A Rose by Any Other Name . . .

Toronto, ONTARIO - According to a poll conducted by Ipsos-Reid on behalf of Hallmark Canada, Canadians think highly of their mothers. Nearly one-half (46%) described their mom as a "rose" - - caring, loving, and supporting, compared to only 9% who selected "weed" from the list of descriptors. Mother-in-laws did not fare quite as well as moms but not as poorly as some might think. Among those Canadians who have a mother-in-law, one-third (32%) would characterize her as a "rose" compared to one-fifth (18%) who suggested she was more like a "weed" - - resilient, intrusive, and bold.

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid poll conducted for Hallmark Canada between March 26th and 28th, 2002. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 1,000 adult Canadians. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 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 statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 1996 Census data.

Nearly one-half (46%) of adult Canadians selected "the rose", as the flower which best represents their mother. This one flower was chosen more often than any other on the list. In descending order of frequency, Canadians described their mothers as a:

Rose - beautiful, loving, supportive (46%)

Sunflower - active, strong, confident (23%)

Tulip - bright, fun, free-spirit (12%)

Weed - resilient, intrusive, bold (9%)

Orchid - sophisticated, exotic, sensitive (6%)

• "Roses" were selected most often by Canadians in Atlantic Canada (56%) and Manitoba/Saskatchewan (54%) and by those 55 and older (53%).
• "Tulips" were the flower chosen more often by 18 to 34 year olds (17%) than any other age group.
• "Orchids" were chosen most often by Canadians in Quebec (10%).
• "Weeds", not selected by many to represent their mother, were selected twice as often by Canadians under 55 than those 55 and older (10% versus 5% respectively).

Those Canadians bold enough to characterize their mothers as "weeds" did, for the most part, have the good graces to pick one of the sunnier varieties - - the dandelion (56%). Comparatively few selected crab grass (16%), ragweed (12%), or bur (12%).

Contrary to what some may believe, Mother-in-Laws rank favourably with Canadians. Using the same flowers and descriptors as before, less than one-in-five (18%) Canadians who have ever had a mother-in-law would identify this woman with a "weed", characterized as resilient, intrusive, and bold. Similar to moms, mother-in-laws were also described as a rose (32%), sunflower (23%), tulip (18%), and orchid (8%).

• "Roses" were selected most often by Canadians in Atlantic Canada (40%) and Ontario (37%) and by those 55 and older (39%).
• "Sunflowers" were the flower chosen more often by Canadians on the prairies (34% in Manitoba/Saskatchewan).
• "Tulips" and "orchids" were chosen most often by Canadians in Quebec (23% and 12% respectively).
• "Weeds", were evenly distributed across the country.

To view the complete factum and tables, please open the attached PDF files.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Shelley Edwards
Vice-President
Ipsos-Reid
(416) 324-2900