Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission

Access to News Sources

July 2007
Contract # 82082-077707/001/CY
POR: 098-07
Award date: July13, 2007

Decima Research

Proprietary Warning
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Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Background, Objectives and Methodology

Overall Results

News Sources
Internet as a Source of News
Change in Media Usage Behaviour
New Media: Video Online

Appendix A: Final Questionnaires

Executive Summary

Background and Objectives:

The CRTC was interested in conducting a study with the Canadian general population to help them understand how Canadians obtain their news and how satisfied they are with the various options available to them. More specifically, the primary objectives of this research project were to:

• Determine how Canadians generally obtain local, national and international news;
• Understand how satisfied Canadians are with these news sources;
• Identify the specific Internet sources that Canadians are accessing with respect to local, national and international news;
• Establish if Canadians view Internet news as a replacement or as a complement to traditional media sources;
• Determine if Canadians' news sources are changing; and
• Evaluate Canadians' usage, adoption and acceptance of new media technologies specific to video online.

Methodology:

• Telephone surveys were conducted between July 17th through July 23rd, 2007 with the Canadian general population.
• A total number of 1,006 interviews were conducted. The average duration of the survey was approximately 8 minutes.
• Data has been weighted according to Census data by region, gender and age.
• The table below outlines the number of completed surveys by region as well as associated statistical margins of error.

Sources of Local, National and International News

An important objective of the research is to determine how Canadians generally obtain local, national and international news. Survey participants were asked to estimate the proportion of news they obtain from television, newspapers, radio and the Internet. Television is the most common source of news, as close to half of respondents obtain their local, national, or international news through this medium. The use of newspapers and radio is more common for accessing local news, while the Internet is more commonly used to access national and international news.

Satisfaction with News Sources

• Approximately half of Canadians who use the Internet or TV as a source of local, national or international news consider themselves quite satisfied with these sources (assigning a satisfaction score of at least 8 out of 10).
• Users of radio as a source for news are somewhat less likely to be as satisfied as users of other types of media sources.

Specific Internet Sources Accessed

• CBC.ca is a common destination for Canadians who access news over the Internet, especially among Anglophones. Francophones tend to gravitate to Radio-Canada.ca and Canoe.ca to access the various types of news. Other types of websites that are attracting significant traffic include search engine websites (Yahoo and Google in particular) and newspaper websites (in particular the Globe and Mail). Other noteworthy sites include CTV.ca, msn.com / Sympatico.msn.ca, Canoe.ca and BBC.com.
• The use of specific types of new online information tools remains limited. For instance, only one in ten Canadians who access any type of news online resort to podcasts or RSS feeds. Blogs are twice as popular (used by 22% of online news users) while emails sent to subscribers from a specific website proved most popular. Fully 2 out of 5 use this type of online tool to obtain news.

Internet Versus Traditional Media Sources

• The evolution of the Internet as a source for news does appear to be having a mild effect on eroding usage of traditional media. Although most Canadians believe that the Internet is a complementary source of information (70%), about one in ten consider it a replacement of traditional media sources.
• The perception of the Internet as a replacement to traditional media sources is stronger among younger Canadians. Older Canadians are more likely to be uncertain about the Internet's role as a media source.

Change in Media Usage Behaviour

• Most users of traditional media such as television, radio and newspapers estimate that their usage of these sources over the past year has remained the same. Those who believe their usage of each has increased is offset by a similar proportion who believe their usage of each has decreased.
• Internet users are much more likely to believe their use of this particular medium as a source to access news has increased over the past year. In fact, households with Internet access are twice as likely to believe their use of radio, TV and newspapers for news has decreased compared to households without Internet access.
• By and large, ease of accessibility is driving the increased use of the Internet as a news source. Other noteworthy reasons behind the increase in the Internet's use include convenience, the ability to access multiple sources and perspectives, and the ability to select specific sections to read.
• Canadians were also asked to estimate how their usage of the various media sources will evolve over the year to come. Results show that television will continue to be the most popular source for news, with only 8% claiming they will not use that particular medium to access news. As for intentions regarding radio and newspapers, although fully one quarter of Canadians will not use either one of these as sources for news, the proportion claiming to either increase or decrease their usage is consistent with television (roughly 10%). Internet is the one source that is truly different in many respects. One third believe their use of the Internet as a news source will increase, with two-fifths estimating they will not be using the Internet. Only 4% believe their usage of the Internet will decrease.

