One-Third Of Canadians Expect `Losing Weight' To Be One Of Their New Year's Resolutions

Toronto, ON - With 2004 wrapping up and 2005 right around the corner, one-third (36%) of Canadians expect `losing weight' to be one of their New Year's resolutions, according to a new Ipsos-Reid survey conducted on behalf of Carb Options.

How do they plan to tackle this resolution? Two-thirds (65%) say they will limit the amount of carbohydrates they consume. A similar proportion (68%) plan to exercise, while 37% say they will simply eat healthier foods, and 11% will try to practice portion control. All other weight-loss strategies were mentioned by fewer than 10% of respondents (details can be found on the pages that follow).

Canadians were asked whether or not a list of seven items contained carbohydrates--pasta, salad dressing, chocolate, ketchup, peanut butter, iced tea, and barbeque sauce--when in fact, each of the seven food items contains carbohydrates! In six of the seven cases, a majority of Canadians answered correctly. Nearly nine in ten (87%) Canadians correctly said that pasta contains carbohydrates; 77% knew that chocolate contains carbs; 74% said that peanut butter has carbs; 69% said salad dressing has carbs; 66% identified barbeque sauce as containing carbs; and 60% knew that ketchup has carbs. Yet, just 41% of Canadians know that iced tea contains carbohydrates.

Finally, respondents were asked the following question: "Would you say that sugar is a carb?" One-quarter (26%) of Canadians say that sugar is not a carb when in fact it is. Of the three-quarters (74%) who say that sugar is a carb, only 42% are sure saying "definitely yes," with the remainder (31%) saying "probably yes."

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/Carb Options poll conducted from November 26th to November 29th, 2004. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1000 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 1773.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 2001 Census data.

One-Third Of Canadians Expect `Losing Weight' To Be One Of Their New Year's Resolutions

One-third (36%) of Canadians expect `losing weight' to be one of their New Year's resolutions. Six in ten (62%) don't expect `losing weight' to be one of their resolutions, and 1% say they don't make resolutions.

• Residents of Alberta (48%) are more likely than others to expect `losing weight' to be one of their New Year's resolutions. This compares to 31% of residents of British Columbia, 32% of residents of Saskatchewan/Manitoba, 34% of residents of Ontario, 36% of residents of Atlantic Canada, and 37% of residents of Quebec.

• Middle-aged Canadians 35-54 years of age (40%) are most likely to expect `losing weight' to be one of their New Year's resolutions, followed by those 55 or older (37%), and finally those Canadians 18-34 years of age (30%).

• Women are more likely than men to expect `losing weight' to be one of their New Year's resolutions (42% vs. 30%).

Two-Thirds Plan To Limit Carbs To Lose The Weight

Those respondents who said they expect `losing weight' to be one of their New Year's resolutions (36%) were asked what they will do to lose the weight. Five percent of respondents volunteered that they will cut or reduce carbohydrates. Those respondents who did not mention cutting carbs were then asked whether they "expect that limiting the amount of carbohydrates or carbs they consume will be part of their New Year's weight loss plan." Combined, 65% of Canadians who expect `losing weight' to be one of their New Year's resolutions say they will cut carbs to lose the weight.

• Canadians 35 years of age or older are more likely than younger adults to say they will cut carbs to lose the weight as part of their New Year's resolution (71% vs. 49%).

Other volunteered weight-loss strategies cited by Canadians who expect `losing weight' to be one of their New Year's resolutions are as follows: exercise/increase physical activity (68%); eat healthier foods/eat sensibly (37%); eat smaller portions (11%); diet (6%); cut down on fats (6%); cut down on snacking (5%); cut down on sugar (5%); eat more fruit and/or vegetables (4%); cut down on calories (2%); and cut down on alcohol (1%). Another 3% mention some other strategy and 2% don't know.

• Young adults 18-34 years of age who expect `losing weight' to be one of their New Year's resolutions are more likely than their elders to say they will exercise to lose the weight (80% vs. 64%).

How Much Do Canadians Know About Carbs?

Canadians were asked whether or not a list of seven items contained carbohydrates--pasta, salad dressing, chocolate, ketchup, peanut butter, iced tea, and barbeque sauce--when in fact, each of the seven food items contains carbohydrates! In six of the seven cases, a majority of Canadians answered correctly.

Nearly nine in ten (87%) Canadians know that pasta contains carbohydrates. Seven percent don't think it does and another 6% don't know.

