Six in Ten (63%) Canadians Say They Don't Know `Exactly What to Do' If They Encountered Someone Experiencing a
Severe Allergic Reaction

Toronto, ON - In the event that they encountered someone experiencing a severe allergic reaction and they needed help, most (63%) wouldn't know exactly what to do to help, while just four in ten (37%) Canadians say that they `would know exactly what to do' to help, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Allerject. Most Canadians either `wouldn't have any idea of what to do' (11%) or `would be uncertain of what to do' (53%). Women are more likely (40%) than men (33%) to say they know exactly what they'd do, as are those aged 18 to 34 (42%) compared to those aged 35 to 54 (37%) and 55+ (32%).

Despite the fact that most would feel uncertain, six in ten (62%) Canadians are confident that they could remain `calm and in control' in this type of situation. One in three (35%) would `be unsure and lack confidence', while 3% admit that they would `panic and be of little help'.

With an allergic reaction being potentially life threatening, every Canadian could be called upon to help save a person's life by using an epinephrine auto injector. Yet, the data reveal some troubling statistics that could prevent some Canadians from helping when that help is needed most:

• Only one half (50%) of Canadians `agrees' (16% strongly/35% somewhat) that they `know the symptoms of anaphylaxis, and would be able to recognize a severe reaction', while one half (50%) `disagrees' (19% strongly/31% somewhat) that they know the signs. Men are significantly more likely (55%) to agree than are women (45%).
• Just one half (49%) of Canadians `agrees' (18% strongly/31% somewhat) that they're `familiar with auto-injectors and know how to use one', while the other half (51%) `disagrees' (21% strongly/30% somewhat).
• Four in ten (39%) `agree' (10% strongly/29% somewhat) that `they'd be terrified of injecting someone with an auto-injector incorrectly and hurting or harming the individual', while six in ten (61%) `disagree' (25% strongly/36% somewhat) that they have this fear. Canadians aged 35+ are much more likely (65%) than those aged 18 to 34 (50%) to agree.

With roughly half of the population unsure of how to use an auto-injector, it's interesting to note that eight in ten (81%) Canadians `agree' (36% strongly/45% somewhat) that they `would have more confidence in using an auto-injector if someone verbally walked them through the steps of using it'. Just two in ten (19%) `disagree' (6% strongly/13% somewhat) that this would give them more confidence.

Most Canadians do recognize the severity of an allergic reaction and the importance of acting quickly. Most (85%) correctly `disagree' (56% strongly/30% somewhat) that `allergic reactions usually occur many hours after exposure to the allergen, so there's lots of time to provide treatment', while only 15% believe this is true (3% strongly/12% somewhat). Similarly, most (65%) `disagree' (37% strongly/29% somewhat) that `after epinephrine has been administered by an auto-injector, the next most important action is to make sure the individual goes home to rest'. However, one in three (35%) `agrees' (9% strongly/26% somewhat) that this is the best course of action.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between March 12 to 16, 2015 on behalf of Allerject. For this survey, a sample of 1,009Canadians from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/ - 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadian adults been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Sean Simpson
Vice President
Ipsos Public Affairs
(416) 572-4474
[email protected]

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