Usage, adoption and acceptance of new media technologies specific to online video

• While half of Canadians say they never view or download video from the Internet, about one quarter view or download videos at least once per week.
• Generally, online video viewing represents a small proportion of all video viewing. For two-in-three Canadians (63%) who view or download video from the Internet, no more than 25% of the video they watch is over the Internet when considering other more traditional sources such as television, video cassettes and DVD's.
• At 37%, Youtube.com is the most popular website to view videos.
• One-third of those who view or download video from the Internet are satisfied with the overall image and picture quality of online video.
• The vast majority (84%) of those who view or download online video consider their use of online video as complementary to traditional sources of viewing videos.
• Over 7-in-10 Canadians who download video say their use of traditional sources of video has remained the same over the past year (despite their use of online video), while roughly 1 in 10 believe their usage has increased over the past year.
• Predictably, future growth in usage of online video is in large part driven by current users. This should not however overshadow the fact that an important proportion (15%) of "non-users" expect the amount of online video they access to increase over the year to come.

Background & Objectives

Background:

The CRTC was interested in conducting a study with those in the Canadian general population to help them understand how Canadians obtain their news and how satisfied they are with the various options available to them.

Objectives:

The primary objectives of this research project were to:

• Determine how Canadians generally obtain local, national and international news;
• Understand how satisfied Canadians are with these news sources;
• Identify the specific Internet sources that Canadians are accessing with respect to local, national and international news;
• Establish if Canadians view Internet news as a replacement or as a complement to traditional media sources;
• Determine if Canadians' news sources are changing; and
• Evaluate Canadians' usage, adoption and acceptance of new media technologies specific to video online.

Methodology

• Telephone surveys were completed with the Canadian general population.
• Surveys were conducted between July 17th and July 23rd, 2007.
• A total number of 1,006 interviews were conducted. The average duration of the survey was approximately 8 minutes.
• Respondents were informed that the study was being conducted on behalf of the Government of Canada.
• Data has been weighted according to Census data by region, gender and age to reflect the distribution of the population across Canada.
• The table on the following page outlines the distribution of completed surveys across a variety of population segments as well as associated statistical margins of error.
• Significant differences between segments of the population are identified by italicized and underlined values throughout this report.
• Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding and because "don't know" mentions are not shown in the graphs.

Methodology (Statistical Precision)

• Unless otherwise noted in this report, 19 times out of 20 (95%), the real value of the variables in the population, as estimated by the sample (n=1,006), will fall within ± 3.1% of the values presented in the report. One time out of 20, the real value of the variable in the population will fall outside this range. Note that this applies to estimated proportions in the 50% range (conservative assumption); the closer a percentage is to either 0% or 100%, the more precise the sample estimate will be.
• The 95% confidence intervals for the main subgroups are presented in the adjacent table.
• Where statistical tests indicate that there are significant differences between numbers, it means that 19 times out of 20 (95%), the difference observed between numbers would be due to a real difference in the population and not to chance variations due to the sample. One time out of 20 this difference would be due purely to chance.
• In graphs, percentages that are italicized and underlined indicate that the proportion is significantly different at the 95% confidence level with another proportion within that specific segment.

Sources for News

A1. Canadians generally obtain their local, national and international news from a variety of sources, including television, radio, newspapers, and the Internet. Thinking of a typical week, approximately what percentage of your news information comes from these various sources? Base: All respondents (n=1,006)

Canadians were asked to estimate the percentage of news they obtain from a variety of sources, including television, newspapers, radio and Internet, the latter of which considers news websites, podcasts, blogs, RSS feeds and emails.

