Super Connected Species Report

Toronto--A new Ipsos Reid survey, conducted on behalf of MSN, reveals that on-line Canadians communicate with many different people everyday, through a variety of communication tools, anywhere and anytime. In fact, on-line Canadians, on average, estimate they interact or connect with approximately 23 people everyday, with Monday being the busiest day of the week for communications (32% indicate they have the most interactions on this day). Most commonly, they interact with others through face-to-face conversation (accounting for, on average, 38% of their total daily interactions), but email follows closely as the next most common form of interaction (accounting for 30%).

When it comes to communication tools, email is the most commonly used (average of 7.3 times per day).

But on-line Canadians tend to use different communication tools for different times of the day. For example, in the morning before and during breakfast, email (18%) is more popular than mobile phone call (3%), while at night after 9 p.m. they are more likely to use email or instant messaging (both at 12%) than text-messaging (2%). Further:

• While the majority (78%) are likely to use email during any part of the week, many more (19%) use email during the work-week than use it during the week-end; and similarly
• More are likely to communicate by "written letters or notes" (15% vs. 9%) and by "telephone call" (12% vs. 5%) during the work-week than on the week-end.

Those who indicated that they use text-based communications technologies (email, instant messaging, text messaging) for most of their communications needs (more than 50%), were asked why they communicate most often through these methods. The top reasons chosen were that it allows communication anywhere and everywhere (74%), it is the easiest way to keep in touch (63%), it is fast (61%), and it allows you to communicate on your own terms, when time permits (58%).

Not only do they use different communication tools during different times of the day and week, many on-line Canadians use different types of communication tools for different types of relationships in their lives. For example, they are more likely to contact:

• Their romantic partner or spouse by "mobile phone" then they are by "email" (33% vs. 16%); and
• An old friend by "instant messaging" then they are by "mobile phone" (11% vs. 5%).

A strong majority (83%) agree that "on-line communication, overall, has had a positive effect on their life" (30% "strongly agree"). And, many agree that on-line communication has allowed them to be more outwardly social (49%), to locate old lost friends (45%), and to act more like themselves (39%).
Please open the attached PDF to view the factum and detailed tables.

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For more information on this news release, please contact:

Paul Orovan
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2900