Young Adults in Canada Place High Level of Importance on Their Communities, See Designated Driving as Part of Building a Better Community, Keeping Friends Safe

Toronto, ON - Young adults in Canada place a high level of importance on their community, and see designated driving as a way of making their community a better place to live, according to an unprecedented national survey of 2,685 young adults under the age of 35 commissioned by Labatt Breweries of Canada. The survey - conducted by Ipsos Reid in July - is Canada's largest and most comprehensive study ever released of young adults' views on their contributions to the community and attitudes towards designated driving.

Three quarters (75%) of young adults say their community is `important' (22% very/53% somewhat) to them, while just one quarter (25%) does not (4% not at all important/21% not very.) Moreover, most (84%) young adults `agree' (26% strongly/58% somewhat) that `young adults have a personal responsibility to make their communities better', while few (16%) `disagree' (3% strongly/13% somewhat).

What are young adults doing to make their community a better place? Topping the list is being `friendly with and get to know my neighbours' (51%), followed by taking `responsibility for friends when they drink alcohol' (41%). Other ways young adults are involved in their community include: participating in festivals and events (39%), being a good role model for children (37%), helping to clean up the environment (33%) and helping those less fortunate (31%), participating in sports (26%), volunteering (26%), providing assistance to the elderly (22%), getting their friends or family involved in the community (19%), mentoring children (16%) and participating in neighbourhood committees or politics (13%).

Given the wide variety of ways young adults are involved in their community, it's perhaps not surprising that a majority (54%) of young adults `agree' (13% strongly/42% somewhat) they `feel connected and involved in their community', with men (60%), those in Saskatchewan (72%) and Atlantic Canada (66%) being especially likely to agree. In fact, compared to their parents' generation, more believe they're doing a better job (28%) than a worse job (10%) of being involved and taking action for the good of their community.

Young adults also take the safety of their communities seriously, as 95% believe they personally have a duty (21% major/48% moderate/27% minor) to ensure the safety of residents in their community. How do they do that? First is making sure their home is safe from intrusion or harm (56%), followed closely by ensuring that their friends and family members don't drink and drive (53%).

Other ways young adults ensure the safety of their community include: being alert and watching out for suspicious activity or persons (50%), offering to help a friend or neighbour in need (50%), taking action when they see someone in harm's way (47%), getting to know their neighbours (44%), reporting criminal activity to the authorities (43%), watching over someone who may be consuming too much alcohol (32%), never letting anyone walk home or to transit alone at night (22%), offering assistance to a student (17%), and participating in neighbourhood or campus watch organizations (9%).

Still, 86% `agree' (30% strongly/56% somewhat) they `could be doing more to help' their community, while just 14% `disagree' (3% strongly/12% somewhat). The challenge is a majority (63%) of young adults `agree' (16% strongly/47% somewhat) `they don't know how to get more involved in their community', and believe they could use some help or encouragement. Indeed, the data reveal young adults are open to the idea of getting involved, with three quarters (77%) `agreeing' (18% strongly/58% somewhat) with the statement `if somebody asked me to be involved in something in my community, I would join'.

Designated Driving as Part of Building a Better Community...

Looking out for friends when they're drinking and ensuring their friends don't drink and drive were the second-most often cited ways young adults contribute to their community and enhance community safety, respectively. This suggests designated driving is continuing to become part of the social fabric of communities, and that most young adults make the connection between designated driving and community building. For example:

• Almost all (95%) `agree' (63% strongly/33% somewhat) designated driving is the `responsible thing to do to', while few (5%) `disagree' (1% strongly/4% somewhat).
• Nine in ten (89%) `agree' (43% strongly/46% somewhat) `volunteering as a designated driver is a way of giving back to my community'. Just one in ten (11%) `disagree' (3% strongly/8% somewhat) with this connection.
• Nine in ten (90%) `agree' (45% strongly/45% somewhat) that `designated drivers make a difference in their community, similar to those who clean up a local park or help out at a food bank'; just one in ten (10%) `disagrees' (2% strongly/8% somewhat).
• Most (94%) `agree' (56% strongly/38% somewhat) `designated drivers improve community safety'. Few (6%) `disagree' (2% strongly/5% somewhat).

And while the motivation for being a designated driver (DD) varies between individuals, most view the end result as the same - DDs keep people safe. Nine in ten (93%) agree (52% strongly/41% somewhat) that when they're the DD it's because they want to `protect my friends', and eight in ten (84%) agree they DD to `protect my community'. Almost all (95%) `agree' (59% strongly/36% somewhat) that when they DD, they can `rest assured that their family/friends will be safe'. Almost all believe DDs save lives (95%), and give peace of mind to families (94%).

