More than half of the province’s home gardeners focus primarily on ornamental plants, while 29% are mostly growing food.
Vancouver, BC [May 17, 2019] – A majority of British Columbians can be safely described as home gardeners, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, three-in-five British Columbians (59%) say they currently grow or cultivate plants in their home, either indoors or outdoors.
The largest incidence of home gardeners is observed among British Columbians aged 35-to-54 (64%), residents of Northern BC (68%) and BC Green Party voters in the 2017 provincial election (70%).
More than half of the province’s home gardeners (56%) say they focus mostly on plants for ornamental purposes, while three-in-ten (29%) prefer to grow or cultivate plants for consumption, such as vegetables, fruits and herbs.
“There are some age discrepancies when it comes to the type of plants British Columbia’s home gardeners are interested in,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Growing plants that can be consumed is more popular among those aged 18-to-34 (53%), but less so among those aged 35-to-54 (31%) and those aged 55 and over (21%).”
One-in-four of British Columbia’s home gardeners (25%) say they spend less than $50 each year on gardening tools, plants and/or seeds.
About two-in-five of British Columbia’s home gardeners (39%) allocate $50 to $100 a year for gardening, while more than a third (36%) spend more than $100 annually.
A majority of the province’s home gardeners (58%) say the plants they grow or cultivate are “about the same as most” in their neighbourhood, while 26% consider them “better” and 11% believe they are “worse.”
British Columbia’s home gardeners aged 18-to-34 (35%), men (30%) and those who reside in Southern BC (29%) are more likely to claim that their own plants are better than the ones grown by their neighbours.
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from May 2 to May 5, 2019, among 800 adults in British Columbia. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in British Columbia. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our full data set here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca