"Shirt and Tie" (28%) and "Cardigan and Loafers" (21%) Are The Most Popular Ways To Describe Canadian Fathers, While A Third See Their Dads in A Funnier Light

Seven in Ten (68%) Canadians Believe They Are Having More Fun Than Their Parents At the Same Age, While More Than Half (56%) Believe That They are Not As Mature As Their Parents Were At A Similar Age

Toronto, ON -- According to an Ipsos-Reid poll commissioned by Diet Pepsi and released today, almost three in ten (28%) Canadians see their fathers in a "shirt and tie" sense, while a further two in ten (21%) describe their dads as "cardigan and loafer" types. However, such classic fashion faux pas as "socks with sandals" (12%), "business socks and running shoes" (10%), and "pants pulled high up over their stomachs" (9%) are chosen by almost a third of Canadians, to describe their fathers. Furthermore, seven in ten (68%) Canadians agree with the statement, "I feel that I have more more fun than their parents did at the same age". Four in ten (39%) agree that they are more mature than their parents were at their age, while 56 per cent disagree.

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid poll conducted between May 23rd to May 27th, 2001. 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 +/- 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.

One-Third (31%) Say Their Dad Falls Into The "Socks With Sandals" (12%), "Business Socks and Running Shoes" (10%) or "Pants Pulled Up High Over Stomach" (9%) Categories

Just in time for Father's Day, Canadians were asked to choose from a list of five fashion descriptions that would most closely match their own dad. The results indicate that most Canadian dads fall to the "shirt and tie" (28%) or "cardigan and loafers" (21%) categories, while one-thirds say that "socks with sandals" (12%), "business socks and running shoes" (10%) or "pants pulled up high over stomach" (9%) describes their dad best.

• Quebec (31%) and Ontario (29%) dads are more likely than dads from other provinces to be described as "shirt and tie" men.
• Dads from Alberta (40%) and British Columbia (35%) are more likely than those from Quebec (28%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (27%) and Atlantic Canada (27%) to dress according to the funnier categories: "socks with sandals", "business socks and running shoes" or "pants pulled up high over stomach".

Seven in Ten (68%) Canadians Believe They Are Having More Fun Than Their Parents At the Same Age, While More Than Half (56%) Believe That They are Not As Mature As Their Parents Were At A Similar Age

The study also suggests that Canadians strive to stay young. Seven in ten (68%) Canadians agree that they have more fun than their parents did at the same age, while more than half (56%) disagree that they are more mature than their parents were at their age. Even four in ten (38%) say that they have stopped themselves from doing something because they realized they were acting like their parents.

• British Columbians (74%) are more likely than Ontarians (64%) to agree that they are having more fun than their parents did at their age.
• Two-thirds of Albertans (68%) disagree that they feel more mature than their parents were at their age, while those in the neighbouring provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (43%) are least likely to feel this way.
• Four in ten (41%) Canadian women have stopped themselves from doing something because they realized they were acting like their parents, compared to only 34% of Canadian men.
• Albertans (46%), British Columbians (42%), Ontarians (42%) and Saskatchewan/Manitoba residents (42%) are more likely to stop themselves from doing something because they realized they were acting like their parents, than Quebecers (26%).

For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Public Affairs
Ipsos-Reid
(416) 324-2900