So, If You Won $25,000 For Education, Just What Would You Do With It?
So, If They Gave It Away, What Would They Want The Receiver To Do With It?
Of those who would give it to someone else (69%), almost three in ten (27%) indicate they would like to see the person major in "whatever subject they want," while the remaining amount (64%) indicate specific categories ranging from medicine (13%), science (12%), and business (5%) to less common responses such as computer science (4%), engineering (4%), law (3%), education (3%), or social sciences (2%). One in ten (9%) indicate they "don't know."
And, If They, Themselves Could Make The Choice, Some For The Second Time...
When asked the hypothetical question as to what they would do if they won a $25,000 educational fund and it was up to them to decide what to do, four in ten (37%) Canadians say they would go back and re-do their college or university education and major in the same subject, while three in ten (29%) would major in something different. One in three (33%) Canadians indicate it would be their first time attending a post-secondary institution. The remaining 2% indicate they "don't know."
And What Would They Take?
When all Canadians are asked what subject area they would study if they had $25,000 to spend, 12% indicate they would study humanities, 11% say business/economics, 10% say medicine, 8% say computer science, 7% say trades, 6% say science, and 6% say social studies. Three in ten (29%) gave less common responses such as fine arts (4%), law (4%), or education (3%). Six percent (6%) say they "don't know," and 5% say they "don't want to go back to school."
And Would They Do It For Fun And Interest...Or Work?
Of those who do know what they would study (88%), four in ten (43%) indicate they would study it "for interest and fun," three in ten (32%) would study it to allow them to change their line of work or career, and one-quarter (23%) say they'd study the subject to help them in their current line of work (1% say they don't know).
What Would They Spend It On...Tuition, Room & Board, Books?
Thinking of the $25,000 donation, six in ten (60%) of those who know what they would study indicate they would expect to spend the majority of the money on tuition. One in seven (14%) would expect to spend the majority of the donation on living expenses such as food, clothing, and entertainment, 11% say accommodations, 11% say books, and 3% say transportation (1% don't know).
Where Would They Go?
Asked which Canadian post-secondary institution they would attend, respondents provided an array of answers with the University of Toronto generating the most responses (6%). Three in ten (29%) Canadians are unsure of which Canadian post-secondary institution they would attend.
These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid poll conducted on behalf of Mastercard between August 26th and 28th, 2003. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 1059 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 population of 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 composition reflects that of the actual population according to the 2001 Census data.
If adult Canadians won a $25,000 contribution to an education fund, three in ten (27%) would use it for themselves and 69% would give it to other people. In fact, overall, four in ten (37%) would give it to their child or children and one-third (33%) would give it to other friends, family members, or charity. Two percent (2%) indicated they "don't know."
- Residents of Quebec (35%) are most likely to say they would be the beneficiary, followed by residents of British Columbia (25%), Ontario (24%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (24%), Alberta (23%), and Atlantic Canada (22%). There are no regional statistical differences for those who choose their child/children to be the beneficiary.
- Middle-aged Canadians (50%) are more likely than their younger (28%) and older (31%) counterparts to choose their child/children as the beneficiary, whereas young adults (51%) are more likely to than middle-aged (20%) and older (9%) Canadians to choose themselves as the beneficiary.
- Canadians with a high school diploma (32%) or a college degree/some post-secondary (29%) are more likely than those with less than a high school diploma (18%) or a university degree (23%) to say they would be the beneficiary. There are no statistical differences among education groups for those who choose their child/children to be the beneficiary.
- Canadians from with an annual household income greater than $60,000 (44%) are more likely than those with an annual household income less than $60,000 (34%) to choose their child/children as the beneficiary, whereas those with an annual household income less than $30,000 (35%) are more likely than those with an annual income greater than $30,000 (23%) to choose themselves to be the beneficiary.
Of those who would give it to someone else (69%), almost three in ten (27%) indicate they would like to see the person major in "whatever subject they want," while the remaining amount (64%) indicate specific categories ranging from medicine (13%), science (12%), and business (5%) to less common responses such as computer science (4%), engineering (4%), law (3%), education (3%), or social sciences (2%). One in ten (9%) indicate they "don't know."
- Residents of Quebec (36%) are most likely to say the beneficiary should major in whatever they want, followed by residents of British Columbia (31%), Alberta (27%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (27%), Ontario (23%), and finally Atlantic Canada (16%).
- There are no other statistically significant differences for this question.