For local news, more than two-fifths is obtained through television, and about one-quarter is obtained through newspapers. Canadians receive about one-fifth of their local news by listening to the radio, and 9% is accessed through the Internet. Only 1% of news is obtained through other sources.

For both national and international news, the distributions are similar. Canadians are much more likely to obtain these types of news by watching television (53% and 55% respectively, vs. 44% for local news). While the percentage of national and international news obtained through newspapers and radio is slightly less than for local news, there is a slightly higher percentage obtained through the Internet

• There is a fairly consistent trend in terms of how Canadians obtain their news across the various regions and demographic segments, regardless of whether it is local, national or international news.
• Across all types of news, those who obtain a significantly greater proportion of their news by watching television tend to be:
  • Living in Atlantic Canada or Quebec;
  • Those with a household income of less than $80,000 per year;
  • Over 50 years of age; and
  • Those without Internet access.
• Those obtaining a higher percentage of their news through newspapers tend to be older and have a higher income.
• Looking at radio, differences between the segments are more prevalent. Radio is more common for local news among those living in rural communities, those aged 35-49, and those with an income of $80,000 or more. However, for national and international news, radio usage is quite consistent across the segments. The one exception is among those without Internet access, who, when compared to those with Internet access, obtain a greater proportion of their national news by listening to the radio.
• When it comes to the Internet, many differences among segments emerge. Generally speaking, men, households with a higher income and respondents under the age of 49 obtain a greater proportion of all types of news over the Internet compared to their counterparts.
• Those living west of Quebec are more likely than Quebecers and Atlantic Canadians to use the Internet as a source for national news.

Sources for News By Region

Local News

National News

International News

A1. Canadians generally obtain their local, national and international news from a variety of sources, including television, radio, newspapers, and the Internet. Thinking of a typical week, approximately what percentage of your news information comes from these various sources? Base: All respondents (n=1,006)

Satisfaction with Sources for News

A2. How satisfied are you with each source of information for your news? Please use a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means "very dissatisfied" and 10 means "very satisfied". Base: Users of media as news sources: TV users (n=906), Radio users (n=659), Newspapers users (n=699), Internet users (n=353).

Canadians appear to be mostly satisfied with the Internet (58%) and TV (57%) as a source to obtain local, national or international news (i.e. among those who use the specified news source).

Users of radio as a source for news are the least satisfied with this communication channel (39%) compared to satisfaction among users of other types of channels.

It is important to note that, from one-third (35%) to half (50%) of media users feel neutral about the specific media they use to obtain news. That being said, less than one-tenth of respondents appear to be dissatisfied with the media source they use as a channel to broadcast news.

This low level of dissatisfaction should be expected since this analysis was limited to "users" of each media source. Conceivably someone very dissatisfied with a specific source won't use that given source and would be excluded from the satisfaction analysis for that specific media source.

• Satisfaction scores are particularly higher for some segments than others. The statistically significant differences among regional and other demographic segments are listed below.

Television Users

• Canadians living in Alberta or British Columbia are the least satisfied with TV as a source of news (42%), compared to those in other parts of Canada (62%).
• Demographic segments that are more likely to be satisfied with this medium include:
  • Francophones vs. Anglophones (69% vs. 54%);
  • Women vs. men (64% vs. 51%); and
  • Those without Internet access (70%) vs. those with Internet access (54%).

Radio Users

• Canadians who are more likely to be satisfied with radio as a news medium include those with a household income of under $40K, as compared to those with higher household incomes (48% vs. 33%).

Internet Users

• Internet users under 50 years of age are more likely to be satisfied with this medium than those 50 and older (63% vs. 46%).

Television

Newspapers

Radio

Internet

A2. How satisfied are you with each source of information for your news? Please use a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means "very dissatisfied" and 10 means "very satisfied". Base: Users of media as news sources: TV users (n=906), Radio users (n=659), Newspapers users (n=699), Internet users (n=353).

