RBC Financial Group 13th Annual Housing Survey

Toronto, ON - The 13th Annual RBC Housing Survey, conducted by Ipsos Reid, asks Canadians what sacrifices they would be willing to make in order to make a new home more affordable. The survey indicates that Canadians would rather "buy a smaller home to save money" (51% first choice, 44% second choice), "move closer to work to save money/time commuting" (46% first choice, 44% second choice), "move to a different area that is less expensive" (44% first choice, 48% second choice), or "take another job to make more money" (43% first choice, 32% second choice) than "borrow money from friends and/or family to make it more affordable" (83% would never consider) or "live with friends/family to share expenses" (70% would never consider).

The survey also reveals that when purchasing a home, Canadians rank community safety (57%) the most important of a series of factors regarding the community in which they would live. Following community safety is job proximity (36%) in the second tier and living close to family (23%), shopping (21%), and public transportation (20%) in the third tier.

• As might be expected, job proximity is more important to young adults 18-24 years of age (52%) and living close to family (30%) and shopping (33%) is more important to those 55 years of age or older.

Please refer to detailed data tables and PowerPoint charts for full results.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid/RBC Financial Group poll conducted from January 18th to January 24th, 2006. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 2,158 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within +/-2.1 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 Census data.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
416.324.2900
[email protected]

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 300 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.

Ipsos
Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

Member companies 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. They measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999. In 2005, Ipsos generated global revenues of Euro 717.8 million ($853.8 million U.S.).

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