Two Thirds (64%) of Canadians Say Canada's Olympic Team
Met (58%) or Exceeded (6%) Their Expectations

Toronto, ON - Two thirds (64%) of Canadians say Canada's Olympic Team `met' (58%) or `exceeded' (6%) their expectations, while one in three (34%) say Canada's Olympians `fell short' of their expectations, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on Monday evening and Tuesday morning via its Overnight Online Omnibus. At the 2012 London Olympic Games, Canada ranked 13th in the medal count, with 1 gold, 5 silver and 12 bronze medals.

Seven in ten (69%) Canadians `agree' (21% strongly/49% somewhat) that they are `satisfied with Team Canada's medal count at the Olympics', but three in ten (31%) `disagree' (6% strongly/24% somewhat) that they are satisfied. But this isn't to take anything away from the individual athletes who represented Canada: almost all (95%) `agree' (62% strongly/33% somewhat) that they are `proud of the individual athletes that represented Canada at the Olympics', while just 5% `disagree' (2% strongly/3% somewhat).

It is often argued that Canada is a winter country, and, as such we tend to excel more in winter sports. However, a majority (55%) of Canadians actually `disagree' (15% strongly/39% somewhat) with the premise that `Canada can't be expected to do as well at the Summer Olympics as it should for the Winter Olympics'. Only a minority (45%) `agrees' (10% strongly/36% somewhat) that Canada can't be expected to as well at the Summer Games as the Winter Games.

Canadians likely understand that the amount of funding that is given to athletes to train and compete is correlated to performance and medal count at the Games, and the investment that went into the "Own the Podium" program for Vancouver 2010 demonstrated this success. Eight in ten (80%) `agree' (38% strongly/42% somewhat) that they would `support government using lottery and gaming revenue to provide greater funding for Canada's athletes to train and compete'. Just two in ten (20%) Canadians `disagree' (8% strongly/12% somewhat) with this approach to funding our athletes.

The Olympics were filled with upsets and controversy for Canada, the most famous example being the officiating in the women's semi-final soccer match against the United States. Interestingly, six in ten (58%) Canadians `agree' (15% strongly/44% somewhat) that `Canada got treated unfairly by judges and referees during the Olympics', while only four in ten (42%) `disagree' (9% strongly/33% somewhat) that Team Canada was treated unfairly.

But a majority (55%) of Canadians `agree' (9% strongly/46% somewhat) that the `hype over the judging and refereeing is nonsense - some calls go your way, others don't'. Nearly half (45%), though, `disagree' (14% strongly/31% somewhat) that the hype over judging and how Canada was treated is nonsense.

While Canadians had mixed things to say about the officiating, they are nearly unanimously positive about London's hosting of the Games. Nearly all (96%) Canadians `agree' (51% strongly/45% somewhat) that `overall, London did a great job hosting the Olympics', while just 4% `disagree' (1% strongly/3% somewhat) that they did.

Twitterverse Mixed on Canada's Medal Performance...

In addition to the overnight poll, Ipsos Reid used its Social Listening approach to gauge the reaction to Canada's medal performance in the Twitterverse. The results are decidedly split down the middle.

A Boolean search query was utilized to identify and monitor online discussion on Twitter on August 12th and 13th, 2012. The search uncovered 446 total relevant mentions relating specifically to Canada's medal count or overall performance, of which Ipsos Reid researchers identified that 41% were positive mentions compared with 40% that were negative mentions. The remaining 19% of comments relating to Canada's medal count posted via Twitter over the two days are classified are neutral.

So while the results of the poll showed that most people were satisfied and had their expectations met, the Twitterverse was much more mixed in its verdict.

Ipsos Reid's Social Listening approach is designed to expand the scope of traditional survey and research vehicles. Recognizing that public opinion is often shaped and influenced by a relatively small number of content creators in the social media sphere, the Social Listening approach provides another snapshot into the opinions and beliefs of these key influencers who are content creators in social media, and can often drive opinions and attitudes in the mainstream media and public opinion.

The positive mentions can be clustered into these common themes:

• Many are extremely proud of Canadian athletes and overall team performance.
• Strong focus on Canadian pride, passion and grit.
• Looking forward to Rio 2016 and even more to Sochi 2014 where many think Canada will be in a prime position to compete for a spot at the top of the rankings.

The negative mentions can be clustered into these common themes:

• Many are upset that Canada finished with less gold medals than Kazakhstan, Kenya, Ukraine, North Korea, etc, and so many less medals than U.S. and China.
• Want the Canadian government to increase support and funding for athletes.
• There were negative comparisons to past Canadian Olympic performances.
• Low expectations for Canadian success in summer sports; looking forward to Winter Olympics, asserting that Canada is a winter nation.

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These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between August 13 and 14, 2012, on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television. For this survey a samples 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. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in Canada 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.

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