Young Women Trust The Pill Over All Other Methods of Birth Control for Preventing Pregnancy

Toronto, ON - According to a new study conducted by Ipsos-Insight on behalf of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, young Canadian women (aged 18 to 24) trust the pill - currently used by 53% of those polled - more than any other method of birth control for preventing pregnancy. Survey results also suggest that young women are taking control of their bodies, as 63% indicate they would never trust a man to take a male birth control pill, and three quarters (76%) think that women are more responsible than men when it comes to birth control.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos-Insight/Wyeth Pharmaceuticals poll conducted between November 28th and December 7th, 2003. The telephone survey is based on a randomly selected sample of 704 Canadian women between the ages of 18 and 24. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire target 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 composition reflects that of the actual population according to the 1996 Census data.

53% of Women Aged 18 to 24 Choose the Pill as Their Method of Birth Control...

The birth control pill is the most widely used method of birth control - currently being used by 53% of Canadian women aged 18 to 24, followed by condoms at 25% and then hormone injections (7%). A quarter of respondents (24%) indicate they are not currently using any type of birth control. For those respondents not using any birth control, not currently being in a relationship with a fertile man was the primary reason.

• Residents of Quebec are more likely than women in Ontario to be on the pill (63% vs. 49%, respectively).

• Women in Western provinces (27%) and Ontario (26%) are more likely than Quebecers (16%) to say they are not using any birth control method.

...And 84% Are Satisfied With Their Choice

In terms of satisfaction with their current birth control method, 84% of pill users are either "extremely" or "very" satisfied, versus 71% of non pill users.

Preventing Pregnancy Isn't The Only Reason For Starting Birth Control - 33% Were Seeking Cycle Control

One third (33%) of women aged 18 to 24 who are currently taking birth control started using it as a way to control their menstrual cycle. Twenty-nine percent because they were "planning on becoming sexually active soon" and 19% "had already started having sex and didn't want to take any more chances".

• Residents of Eastern provinces were the most likely to cite control of the menstrual cycle as the reason why they first started using birth control (52% vs. 30% in the West, 37% in Ontario and 24% in Quebec).

• Quebec women were the most likely to cite "was planning on becoming sexually active soon" as the reason why they first started using birth control (42% vs. 21% in the West, 29% in Ontario, 22% in the East).

The average age at which birth control is first used is 16.4.

• Residents of Quebec were more likely to have started at a younger age than the rest of Canada (15.8 vs. 16.8 in the West, 16.6 in Ontario and the East).

Women Are In Control When it Comes to Birth Control - and That's Just The Way They Want it

"When it comes to birth control, women are more responsible than men": Three quarters (76%) of respondents agreed with this statement.

• Residents of Ontario (80%) were more likely than residents of Quebec (68%) to agree with this statement.

Close to two thirds (63%) agree with "I would never trust a man to take a birth control pill".

• Residents of Western provinces (66%), Ontario (68%) and Eastern provinces (66%) were more likely than residents of Quebec (46%) to agree with this statement.

Canadian women aren't shy when it comes to discussing birth control with their friends: 86% do so openly.

Residents of Quebec are more likely than Ontarians to discuss birth control with their friends (90% vs. 82%, respectively).

Pill users are more likely than non pill users to discuss birth control with their friends (93% vs. 77%, respectively).

Nine in ten (90%) agreed with the statement: "I know enough about birth control methods to make the best decision on which method is best for me".

• Residents of Quebec (95%) are more likely than those in Western provinces (89%) and Ontario (87%) to agree with this statement.

• Pill users (96%) are more likely than non pill users (83%) to agree with this statement.

Pill Rated 8.4 out of 10 When it Comes to Trustworthiness in Preventing Pregnancy In terms of trust in various birth control methods, the pill comes out first, with an 8.4 rating out of a possible 10. The second most trusted method of birth control was the condom, with a 7.6 rating, followed by a hormone injection, with 6.5. The least trusted methods of birth control included a patch worn on the skin (5.5), the rhythm method (2.8) and withdrawal (2.3).

• Residents of Quebec were more likely to give the pill a higher trust rating than the rest of Canada (9.0 vs. 8.3 in the West and Ontario, and 8.4 in the East).

• Pill users were, not surprisingly, more likely than non pill users to give the pill a higher trust rating (9.0 vs. 7.8, respectively).

• Residents of Quebec were more likely to give condoms a higher trust rating than the rest of Canada (8.3 vs. 7.3 in the West, 7.4 in Ontario and 7.5 in the East).

Young Women Are Not Overly Interested in New Forms of Birth Control

Women were asked to indicate their interest in new methods of birth control on a 0 to 10 scale. All items ranked low, the highest interest score being 4.5, for an injection every three months.

Women do not seem adventurous when it comes to new forms of birth control, as 46% "try to seek more information about it but [are] unlikely to consider trying it", and 37% "do not pay much attention to new forms of birth control".

Please open the attached PDF files to view the factum and detailed tables.

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For more information on this news release, please contact:
Susan Oakes
Vice-President
Ipsos-Reid
HealthCare
(416) 324-2900