Oh, O' Canada

Toronto, ON - On the heels of the celebration of Canada's 146th birthday, a new CTV/Ipsos Reid poll shows that Canadian pride in their country is hearty: nine in ten (87%) Canadians believe that Canada is the best place to live in the world and three quarters (76%) think Canada is the envy of most other countries in the world. Further, two thirds (62%) think Canada's reputation in the world has improved over the last ten years.

But, in what seems typical of Canadian temperament, a majority (55%) thinks Canadians have an inflated sense of how good we are as a country.

On the other hand, compared to the rest of the world maybe the feelings aren't hubris but genuine: most (69%) Canadians indicate that 2013 has so far been a good year for themselves while two thirds (66%) agree that it's also a been a good year for Canada.

Older Canadians Especially Proud...

It turns out that the more Canada Days you've seen, the more pride you are likely to have towards red maple leaf. Senior Canadians, ages 55+, are most likely to say that Canada is the greatest place to live in the world (93%) and is the envy of most countries (83%), compared to middle-aged (86%/75%), ages 35-54, and younger (81%/67%) Canadians.

Potentially driving these feelings of pride among Canadian seniors is the fact that they're also most likely to believe that 2013 has been a good year for both Canada and themselves. Three in four Canadian seniors say that 2013 has been a good year for them (76%) and for Canada (72%), ahead of younger (70%/60%) and middle-aged (63%/64%) Canadians respectively.

With Canadian seniors leading the march for Canadian pride, it's Canadian youth who feel that we often put ourselves on a pedestal in comparison to other countries. Specifically, younger Canadians (61%) are most likely to believe that Canada has an inflated sense of how good a country we are, compared to middle-aged (52%) and senior (53%) Canadians.

Canadian Pride Goes West...

Regionally, the brightest outlook continues to shine in the Prairies while Quebecers consistently move behind the pack when it comes to seeing the country in a positive light. Residents of Alberta and Saskatchewan/Manitoba, respectively, are most apt to believe that Canada is the best place in the world to live (92%/92%), be the envy of most countries (81%/78%), and have increased reputation on the world stage over the last decade (74%/66%). On the other hand, Quebecers are least likely to react positively to these sentiments (best country to live - 81%, envy of most countries - 71%, and increased reputation in last 10 years - 51%).

When it comes to evaluating 2013 as either good or bad for both themselves and Canada, as a whole, Western Canadians appear to have had a better 2013 so far than Eastern Canadians. British Columbians (74%) and Albertans (74%) most say that 2013 was a good year for them, followed closely by those from Saskatchewan and Manitoba (70%) and ahead of Quebecers (69%), Ontarians (68%) and Atlantic Canadians (63%). Rating 2013 as a good year for Canada, so far, follows a similar trend led by Alberta (78%) and the rest of the West (Saskatchewan/Manitoba - 72% and British Columbia - 71%), ahead of those from Eastern Canada (Ontario - 67%, Atlantic Canada - 60%, and Quebec - 55%).

As Income Trends Upward, So Does Rating of 2013...

Interestingly, those with higher incomes levels are more likely to have had a better 2013 so far than those at lower levels. Eight in ten (79%) Canadians making over $100,000 annually say that 2013 was a good year for them, followed closely by those in the next highest income category at $60,000 to less than $100,000 (76%), and ahead of those in the two lowest income categories ($40,000 to less than $60,000 - 65% and less than $40,000 - 62%), although a majority of Canadians in each of these income groups say they had a good 2013.

Income, however, does not drive people's impression of whether Canada has had a good year or not, thus far.

True Patriot Love...

Examining the data in more detail, Canadians are confident that Canada is the best place in the world to live, and many believe we're the envy of the world - if not a bit smug about it:

• Nine in ten (87%) Canadians `agree' (49% strongly/38% somewhat) that Canada is the best place to live in the world, while only one in ten (13%) `disagree' (3% strongly/10% somewhat).
• Further, three quarters (76%) `agree' (25% strongly/50% somewhat) that Canada is the envy of most other countries in the world, while one quarter (24%) `disagree' (5% strongly/19% somewhat) with this assessment.
• A majority (62%) `agrees' (20% strongly/42% somewhat) that Canada's reputation in the world has improved over the last ten years, while a minority (38%) `disagree' (11% strongly/27% somewhat) that Canada's reputation has improved over the past decade.
• A majority (55%) `agree' (12% strongly/43% somewhat) that Canadians have an inflated sense of how good we are as a country', while a minority (45%) `disagree' (11% strongly/34% somewhat).
• Seven in ten (69%) `agree' (21% strongly/49% somewhat) that, so far, 2013 has been a good year for them, while three in ten (31%) `disagree' (10% strongly/20% somewhat) with this positive outlook for their personal situation this year.
• And two thirds (66%) `agree' (12% strongly/54% somewhat) that, so far 2013 has been a good year for Canada, while one in three (34%) `disagree' (7% strongly/28% somewhat) that this year has been a good one for Canada.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between June 21st to 25th, 2013, on behalf of CTV News. For this survey, a sample of 1,177 Canadians from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. 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 +/-3.3 percentage points had all Canadians adults 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.

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. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

With offices in 85 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 e1,789 billion (2.300 billion USD) in 2012.

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