WHAT CANADIANS DID WITH THE HOLIDAY GIFTS YOU GAVE THEM IN DECEMBER...

Toronto, Ontario - According to an Ipsos-Reid poll released today more than one-in-three Canadians (34%) say they received at least one gift during the holiday season last December that they didn't like, didn't fit into, or couldn't use.

Typically, when receiving "unwanted" gifts, about a quarter (23%) keep and use them anyway - but the majority of Canadians claim to return the gifts (26%), store or put the gifts away (22%) or pass them along to someone else (25%).

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid poll conducted between March 19th and March 21st. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 1,000 adult 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 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/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 1996 Census data.

Key findings from the survey indicate that...

• While more than half of Canadians (57%) were satisfied with their holiday gifts, more than one-in-three (34%) received at least one gift that they didn't like, didn't fit into, or couldn't use during the last holiday season.
• On average, Canadians received one gift they didn't like, didn't fit into, or couldn't use during the last holiday season.
• Regionally, those living in Quebec were more satisfied with their gifts with only 12% dissatisfied. By contrast, almost half (48%) of those living in Alberta admit they got something they didn't care for. Similarly, two-in-five in Ontario (41%) and Atlantic Canada (40%) were of the same view.
• Younger Canadians between the ages of 18-34 are most dissatisfied with their holiday gifts - almost half of these (44%) admit they received at least one holiday gift that they did not like, did not fit or could not use, compared to 22% of older Canadians over the age of 55.
• Females claimed to have received slightly more (36%) gifts that they did not like, did not fit, or could not use than males (31%) during the last holiday season.

What Canadians typically do with gifts they don't like, don't fit into, or can't use

• Only 23% claim they typically keep and use "unwanted" gifts anyway. More than one-in-four (26%) claim they return the gifts, 25% claim they pass the gifts along to someone else and 22% claim they store and put the gifts away.
• Regionally, those living in Alberta and BC (37% and 36% respectively), followed by those living in Sask/Manitoba and Atlantic Canada (both 33%) are more likely to return "unwanted" gifts than Canadians living elsewhere.
• By contrast, those living in Quebec are least likely to return "unwanted" gifts (10%) and equally likely (29% in each) to store the gifts or put them away, keep and use them anyway or pass the gifts along to someone else.
• Those living in Ontario claim to either return "unwanted" gifts or pass them along (both 27%). One-in-five (20%) claim to keep and use the gifts anyway.
• Younger Canadians between the ages of 18-34 are typically more likely to return the gifts (30%), whereas older Canadians (55+) are more likely to pass the gifts along to someone else (30%).
• One third (32%) of Canadians from high-income households ($60K+) typically return "unwanted" gifts (32%), whereas Canadians from low income households are more likely to keep and use the gifts anyway (27%), or pass them along (26%).
• There are no real gender differences in what Canadians typically do with gifts they do not like, do not fit or cannot use.

To view the complete factum and tables, please download the attached PDF file.

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For more information on this news release, please contact:

Janet Lazaris
Senior Vice-President
Consumer Strategy Group
Ipsos-Reid
(416) 324-2900