Internet as a Source of News

Internet News Sources

A3a. You said earlier that you obtain at least some of your news from the Internet. Can you please indicate if you use any of the following to access your NEWS from the Internet? Base: Respondents who access at least one type of news via the Internet (n=363).

Canadians who access at least one type of news via the Internet were asked to indicate if their Internet sources included emails from websites, blogs, podcasts, or RSS feeds.

Approximately four-in-ten do not use any of these sources. The remaining do use emails sent to them directly from a website (43%), blogs (22%), podcasts (12%), or RSS feeds (11%).

A few differences across segments are worth noting:

• Those living in urban areas are more likely to say they use blogs (25%), and podcasts (13%), compared to residents of rural areas (10% and 2% respectively).
• Those with a household income under $40K are more likely to say they use emails that are sent to them by websites (58%), compared to those with a higher household income (36%).

Websites Visited Most Often to Obtain Local News

Local News

A3b. Can you please indicate which websites you use most often to obtain each type of news? Base: Respondents who access local news from the Internet (n=278)

Online sources of information for local news are highly varied. At the highest end, we see that CBC.ca is used by 14% of Internet users, followed by msn.com/ Sympatico.msn.ca (12%). Search engine news sites are also popular (Google and Yahoo) as are newspaper sites (Globe and Mail and The Star).

The use of certain websites varies from region to region. For example, those living in Atlantic Canada (33%), Manitoba or Saskatchewan (22%), and Alberta or British Columbia (21%), are the most likely to visit CBC.ca for local news when compared to Quebec residents. Quebecers are more likely to use either the French counterpart of CBC.ca - that is, Radio-Canada.ca (24%), or Canoe.ca (27%).

Common websites for Ontario residents include the Globe and Mail website (12%), and Yahoo News (10%). Yahoo News (news.yahoo.ca) is also popular among Manitoba/ Saskatchewan residents (14%).

Those with a household income of at least $40K are more likely to visit CBC.ca compared to those in a lower income bracket (17% vs. 4%).

Websites Visited Most Often to Obtain National News

National News

A3b. Can you please indicate which websites you use most often to obtain each type of news?
Base: Respondents who access national news from the Internet (n=282)

The most common online source of information for national news is CBC.ca - over one-quarter of Canadians (27%) use this source. In addition, 5% say they use Radio-Canada.ca for national news.

The next most popular sources for national news are msn.com/Sympatico.msn.ca (17%), and CTV.ca (14%). Around one-tenth visit globeandmail.com (11%), news.yahoo.ca (11%), CNN.com (8%), news.google.ca (7%), and Canoe.ca (7%).

Residents of Quebec are the least likely to visit CBC.ca, when compared to residents of other parts of Canada. As found with local news, Quebecers are more likely to use Canoe.ca (20%) and Radio-Canada.ca (18%) to access national news. Additionally, Quebecers visit Cyberpresse.ca (14%). Popular sources for national news among residents of Ontario include globeandmail.com (18%), and CNN.com (11%).

When looking at gender differences, men appear to be more likely than women to visit news.google.ca (11% vs. 4%), and Canoe.ca (11% vs. 3%).

Those with a household income between $40K and $80K are more likely than those in higher income brackets to visit Yahoo's website for national news (18% vs. 2%). The latter, on the other hand, are more likely to visit Canoe.ca (16% vs. 2%).

Websites Visited Most Often to Obtain International News

International News

Note: Websites visited by less than 5% of respondents are not shown in this graph.

A3b. Can you please indicate which websites you use most often to obtain each type of news?
Base: Respondents who access international news from the Internet (n=289)

One quarter of Canadians who access international news online visit CBC.ca (21%) or Radio-Canada.ca (4%). CBC.ca's international news seekers virtually exclude Quebecers and Francophone respondents as they will likely use Canoe.ca (16%) or Radio-Canada.ca (15%).

Ontario residents are more likely than other Canadians to visit BBC.com (20%), Yahoo's website (12%), and the Globe and Mail's website (11%). For international news, BBC.com is more likely to be visited by Canadians with a household income under $40K than those with an income of over $80K (32% vs. 10%).

