world with 75 business solutions.
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