One in Three (35%) Canadians Say Boston Marathon Bombing has Changed the Way they Feel about Taking Part in
Large Public Events

Toronto, ON - The year 2013 witnessed two horrifying terrorist attacks on innocent civilians - one far overseas and the other close to home. The Westgate shopping mall attack saw unidentified gunmen storm a high-end shopping mall and kill at least 72 people with scores more injured. The Boston marathon bombings turned an exciting and historical public event into chaos after two homemade bombs exploded near the finish line, and a mass man-hunt ensued to find the suspect - which eventually succeeded. These terrorist attacks have been named the 7th largest story in 2013 by CTV News, Ipsos's media partner.

With the Boston bombing being so close to home, it had particular resonance for Canadians. In fact, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted for CTV has revealed that one in three (35%) `agree' (7% strongly/28% somewhat) that `the Boston marathon bombing has changed the way they feel about taking part in large public events', while two in three (65%) `disagree' (24% strongly/41% somewhat).

Quebecers (38%) are most likely to say the bombings have changed the way they feel about taking part in large public events, followed by those living in Alberta (35%), Atlantic Canada (34%), Ontario (34%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (34%) and British Columbia (32%).

Interestingly, those with a household income of less than $40,000 a year are most likely to agree (40%), while those whose families earn between $40,000 and $60,000 (33%), $60,000 to $100,000 (31%) or more than $100K a year (29%) are significantly less likely to agree that the bombings have changed the way they feel about taking part in large public events.

Further, women (40%) are much more likely than men (30%) to say they've changed their views since the bombing, as are younger adults aged 18-34 (41%, aged 18-34), compared to middle-aged (32%, aged 35-54) and older (33%) Canadians, aged 55+.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between December 9th to 13th, 2013, on behalf of CTV News. For this survey, a sample of 2,535 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 +/- 2.2 percentage points of the entire Canadian adult 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:

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.

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