Internet as a News Source

A4. Thinking about the Internet as a source of news, do you consider the Internet to be a replacement to traditional media sources such as television, radio and newspapers, or as something complementary to these media sources? Base: All respondents (n=1,006)

The evolution of the Internet as a source for news does appear to be having a mild effect on eroding usage of traditional media. Although most Canadians believe that the Internet is a complementary source of information (70%), about one in ten consider it a replacement of traditional media sources.

The opinion that the Internet is complementary to traditional media sources is stronger among Canadians under 50 years of age when compared to their elders (76% vs. 63%). This doesn't mean that older Canadians are more likely to consider the Internet a replacement however. In fact, older Canadians are more likely to be uncertain about the Internet's role as a media source (31% among those 50+), compared to those aged 35 to 49 (15%) and those under 34 (8%). In fact, the youngest of these three groups is more likely than those over 50 years of age to say the Internet is replacing traditional media sources (16% vs. 7%).

A4. Thinking about the Internet as a source of news, do you consider the Internet to be a replacement to traditional media sources such as television, radio and newspapers, or as something complementary to these media sources? Base: All respondents (n=1,006)

Change in Media Usage Behaviour

A5a. Over the past year, would you say that your use of <MEDIA SOURCE> as a source for news has increased, decreased or stayed the same?
Base: Users of media as news source: TV users (n=906), Radio (n=659), Newspapers (n=699), Internet (n=353).

While close to two-in-three traditional media users (i.e. of TV, radio and newspapers) believe their use of such media as a news source has remained the same over the past year (62% to 63%), one-fifth believe their use has actually decreased. These results are significantly higher when compared to the opinions of Internet users (35% stayed the same, 6% decreased).

On the other hand, close to three-in-five users of the Internet as a source for news say their use of such a medium has increased over the past year (58%). This figure is significantly higher than the increase of TV (16%), radio (16%) or newspaper (17%) usage.

Change in Media Usage Behaviour - Demographic Differences

Perceived changes in media usage over the past year are very consistent across the country. Of note, users of radio in the province of Quebec are more likely than those in other provinces to say their use of radio as a source for news has decreased over the past year.

A5a. Over the past year, would you say that your use of <MEDIA SOURCE> as a source for news has increased, decreased or stayed the same?
Base: Users of media as news source: TV users (n=906), Radio (n=659), Newspapers (n=699), Internet (n=353).

With Internet Access

Without Internet Access

A5a. Over the past year, would you say that your use of <MEDIA SOURCE> as a source for news has increased, decreased or stayed the same?
Base: Users of media as news source: TV users (n=906), Radio (n=659), Newspapers (n=699), Internet (n=353).

Canadians with Internet access are more likely than those without Internet access to say their use of the following sources has decreased over the past year:

• Television (24% vs. 10%);
• Radio (22% vs. 11%); and
• Newspapers (22% vs. 9%).

In fact, those without Internet access are more likely than those without Internet to believe their usage of television has increased over the past year (24% vs. 14%).

Reasons for Using the Internet More Often as a News Source

A5b. What has caused the increase of your use of the Internet as a way to access news over the past year?
Base: Those who used the Internet more often over the past year (n=204) *Note: Responses under 5% are not shown.

Two-in-five of those who have used the Internet "more often" in the past year cited ease of accessibility as the main reason for an increase in the use of the Internet.

Other reasons for using the Internet more often are convenience (15%), access to multiple sources and points of view (11%), being able to select the readings (11%), dissatisfaction with other media (8%), being able to use the Internet while doing other online activities (8%), having a new connection to the Internet or higher speed (8%), having access to up-to-date news (6%), and being able to access the Internet quickly (5%).

The Internet's ease of accessibility is more likely to be mentioned by those aged under 49 (43%), compared to those 50 and over (25%). Similarly, younger Canadians are likely to cite being able to use the Internet while doing other online activities, or having Internet access/high speed as their reasons for using the Internet more frequently (10%), compared to older respondents (2% and 1% respectively).

