Category: Technology

More than a third of the province’s  residents received a text asking about their support for a party or policy.

Vancouver, BC [September 27, 2019] – A significant proportion of British Columbians recently had to deal with unsolicited text messages and calls on their mobile phone, a new Research Co. poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative sample of British Columbians, 37% of respondents say that, over the course of the past two months, they received text messages asking them if they support a specific party or policy sent by an individual they do not know.

Men (42%) and British Columbians aged 18-to-34 (44%) are more likely to report getting text messages of a political nature from unknown senders.

A similar proportion of British Columbians (35%) received phone calls and/or phone messages from an individual purporting to represent a government agency (such as the Canada Revenue Agency).

Women (36%) and Metro Vancouverites (39%) are more likely to have received calls or messages from a scammer over the past two months.

Three-in-ten British Columbians (31%) say they received phone calls or messages over the past two months where an individual speaks Cantonese or Mandarin, including 42% of those who reside in Metro Vancouver.

“Younger British Columbians appear to be more affected by unsolicited phone calls and messages than their older counterparts,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “While only 40% of residents aged 55 and over say they did not receive any of the three types of calls or messages included in the survey, the proportion falls to 25% among those aged 35-to-54 and 20% among those aged 18-to-34.”

More than a third of British Columbians (37%) have reported an unwanted call or phone number to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (formerly known as PhoneBusters).

British Columbians aged 18-to-34 (46%), men (43%) and residents of both Northern BC (47%) and the Fraser Valley (44%) are more likely to have contacted the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to report an unwanted call or number.

Methodology:

Results are based on an online study conducted from September 11 to September 14, 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 plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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.
[c] 778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca

Half of “boycotters” say they disagreed with how an organization or establishment pays or treats its employees.

Vancouver, BC [September 11, 2019] – A majority of British Columbians admit to having voluntarily abstained from using, buying or dealing with an organization of establishment, a new Research Co. poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, 55% of British Columbians say that, over the course of their lives, they have boycotted an organization or establishment.

Women (58%), British Columbians aged 55 and over (59%) and Vancouver Islanders (62%) are more likely to say that they have boycotted a company.

Half of British Columbians who have actively participated in a boycott (50%) point to disagreements with how employees of a specific organization of establishment were paid or treated.

Other reasons cited for boycotts include disagreements over environmental practices (43%), disagreements over the ownership of an organization or establishment (37%) and disagreements with animal welfare practices (33%).

“Women in British Columbia are significantly more likely to have boycotted a company for labour (56%) or animal welfare reasons (42%) than men (44% and 23% respectively),” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Boycotts originating from a disagreement with ownership are more common in Metro Vancouver (41%).”

More than two-in-five British Columbians (43%) say they research the environmental practices of companies before purchasing a product or service “all the time” or “some of the time”. 

Slightly smaller proportions of British Columbians also look into a company’s social practices (39%) and labour practices (37%) before making a purchase.

When it comes to their recent experiences as consumers, more than a third of British Columbians say they review a company’s social, environmental, labour and/or investment practices when shopping for groceries (41%), clothing or shoes (40%), household goods (39%), cleaning products (also 39%), a vehicle (38%), dinner at a restaurant (37%) and electronics (36%).

Across the seven recent consumer experiences tested, British Columbians aged 18-to-34 are significantly more likely to review a company’s practices than their older counterparts.

While only 27% of British Columbians aged 55 and over review a company’s social, environmental, labour and/or investment practices when shopping for clothing or shoes, the proportion climbs to 44% among those aged 35-to-54 and 58% among those aged 18-to-34.

Methodology:

Results are based on an online study conducted from August 28 to August 30, 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.
[c] 778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca

Almost two-in-five left a gratuity of more than 20% at a restaurant, while one-in-five walked out without leaving a tip.

Vancouver, BC [January 10, 2019] – