Serene Rules Supreme

Toronto, ON--According to an Ipsos-Reid survey conducted on behalf of Sico Paints, when it comes to choosing paint colours for their home, two-thirds (64%) of Canadians mostly prefer "serene colours, such as neutral or soft colours," while just 28% prefer "bolder colours, such as bright or darker colours."

One-quarter (27%) of Canadians say it's important for them to be informed on colour trends before making their final paint colour selection, and one-third (32%) says they are "more interested" in colour trends than they were a few years ago. Some may be turning to the Internet to research colour trends, as one in ten (11%) Canadians use the Internet to prepare for their painting projects.

Four in ten (37%) Canadians say it is important for them to know that the paint they are about to purchase is made in Canada. However, when asked what paint brands are owned and manufactured in Canada, 45% say "none" and 15% "don't know."

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/Sico Paints poll conducted from June 16th to June 17th, 2004. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1001 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. 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 weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 2001 Census data.

When it comes to choosing paint colours for their home, two-thirds (64%) of Canadians mostly prefer "serene colours, such as neutral or soft colours," while just 28% prefer "bolder colours, such as bright or darker colours." Another 4% say it "depends" and 4% have "no preference."

• Serene colours are most preferred in Quebec (70%), followed by Atlantic Canada (67%), Ontario (65%), British Columbia (63%), Alberta (58%), and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (52%).

• The propensity to prefer serene colours increases with age: 54% of those 18-34 years of age, 63% of those 35-54 years of age, and 77% of those 55 and older prefer serene colours. Accordingly the propensity to prefer bolder colours decreases with age: 41% of those 18-34 years of age, 28% of those 35-54 years of age, and 16% of those 55 and older prefer bolder colours.

One-quarter (27%) of Canadians say it's important for them to be informed on colour trends before making their final paint colour selection, while 39% say it's not important, and 33% are neutral. The remaining 1% says they "don't know."

• Women are more likely than men to be neutral (36% vs. 29%), while men are more likely than women to say it's not important (45% vs. 35%).

One-third (32%) says they are "more interested" in colour trends than they were a few years ago, 24% are "less interested," while 44% say there has been "no change" in their level of interest.

• Women are more likely than men to be "more interested" (39% vs. 23%), while men are more likely than women to say there has been "no change" in their level of interest (50% vs. 39%).

• Canadians with an annual household income less than $60,000 are more likely than other to say they are "less interested" (30% vs. 17%).

One in ten (11%) Canadians use the Internet to prepare for their painting projects, while nine in ten (89%) do not.

• Canadians 55 years of age or older are more likely than those 18-54 years of age to say they do not use the Internet to prepare for their painting projects (96% vs. 86%).

• Canadians with a high school diploma or less are more likely than others to say they do not use the Internet to prepare for their painting projects (93% vs. 87%).

Four in ten (37%) Canadians say it is important for them to know that the paint they are about to purchase is made in Canada, while three in ten (29%) say it's not important, and 33% are neutral. The remaining 1% says they "don't know."

• Residents of Quebec (43%) are most likely to say it's important, followed by residents of Atlantic Canada (42%), British Columbia (36%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (35%), Ontario (35%), and Alberta (29%).

• The propensity to say it's important increases with age: 21% of those 18-34 years of age, 38% of those 35-54 years of age, and 50% of those 55 and older say it's important.

When asked what paint brands are owned and manufactured in Canada, 45% say "none" and 15% "don't know." One in ten (11%) Canadians mentioned "Sico," while all other brands were mentioned by less than 10% of respondents.

• Residents of Alberta (57%), Ontario (50%), British Columbia (47%), Atlantic Canada (46%), and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (45%) are all significantly more likely than residents of Quebec (31%) to say "none."

• Canadians 18-34 years of age are more likely than their elders to say "none" (59% vs. 40%).

• Women are more likely than men to say "none" (50% vs. 40%) and "don't know" (18% vs. 11%). Men are more likely than women to say "Sico" (14% vs. 8%).

• Canadians with an annual household income less than $30,000 are more likely than others to say "none" (53% vs. 42%).

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

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For more information on this news release, please contact:
Carla Flamer
Senior Vice President
Ipsos-Reid
(416) 324-2900