Residents of Atlantic Canada (27%), Manitoba and Saskatchewan (26%) are more likely to have increased their use of the Internet due to its convenience as compared to Quebecers (6%). The latter, predominantly Francophones, have a greater tendency to indicate that the Internet allows them to read only what they want (25%), or that they find the Internet quick to access (15%).

In addition, those more likely to be dissatisfied with other media are more likely to be women (13% vs. 3% of men) and those with an income under $40K (20% vs. 1% of those with an income of $80K+).

Future Change in Media Usage Behaviour

A6. Over the year to come, would you say that your use of <MEDIA SOURCE> as a source for news will increase, stay the same, or decrease? Base: All Respondents (n=1,006)
Note: Respondents claiming not to use a particular source for news at the beginning of the survey and who indicated their use of that same source would "remain the same" were categorized as "I will not use this source" for purposes of this analysis.

Canadians were also asked to estimate how their usage of the various media sources will evolve over the year to come. Results show that television will continue to be the most popular source for news, with only 8% claiming they will not use that particular medium to access news. As for intentions regarding radio and newspapers, although fully one quarter of Canadians will not use either one of these as sources for news, the proportion claiming to either increase or decrease their usage is consistent with television - in all three cases, roughly one in ten will either increase or decrease their usage of each source.

Internet is the one source that is truly different in many respects. One third believe their use of the Internet as a news source will increase, with two-fifths estimating they will not be using the Internet. Only 4% believe their usage of the Internet will decrease. It is important to note here that all households are included in this result, including those without Internet access.

Differences among demographic groups in their estimated usage of media for the upcoming year are:

Television Usage as a Source of News

• Canadians with an income of under $40K are more likely than those with higher incomes to say their usage of TV will increase in the next year (17% vs. 8%).
• More likely to say their television usage will stay the same are: Canadians older than 34 years (74% vs. 56% of those 34 years and under); and those with an income higher than $40K (72% vs. 60% of those making <$40K).
• More likely to say their television usage will decrease are: men (15% vs. 8% of women), young Canadians aged 18 to 34 (21% vs. 8% of those 35+); and those with Internet access (12% vs. 6% of those without Internet).

Radio Usage as a Source of News

• Those more likely to increase their radio usage are: Anglophones (11% vs. 6% of Francophones), Canadians aged 18 to 34 (16% vs. 6% of those 50+), and those with an income under $40K (14% vs. 5% of those making $40K-$80K).
• Canadians in Manitoba or Saskatchewan are more likely to say their use of radio will stay the same (62%), compared to those in Atlantic Canada (46%) or Quebec (46%). Other groups with this opinion include respondents with an income of at least $40K (58% vs. 43% of those earning <$40K), and those with Internet access (54% vs. 40% of those without Internet access).
• Men are more likely than women to say their use of radio will decrease (15% vs. 7%).
• Respondents at least 50 years of age (30%), those with a household income under $80K (28%), Francophones (33%) and those who live in Atlantic Canada (30%), or Quebec (32%) are more likely to say they will not use radio as a source of news during the upcoming year, compared to some of their counterparts (22% under 50 years, 18% earning over $80K, 24% among Anglophones, and 16% among those in Manitoba/ Saskatchewan).

A6. Over the year to come, would you say that your use of <MEDIA SOURCE> as a source for news will increase, stay the same, or decrease? Base: All respondents (n=1,006)

Newspapers Usage as a Source for News

• Canadians in the West (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia) are more likely than those living in Atlantic Canada or Quebec to say their use of newspapers will stay the same (61% vs. about 44%). Similarly, Anglophones (54%), those with an income of at least $40K (58%) and those with Internet access (55%) are more likely to say their use of newspapers will stay the same, compared to Francophone respondents (45%), those with lower incomes (41%), or those without Internet access (39%).
• Respondents living in Ontario (18%) are more likely to say their future use of newspapers will decrease compared to those in Atlantic Canada (10%), Quebec (11%), Manitoba/Saskatchewan (9%), and Alberta/British Columbia (8%). In addition, men are more likely than women to say their use of newspapers will decrease (18% vs. 8%).
• Among those more likely to say they will not use newspapers are Quebecers (33%), those living in Atlantic Canada (33%), Francophone respondents (33%), women (27%), households earning under $40K (29%), and those without Internet access (34%).

