Wireless Internet Usage In Canada

Toronto, ON - A new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Bell Canada and Starbucks shows that wireless Internet usage in Canada is poised to double in the next year, moving from 18% currently to 40% in 2006. The poll also shows a projected increase in usage of wireless Internet outside the home. Currently 43% of Canadian wireless Internet users report accessing the Internet wirelessly outside their home, and this is projected to rise to 72% by 2006.

Meanwhile, a quarter of Canadians (23%) say they `generally drink coffee or a coffee beverage while using the Internet'. In all, 14% of Canadians say they would spend more time in their favourite coffee shop if it offered wireless Internet access.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between September 13th and September 15th, 2005. 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 2001 Census data.

Canadian Wireless Internet Usage Projected To Double By 2006 (From 18% To 40%)

The number of Canadians using wireless Internet is poised to double over the next year. Currently, 18% of Canadians say they `access the Internet wirelessly, using a wireless enabled laptop'. When those without wireless Internet access were asked their likelihood of accessing the Internet wirelessly by 2006, a total of 27% say they are likely to do so (12% `very likely', 15% `somewhat likely'). This means that by 2006, a total of 40% of all Canadians anticipate using a wireless enabled laptop to access the Internet.

• Current wireless Internet users are more likely to be between the ages of 35 and 54 (21%, compared to 18% of 18 to 34 year olds and 14% of those aged 55 plus).
• Current wireless Internet users have a higher level of formal education (28% of university graduates, compared to 4% of those with less than a high school education).
• Higher-income Canadians are also more likely to currently have wireless Internet access (29% of those earning $60,000 or more, compared to just 7% of those earning less than $30,000).
• Growth in wireless Internet access is most likely to occur among those under the age of 55, living in BC, with a higher level of formal education, and earning higher incomes.

By 2006, Seven-In-Ten (72%) Wireless Internet Users Intend To Access The Internet Wirelessly From A Location Outside Their Home

The majority (56%) of Canadian wireless Internet users say they generally use wireless Internet `inside the home'. Another 43% indicate they use wireless Internet outside the home, with 13% saying `outside the home, for example at a wireless hotspot' and 30% saying `both inside and outside the home'.

Meanwhile, half (51%) of those who currently do not wirelessly access the Internet from outside the home say they are likely to do so by 2006, with 30% saying `very likely' and 21% saying `somewhat likely'. In other words, this means that by 2006, a total of 72% of Canadian wireless Internet users intend to access the Internet wirelessly from a location outside their home.

• Men are more likely than women to currently access the Internet outside the home (total of 50% vs. 35%).
• By 2006, those accessing the Internet wirelessly outside their home are more likely to live in the Atlantic provinces, Ontario, or Quebec, be younger than 35, men, and have a higher level of formal education.

A Quarter Of Canadians (23%) Drink A Coffee Beverage While Using The Internet

In all, 23% of Canadians say they `generally drink a coffee or coffee beverage while using the Internet'. Another 67% say this is not something they generally do, and 10% say they `do not surf the web'.

• Canadians from Saskatchewan/Manitoba (26%), Alberta (26%), and Ontario (25%) are the most likely to drink coffee while using the Internet, followed by residents in Quebec (22%) and Atlantic Canada (21%). Those in BC are the least likely to do so (16%).
• Canadians under the age of 55 are also more likely to drink coffee while using the Internet (28% of those aged 35 to 54 and 25% of those aged 18 to 34, compared to 14% of those aged 55 plus).
• Canadians with more formal education are more likely to drink coffee while using the Internet (24% of university graduates, compared to only 10% of those with less than a high school education).

And 14% Say They Would Spend More Time In Their Favourite Coffee Shop If It Offered Wireless Internet Access

In all, 14% of Canadians say they would spend more time in their favourite coffee shop if it offered wireless Internet access. Another 85% say that having wireless Internet access would not make them spend more time in their favourite coffee shop.

• Canadians aged 18 to 34 are the most likely to spend more time in their favourite coffee shop if it offered wireless Internet access (22%), followed by those between the ages of 35 to 54 (14%) and than those aged 55 plus (7%).
• Men are more likely than women to spend more time in their favourite coffee shop if it offered wireless Internet access (17% vs. 11%).

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Jamie Duncan
Vice President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
+1.403.294.7385
[email protected]

Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country's leading provider of public opinion research. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos-Reid employs more than 300 researcher professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and on-line panels. Ipsos Reid's Canadian marketing research and public affairs practices are staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, offering the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada--including the Ipsos Trend Report, the leading source of public opinion in the country--all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

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