Three in Ten (28%) Adult Canadians Personally Believe in Santa Claus (Up 3 Points Since 2012)
Toronto, ON - This Christmas Eve - Santa's busiest day of the year - a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Global News has found that three in ten (28%) Canadians say they personally believe in Santa Clause, up 3 points from two years ago - meaning that it isn't only children who are eagerly anticipating Jolly Old St. Nick's arrival down the chimney tonight. These figures translate into approximately 7 million adult Canadians who say they believe in Santa.
Across the country, residents of British Columbia (36%), Ontario (34%) and Atlantic Canada (34%) are most likely to say they personally believe in Santa Claus, while those in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (28%), Alberta (21%) and Quebec (15%) are less likely to say they believe in Santa.
Women (30%) are more likely to believe in Santa than men (26%), as are those over the age of 55 (31%) compared to those aged 35 to 54 (29%) and 18 to 34 (24%).
The poll has also revealed that Santa's approval rating has held steady since two years ago at 85% of Canadians who `approve' (41% strongly/43% somewhat) of his performance over the last year or so, compared to just 15% who disapprove (6% strongly/9% somewhat), making him one of the most popular figures in Canada. While the overall approval rating is unchanged from two years ago at 85%, the proportion who `strongly approve' is up 4 points to 41%. By comparison, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's approval rating is 49% overall.
Santa's approval rating is highest in Atlantic Canada (92%), and slightly lower in BC (85%), Alberta (85%) and Ontario (85%), Quebec (83%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (79%). Older Canadians are most likely to approve (88%) of Santa's performance, followed by those aged 35 to 54 (85%) and 18 to 34 (80%).
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between December 16 to 19, 2014 on behalf of Global News. For this survey, a sample of 1,005 Canadians 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 had all Canadians adults been polled. 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:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[email protected]
About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.
To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.
About Ipsos
Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. Ipsos ranks third in the global research industry.
With offices in 86 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.
Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.
Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,712,4 million (2 274 M$) in 2013.
Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos' offerings and capabilities.