Internet Usage as a Source for News

• Anglophones (35%), Canadians under 50 years of age (41%), and those with Internet access (37%) are more likely to say their use of the Internet will increase compared to their counterparts (27%, 24%, and 15% respectively). Additionally, households earning over $80K are more likely to say their use of the Internet will increase (44%), compared to those earning under $40K (31%).
• Similarly, Canadians under 50 years of age (22%), those with a household income of at least $80K (24%), and those with Internet access (22%) are more likely to say their use of the Internet will stay the same, compared to those under 50 (22%), those with a household income under $40K (13%), and those without Internet access (2%).
• Those most likely to indicate that they do not expect to use the Internet for news in the upcoming year include those at least 35 years of age (48% vs. 25% of those <35 years), those earning under $40K (48% vs. 34% of those earning $40K+), and those without Internet access (71% vs. 35% of those with Internet access).

A6. Over the year to come, would you say that your use of <MEDIA SOURCE> as a source for news will increase, stay the same, or decrease? Base: All respondents (n=1,006)

Future Change in Media Usage Behaviour - by Province

A6. Over the year to come, would you say that your use of <MEDIA SOURCE> as a source for news will increase, stay the same, or decrease? Base: All respondents (n=1,006)

Future Change in Media Usage Behaviour - by Age

18-34 (n=167)

35-49 (n=272)

50+ (n=517)

A6. Over the year to come, would you say that your use of <MEDIA SOURCE> as a source for news will increase, stay the same, or decrease? Base: All respondents (n=1,006)

Future Change in Media Usage Behaviour - by Internet Access

With Internet Access (n=773)

Without Internet Access (n=227)

A6. Over the year to come, would you say that your use of <MEDIA SOURCE> as a source for news will increase, stay the same, or decrease? Base: All respondents (n=1,006)

New Media: Video Online

Frequency of Viewing or Downloading Online Video

B1. Approximately how often do you view or download any type of online video? Would you say.? Base: Respondents who have access to the Internet (n=773).

Canadians with Internet access were asked how frequently they downloaded online videos. While half of these Canadians (49%) say they never download videos, over one-fifth (23%) download videos at least once a week, 13% do so a few times per month, and 14% less often.

Those more likely to download videos at least a few times per week are Internet users:

• in Manitoba/ Saskatchewan (19%)
• in Alberta/ British Columbia (27%)
• who are Anglophones (20%),
• in urban areas (21%),
• who are men (23%), and
• under 35 years of age (36%).

Among those most likely to never download online videos are residents of rural areas (64%), women (56%), and those at least 35 years of age (61%).

Share of Online Video

B2. Approximately what percentage of all the video you watch is over the Internet or from online sources, as opposed to other more traditional media sources such as television, video cassettes and DVD's? Base: Respondents who download online video (n=331).

Generally, online video viewing represents a small proportion of all video viewing.

For two-in-three Canadians (63%) who download video from the Internet, no more than 25% of the video they watch is over the Internet when considering other more traditional sources such as television, video cassettes and DVD's. About 10% believe their online video viewing represents over 75% of all their video viewing.

Canadians under 35 years of age are more likely than those over 50 to say at least three-quarters of their video viewing time is online (13% vs. 4%).

Additionally, Canadians with an income between $40K and $80K are more likely than those with higher incomes to say at least three-quarters of their video is watched online (18% vs. 4%).

Websites Accessed to View or Download Video

B3. Which websites do you access most often to view or download video content?
Base: Respondents who download online video (n=331). *Note: Responses less than 3% have not been shown.

By far, the most popular website to view or download video is Youtube.com (37%).