When asked the hypothetical question as to what they would do if they won a $25,000 educational fund and it was up to them to decide what to do, four in ten (37%) Canadians say they would go back and re-do their college or university education and major in the same subject, while three in ten (29%) would major in something different. One in three (33%) Canadians indicate it would be their first time attending a post-secondary institution. The remaining 2% indicate they "don't know."
- Residents of Quebec (44%) are most likely to study the same subject, followed by residents of British Columbia (37%), Ontario (36%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (34%), Atlantic Canada (32%), and Alberta (28%). Residents of Ontario (32%) are most likely to study something different, followed by residents of British Columbia (31%), Alberta (27%), Quebec (27%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (26%), and Atlantic Canada (21%). Atlantic Canadians (45%) are most likely to say this would be their first time attending a post-secondary institution, followed by residents of Alberta (43%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (40%), British Columbia (32%), Ontario (31%), and Quebec (25%).
- University graduates (65%) are more likely than those with a college degree/some post-secondary education (41%) to say they would study the same subject, whereas Canadians with a college degree/some post-secondary education (45%) are more likely than university graduates (33%) to say they would study something different.
When all Canadians are asked what subject area they would study if they had $25,000 to spend, 12% indicate they would study humanities, 11% say business/economics, 10% say medicine, 8% say computer science, 7% say trades, 6% say science, and 6% say social studies. Three in ten (29%) gave less common responses such as fine arts (4%), law (4%), or education (3%). Six percent (6%) say they "don't know," and 5% say they "don't want to go back to school."
- There are no statistically significant differences for this question.
Of those who do know what they would study (88%), four in ten (43%) indicate they would study it "for interest and fun," three in ten (32%) would study it to allow them to change their line of work or career, and one-quarter (23%) say they'd study the subject to help them in their current line of work (1% say they don't know).
- Residents of Quebec (60%) are most likely to say they would study it for interest and fun, followed by residents of British Columbia (43%), Alberta (39%), Atlantic Canada (39%), Ontario (37%), and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (37%). Residents of Saskatchewan/Manitoba (40%) are most likely to say they would study it to change their line of work, followed closely by residents of British Columbia (39%), Alberta (38%), Ontario (35%), Atlantic Canada (32%), and finally Quebec (20%). Residents of Ontario (27%) are most likely to say they would study it to help in their current line of work, followed closely by residents of Atlantic Canada (26%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (23%), Alberta (20%), Quebec (19%), and British Columbia (18%).
- Canadians 55 years of age or older (68%) are more likely than those age 18-54 (35%) to say they would study it for interest and fun, whereas those aged 18-54 are more likely to say they would study it to change their line of work (38% vs. 16%) or to help in their current line of work (27% vs. 13%).
- Canadians without a university degree (37%) are more likely than those with (20%) to study it to change their line of work. Canadians with a university degree or college degree/some post-secondary (27%) are more likely than those without (15%) to study it to help in their current line of work.
- Canadians with an annual household income less than $60,000 (36%) are more likely than those with an income greater than $60,000 (26%) to say they would study it to change their line of work. Canadians with an annual household income greater than $60,000 (31%) are more likely than those with less (19%) to say they would study it to help in their current line of work.
Thinking of the $25,000 donation, six in ten (60%) of those who know what they would study indicate they would expect to spend the majority of the money on tuition. One in seven (14%) would expect to spend the majority of the donation on living expenses such as food, clothing, and entertainment, 11% say accommodations, 11% say books, and 3% say transportation (1% don't know).
- Residents of Ontario (67%) are most likely to say they expect to spend the majority of the money on tuition, followed by residents of British Columbia (64%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (61%), Atlantic Canada (59%), Alberta (57%), and finally Quebec (49%).
- Canadians between the ages 18 and 54 (65%) are more likely than their elders (48%) to expect to spend the majority of the money on tuition.
- Women (64%) are more likely than men (57%) to expect to spend the majority of the money on tuition.
- Canadians with a university degree (66%) or a college degree/some post-secondary education are more likely than those without (50%)to expect to spend the majority of the money on tuition.
- Canadians with an annual household income greater than $60,000 (72%) are more likely than those with less (54%) to expect to spend the majority of the money on tuition.
Asked which Canadian post-secondary institution they would attend, respondents provided an array of answers with the University of Toronto generating the most responses (6%). Three in ten (29%) Canadians are unsure of which Canadian post-secondary institution they would attend.
- There are no statistically significant differences for this question.
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For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Ipsos-Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2900