Further suggesting that designated driving has become a standard social expectation among young adults, most (90%) `agree' (48% strongly/42% somewhat) it makes sense for everyone to take a turn as a DD - and when that turn arises, a majority (58%) `disagrees' (26% strongly/32% somewhat) that they feel `imposed on'. In fact, most (92%) `agree' (45% strongly/47% somewhat) they `feel good' about themselves when they do something for others, such as being a DD.

Young Adults Believe Drunk Driving on the Decline, Say Everyone Should Take Their Turn Being a Designated Driver ...

Reflecting on the prevalence of drunk driving today, nearly three in ten (26%) believe it is `declining' in their community (including 32% of British Columbians who think so), compared to just 11% who believe it is `on the rise'. However, a majority (63%) believes drunk driving `occurs about as often as it has in the past', and nine in ten (90%) agree (48% strongly/42% somewhat) `our communities need more DDs.'

Yet the data suggest that young adults, overall, feel they're making improvements over their parents: 31% believe young adults are better than their parents' generation at using DDs, compared to 16% who believe this generation of young adults is worse. Half (52%) believe they're about the same - indicating there's still room for improvement. In fact, 92% of young adults say they personally take designated driving `seriously' (60% very/32% somewhat).

One of the ways young adults ensure they have transportation home is to make arrangements ahead of time. Most (86%) `agree' that when they go out with friends, they `decide ahead of time who will be the designated driver.' Just 14% (4% strongly agree/10% somewhat agree) indicate they don't employ this approach.

Among the 80% of young adults in the survey who have a driver's license, 21% say they're the DD all of the time. Six in ten (57%) say that they're `sometimes' the DD, and 22% say they're never the DD. These findings are consistent with a survey commissioned by Labatt and conducted by Ipsos Reid last year on the involvement and social acceptance of young adult designated driving in Canada. The 2014 survey reveals men (24%) are more likely than women (19%) to say they DD all of the time, as are those aged 25 to 29 (24%) compared to those of legal drinking age to 24 (22%) or 30 to 34 (18%). Atlantic Canada (31%) has the highest proportion of those who say they always DD.

While the proportion of licensed drivers who are DDs is consistent with the 2013 survey, those who serve as DDs are taking on the role slightly more often, having been the DD an average of 20 times in the last three years, up slightly from the 19 times in the three previous years reported in 2013 survey.

Since existing DDs are volunteering slightly more often, it appears the challenge is to convince the 22% who never take on the role to take their turn as a DD. Nine in ten (90%) young adults `agree' (48% strongly/42% somewhat) that `it makes sense for everyone to take a turn as a DD', while just one in ten (10%) `disagree' (2% strongly/8% somewhat). A similar proportion agrees (90%) (47% strongly/43% somewhat) that `it's important to me that more people share the responsibility of being a designated driver, while just 10% `disagree' (2% strongly/8% somewhat). These figures suggest that more than half of the 22% who say they never DD themselves believe they too should take their turn.

DDs are Community Leaders, Cool, and Save Lives ...

Designated drivers hold a position of respect in Canadian society, but many feel they are perhaps not as celebrated as they could be. Most (94%) `agree' (55% strongly/39% somewhat) that `designated drivers are people who take personal responsibility for the wellbeing of others', and are `leaders who care about others' (91% agree - 47% strongly/44% somewhat). Most importantly, 91% go so far as to `agree' (50% strongly/41% somewhat) that `if it weren't for designated drivers, there would be a lot more car accidents and fatalities in my community,' while just 9% `disagree' (2% strongly/7% somewhat) with this assertion. Nine in ten (86%) agree with the simple statement that DDs are `cool' (38% strongly agree/48% somewhat agree). Only a minority (14%) `disagree' (3% strongly/11% somewhat).

And while six in ten (60%) `agree' (22% strongly/39% somewhat) `designated drivers get enough credit for the service they perform, four in ten (40%) `disagree' (9% strongly/30% somewhat). This is likely informing the notion that, if DDs got more credit for what they do, more people would volunteer to be one. A large majority (86%) agrees (42% strongly/44% somewhat) with this supposition, while just 14% `disagree' (3% strongly/12% somewhat) that greater appreciation would lead more people to volunteer as designated drivers.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between July 10th and 22nd, 2014 on behalf of Labatt. For this survey, a sample of 2,685 young adults (between the ages of Legal Drinking Age in their respective province to 34) from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure the sample's composition reflects that of the 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 +/- 2 percentage points had all young 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:

Sean Simpson
Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 572-4474
[email protected]

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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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