Other notable mentions among online video viewers include msn.com (9%), CBC.ca (7%), CNN.com (7%), Limewire.com (5%), CTV.ca (5%), BBC.com (4%), Yahoo News (4%), Google News (4%), iTunes (3%), and Google.com (3%).

Those more likely to use Youtube.com include those aged between 18 and 34 (50%), and between 35 and 49 (30%), compared to those over 50 (16%).

CBC.ca is popular for video watching among residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan (17%), and Alberta and British Columbia (13%). CNN.com is more likely to be used by residents of Ontario (9%).

Satisfaction with Online Video

B4. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means "very dissatisfied" and 10 means "very satisfied", generally how satisfied are you with the overall image/picture quality of video online - that is, when compared to traditional TV and DVD quality? Base: Respondents who download online video (n=331).

One-third (34%) of those who download video from the Internet are satisfied with the overall image and picture quality of online video when compared to traditional TV and DVD quality.

Approximately half of these Canadians are neutral about the image quality of online video, when compared to other digital or traditional video (i.e. DVD, TV), while 8% are dissatisfied with the image quality.

Residents of Quebec (10%), Ontario (9%), and Manitoba or Saskatchewan (17%), are more likely to be dissatisfied with the image quality of online video, compared to residents of Atlantic Canada (1%).

Change in Use of Traditional Sources of Video

B5. How has your use of traditional sources of video such as television, DVD's and video cassettes changed since you've started viewing or downloading video on the Internet? Would you say it has. Base: Respondents who download online video (n=331).

Over 7-in-10 Canadians who download video say their use of traditional sources of video (TV, DVD, VHS, etc.) has remained the same, despite their use of online video (71%). Another 16% believe their use has decreased, while 12% say it has increased.

Those aged 18 to 34 are more likely to say their traditional video viewing has decreased since they started using online video (22%), while men (15%) and those over 35 years of age (17%) are more likely to say their use of traditional video has increased.

Online Video as a Viewing Source

B6. Would you consider viewing video online to be a replacement to traditional sources of viewing, or that it is complementary to existing sources of viewing? Base: Respondents who download online video (n=331).

The majority of those who download online video consider their use of online video as complementary to traditional sources of viewing. About one-in-ten consider online video to be a replacement of traditional media sources.

Men (16%) and Canadians under 35 years of age (18%) are more likely to consider online video a replacement.

Change in Online Video Usage

B7. Over the year to come, do you expect the amount of online video you will access or download will.?
Base: Respondents who have access to the Internet (n=773).

Five times as many Canadians expect their use of online video to increase than decrease. One-quarter of Canadians estimate that their usage of online video for the upcoming year will increase (25%), while 62% think it will stay the same and 5% believe it will decrease.

Canadians more likely to estimate an increase in their online video usage include residents of Ontario (27%), Manitoba or Saskatchewan (34%), Alberta or British Columbia (30%), Anglophones (28%), and those aged 18 to 34 (31%) or 35 to 49 (27%).

On the other hand, those more likely to estimate a decrease in their online video usage are residents of Quebec (10%), and Francophone respondents (11%).

Those who tend to be the most indecisive about their future online video usage include residents of Quebec (20%), Francophones (20%), women (11%), and those over 35 years of age (10%).

Users of Online Video

Non-users of Online Video

B7. Over the year to come, do you expect the amount of online video you will access or download will.?
Base: Respondents who have access to the Internet (n=773).

By considering future online video usage intentions based on whether or not the respondent currently accessed this type of content, we can see some interesting trends developing.

Predictably, future growth in usage is in large part driven by current users. This should not however overshadow the fact that an important proportion (15%) of "non-users" expect the amount of online video they access to increase over the year to come.

Among existing users, provinces west of Quebec seem to be leading the charge, with increase rates of at least 40%.

We are also seeing that the results for Quebec are being distorted by non-users. A very important proportion of non-users did not know how their future use of online video will evolve (39%). We could speculate that the concept of online video downloading or streaming may not have been clearly understood by this segment in Quebec.

Appendix A
Final Questionnaires

Date Modified: 2007-09-14