Canadians will read Newspapers in a crisis

An Ipsos-Reid poll finds a significant portion of Cana­dians rely on Newspapers for trustworthy information during good times and bad.

Forty per cent of those sur­veyed said they relied more on Newspapers during the recent political crisis in Ottawa, while almost a third (30 per cent) said they turned more often to Newspapers for analysis of the recent economic downturn.

Only 15 per cent of re­spondents said they do not read Newspapers (print or online) at all.

The findings are based on over 1,000 online interviews conducted in early December for the Canadian Newspaper Association.

The poll is considered ac­curate plus or minus 3.1 per cent of the time, 19 times out of 20.

“Clearly, Newspapers re­main the trusted medium of communication during periods of change, such as we are experiencing today,” said John Hinds, president and Chief Executive Officer of the Cana­dian Newspaper Associ­ation.

The survey also asked Can­a­dians how they respond to advertising during economic crises. Over a quarter of re­spondents (26 per cent) said they find themselves looking at Newspapers and inserts for “discounts, bargains and sales” more often during hard eco­nomic times.

Ipsos-Reid also found that almost one third of Canadians (27 per cent) – including a plurality of better-educated and wealthier respondents – are more likely to read Newspapers when making decisions about personal finances.

 

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