Where There's A Will, There's A Way To Ensure Your Wishes Are Carried Out

Toronto, ON -According to a new Ipsos Reid survey conducted on behalf of RBC Financial Group, almost half (46 per cent) of Canadians have written a will to ensure their last wishes are carried out. And, among those who have not yet written their will (54 per cent), a majority (56 per cent) of them say they are very (24 per cent) or somewhat likely (32 per cent) to write their wills in the upcoming year.

The way Canadians think about wills, and how they want their last wishes carried out, varies across the country's regions and by age and other demographics. For example:

• Quebecers are more likely (51 per cent) than other Canadians to have a will, followed by Ontario (46 per cent), the Prairies (44 per cent), British Columbia (42 per cent) and Atlantic Canada (37 per cent)
• 54 per cent of those currently married or living common law and 55 per cent of those who are divorced, separated or widowed, have a will. This compared to only 16 per cent among those who are single and who have never married
• 77 per cent of those aged 55 years or older have a will. That drops to 46 per cent among those 35 to 54, and then down to 13 per cent for those in the 18 to 34 age group

Of those who do not have a will (54 per cent), just under half (45 per cent) have thought about who they would appoint as an executor. And, whether they have already chosen an executor or not, 39 per cent of Canadians would select their spouse/partner. Another 25 per cent would choose one of their children, 22 per cent said their sibling, 19 per cent said another family member, and 10 per cent said a family friend.

Among those Canadians who have agreed to be executors, when asked how it felt when they were first asked to serve in that role, 58 per cent said that they had felt it would be an honour.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid Canada/RBC Financial Group poll conducted between August 11 and August 15, 2006. For the survey, invitations were sent out to a representative sample of Canadian adults 18 years of age or older, resulting in 2,352 completed online interviews. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within +/-2.0 per cent, 19 times out of 20.