Six in Ten (59%) Canadians Believe Washing Car by Hand in Driveway More Environmentally Friendly Than Commercial Carwash (38%)

Toronto, ONTARIO - According to a new study conducted by Ipsos-Reid on behalf of Suncor Energy Products Inc., six in ten (59%) Canadians believe that washing a car by hand in the driveway is more environmentally friendly than using a commercial carwash (38%).

However, when households that own or lease a car (81% of Canadian households) are asked how the car is washed most often, a majority (53%) report using a commercial carwash. Just under half (46%) report that their car is most often washed by hand in the driveway.

Canadian households with a car indicate that during a typical year, their cars are washed on average 3 times per month (mean 3.03).

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid poll conducted on behalf of Suncor Energy Products Inc. between April 22nd and April 24th, 2003. 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 2001Census data.

Six in ten (59%) Canadians believe that washing a car by hand in the driveway is more environmentally friendly than using a commercial carwash (38%). Three percent indicate they `don't know'.

• Regionally, residents of Quebec (71%) are more likely than are those in Ontario (58%), Atlantic Canada (55%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (48%) and Alberta (39%) to say that washing a car by hand in the driveway is more environmentally friendly than by using a commercial carwash. Conversely, residents of Alberta (57%) are more likely than those in Ontario (40%), Atlantic Canada (39%), British Columbia (35%) and Quebec (26%) to opt for the commercial carwash as the more environmental friendly way to wash a car.
• Younger (65%) Canadians are more likely than are their middle aged (54%) counterparts to believe hand washing a car is more environmentally friendly than is a commercial carwash, while middle aged (54%) Canadians are more likely than younger (33%) Canadians to opt for the commercial carwash.
• Canadians with a high school or less education (65%) are more likely than those with a post-secondary or university education (55%) to believe that hand washing is more environmentally friendly than using a commercial carwash. Conversely, those with post-secondary or university education (42%) are more likely than those with less education (32%) to believe that a commercial carwash is more environmentally friendly than washing a car by hand in the driveway.

However, when households that own or lease a car (81% of Canadian households) are asked how the car is washed most often, a majority (53%) report using a commercial carwash. Just under half (46%) report that their car is most often washed by hand in the driveway. One percent indicate they `don't know'.

• Residents of Atlantic Canada (62%), followed by those in Quebec (59%) and British Columbia (58%), are more likely to report washing their household's car by hand than are those in Ontario (42%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (24%) and Alberta (20%). Residents of Alberta (80%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (75%) and Ontario (57%) are the most likely to report using a commercial carwash most often to wash their household's car.
• There is no statistical difference between the views of different, age, gender, or household income groups on this question.

Canadian households with a car indicate that during a typical year, their cars are washed on average 3 times per month (mean 3.03).

• The average number of monthly car washes across the country is: Ontario (4.06), Quebec (2.70), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (2.57), Atlantic Canada (2.43), Alberta (2.30) and British Columbia (1.90).
• The average number of monthly car washes between household income groups is: $60,000+ (3.47), $30,000 to $59,999 (3.07), less than $30,000 (2.33).

-30-
For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Ipsos-Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2900