• Residents of British Columbia (97%) are most likely to know that pasta contains carbs, followed by residents of Alberta (91%), Ontario (91%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (86%), Atlantic Canada (82%), and Quebec (76%).

• Canadians 18-54 years of age are more likely than their elders to know that pasta contains carbs (89% vs. 81%).

• Women are more likely than men to know that pasta contains carbs (90% vs. 83%).

• Canadians with at least some post secondary education are more likely than others to know that pasta contains carbs (92% vs. 78%).

Three-quarters (77%) of Canadians know that chocolate contains carbs. Fifteen percent don't think it does and another 8% don't know.

• Residents of Quebec (83%) are most likely to know that chocolate contains carbs, followed by residents of British Columbia (79%), Atlantic Canada (79%), Ontario (77%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (70%), and Alberta (67%).

• Canadians with a university degree are more likely than those without to know that chocolate contains carbs (83% vs. 75%).

Three-quarters (74%) of Canadians know that peanut butter has carbs. Sixteen percent don't think it does and another 9% don't know.

• There are no demographic trends apparent for this question.

Seven in ten (69%) Canadians know that salad dressing has carbs. Two in ten (20%) don't think it does and another 11% don't know.

• Residents of British Columbia (79%) are most likely to know that salad dressing contains carbs, followed by residents of Alberta (75%), Ontario (69%), Atlantic Canada (67%), Quebec (65%), and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (64%).

• Canadians 18-34 years of age are more likely than their elders to know that salad dressing contains carbs (76% vs. 67%).

• Women are more likely than men to know that salad dressing contains carbs (75% vs. 64%).

• Canadians with a university degree are more likely than those without to know that salad dressing contains carbs (77% vs. 67%).

Two-thirds (66%) of Canadians know that barbeque sauce contains carbs. Two in ten (21%) don't think it does and another 13% don't know.

• Residents of Quebec (73%) are most likely to know that barbeque sauce contains carbs, followed by residents of Alberta (68%), British Columbia (67%), Ontario (63%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (60%), and Atlantic Canada (58%).

• Canadians 18-54 years of age are more likely than their elders to know that barbeque sauce contains carbs (69% vs. 59%).

• Canadians with a university degree are more likely than those without to know that barbeque sauce contains carbs (76% vs. 62%).

Six in ten (60%) Canadians know that ketchup has carbs. One-quarter (27%) doesn't think it does and another 13% don't know.

• Residents of British Columbia (69%) are most likely to know that ketchup contains carbs, followed by residents of Alberta (64%), Ontario (59%), Quebec (58%), Atlantic Canada (55%), and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (55%).

• Canadians 18-54 years of age are more likely than their elders to know that ketchup contains carbs (63% vs. 54%).

• Women are more likely than men to know that ketchup contains carbs (66% vs. 54%).

• Canadians with a university degree are more likely than those without to know that ketchup contains carbs (73% vs. 55%).

Just 41% of Canadians know that iced tea contains carbohydrates. Approximately the same proportion (45%) doesn't think iced tea has carbs and another 14% don't know.

• Residents of Alberta (46%) are most likely to know that iced tea contains carbs, followed by residents of Quebec (44%), British Columbia (42%), Ontario (41%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (36%), and finally Atlantic Canada (29%).

• Young adults 18-34 years of age (56%) are most likely to know that iced tea contains carbs, followed by middle-aged Canadians 35-54 years of age (40%), and finally Canadians 55 or older (27%).

• Women are more likely than men to know that iced tea contains carbs (47% vs. 35%).

• Canadians with a university degree are more likely than those without to know that iced tea contains carbs (51% vs. 38%).

Finally, respondents were asked the following question: "Would you say that sugar is a carb?" Three-quarters (74%) of Canadians know that sugar is in fact a carb. Specifically 42% said "definitely yes" and another 31% said "probably yes." One-quarter (26%) of Canadians don't know that sugar is a carb. Specifically 7% said "definitely no," 15% said "probably no," and 4% volunteered "don't know."

• Residents of Quebec (79%) are most likely to know that sugar is a carb, followed by residents of Ontario (74%), British Columbia (73%), Alberta (72%), and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (71%). Atlantic Canadians (61%) are least likely to know that sugar is a carb.

Please open the attached PDF to view the factum and detailed tables.

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For more information on this news release, please contact:

Glenys Babcock, PhD.
Vice President
Ipsos-Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2900