PULSE OF TORONTO - PART 5

- PULSE OF TORONTO - PART 5 - Lifestyles in Toronto - - Majority (54%) Prefer a Good Night of Sleep Versus a Good Night of Sex (38%) - - 87% Say Ban Cell Phones and Pagers in Concert Halls and 83% Want Them Banned in Movie Theatres; Doesn't Matter as Much in Places like Bars, Restaurants and Sports Arenas - - Six in Ten (61%) Say Employers Should NOT Have Right to Monitor Employee E-Mail - This Angus Reid/CFRB/Globe and Mail poll was conducted by telephone on October 25th and 26th, 1999 among a representative cross-section of 400 residents of the new city of Toronto. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Toronto population according to the 1996 Census data. With a sample of 400, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the overall results are within +4.9 percentage points of what they would have been had the entire adult Toronto population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.

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- PULSE OF TORONTO - This Angus Reid Group/CFRB/Globe and Mail Pulse of Toronto Poll investigates a number of lifestyle issues facing residents of Toronto - everything from dating to cell phones, and from hockey to e-mail. The study finds that the majority of Torontonians would choose a good night's sleep (54%) over a good night of sex (38%). The study also finds that most residents would like to see cell phones and pagers banned in concert halls and theatres, but are much more tolerant of them in places like bars, restaurants and sports arenas. And, six in ten (61%) say employers should not have the right to monitor their employees' e-mail. These are the primary findings of a poll undertaken by the Angus Reid Group on behalf of CFRB and the Globe and Mail. The poll was conducted on October 25th and 26th, 1999 among a randomly selected sample of 400 residents of the new city of Toronto and has an associated margin of error of +4.9 percentage points 19 times out of 20. Majority (54%) Prefer a Good Night of Sleep Versus a Good Night of Sex (38%) More than half (54%) say they would prefer a good night of sleep over a good night of sex. Four in ten (38%) would opt for the sex, while the remaining 8% don't know which they would prefer. Most likely to choose sleep over sex are women (63%) and respondents with an annual household income of no more than $30K (71%). Respondents aged 18 to 34 (47%), men (50%) and those with some post secondary education (49%) stand out as being the most likely to pursue sex rather than sleep. 87% Say Ban Cell Phones and Pagers in Concert Halls and 83% Want Them Banned in Movie Theatres; Doesn't Matter as Much in Places like Bars, Restaurants and Sports Arenas Almost nine in ten (87%) Torontonians would like to see cell phones and pager banned in concert halls like Roy Thompson Hall or the North York Centre for the Performing Arts, and more than eight in ten (83%) would like to see a similar fate for these electronic devices in movie theatres. For many other venues, the majority say it doesn't matter to them if cell phones and pagers are banned or not. About nine in ten (87%) say it doesn't matter to them if the devices are allowed in bars and pubs, while seven in ten hold similar views for sports arenas like the Air Canada Centre or Skydome (72%), or restaurants (71%). Overall, it would appear that, regardless of the venue, younger respondents (aged 18 to 34) are more tolerant of pagers and cell phones than older respondents (55+) are. Six in Ten (61%) Say Employers Should NOT Have Right to Monitor Employee E-Mail While four in ten (37%) feel employers should have the right to monitor all e-mails sent by their employees in the workplace, six in ten (61%) disagree. Younger respondents (71% of those aged 18 to 34), women (67%), and the most affluent (69%) are the most opposed to employer e-mail monitoring. Eight in Ten (79%) Men Would Tell the Truth if at Risk of Exposure to AIDS as a Result of Sex with Prostitute The vast majority of men surveyed (79%) say that, if their name was on a list - that became public -- of men who may have been exposed to the AIDS virus as a result of having sex with a prostitute, they would tell their partner the truth and admit what they did even though it may cost them their relationship. Thirteen percent would claim the list was mistaken and try to conceal their involvement, while another seven percent don't know what they would do. Younger men (aged 18 to 34) are more likely to tell the truth than men over the age of 55 (85% versus 66%). 51% Favour Going to a Restaurant on a First Date Half of survey respondents (51%) report that their favorite type of place to go on a first date is a restaurant - especially respondents whose annual household income is more than $60K (59%). Others want to see a show: 12% like to go to a movie on a first date, and 11% would opt for a play/opera or other theatre event. Only six percent want to head for a bar or nightclub. Others say they would like a first date that involves the outdoors - walking or a picnic (2%) - or an amusement park (2%). A more extravagant lot say their favorite place for a first date is a boat cruise or holiday(2%)! Is Toronto "The Big Lonely"? Respondents Divided Torontonians are divided on whether or not our city is a cold, impersonal place where it is hard for singles to meet: 46% say it is and 47% say it isn't. And, it doesn't matter what age, gender or level of affluence respondents are - there is no significant variation along any lines. 47% Say Toronto's Nightlife "Could be Better" Almost half (47%) of city residents say that, compared to other cities in North America, Toronto's nightlife (our bars, nightclubs and theatres) "could be better". A proud four in ten (37%) say T.O.'s nightlife is "top notch". Fewer than one in ten (8%) say the nightlife is "in need of help". Majority (57%) Say Turn Maple Leaf Gardens Into an Entertainment Complex Now that it is no longer the home of the Maple Leafs, most (57%) feel the best use of the Maple Leaf Gardens is to turn it into an entertainment complex. Condominiums are the favoured option of one in five (17%), while another 13% think the Gardens should be turned into a shopping centre. One in ten (10%) say the building should be torn down. Two Thirds (68%) Opposed to Lotteries to Assist NHL Teams Two thirds (68%) do not feel that National Hockey Leagues teams should receive financial assistance from provincial lotteries, compared to three in ten (29%) who support the idea. Opposition ranges from 58% among 18 to 34 year olds to 73% of those aged 55 and older, and from 58% of the least affluent to 76% of the most affluent respondent group. One Third (35%) Have Considered Purchasing Illegal Descrambler One third (35%) say that cable television companies charge so much they have considered buying an illegal descrambler. Men (42%) are more likely than women (28%) to have considered an illegal descrambler. Only 3% Admit to Checking Out Porn Sites at Work Only three percent admit they have used the Internet at work during office hours to visit a pornographic site. Among men this figure rises to 6%, while only one percent of women admit to having checked out porn at work. For further information on this news release, please contact: John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Angus Reid Group
(416) 324-2900
John Wright The Angus Reid Group is Canada's largest and most well known Canadian research company. Established in 1979 by Dr. Angus Reid, the company serves 1200 clients via its six offices in Canada, four offices in the United States and its European office in London, England. With a compliment of 250 full time qualitative and quantitative researchers, the company has annual revenues of $65 Million and is growing at an average rate of 30 percent per year. The employee owned company also operates its own field service entity, Direct Reid, utilizing 450 CATI telephone interviewing stations for north American calling and a 50,000 household consumer panel in Canada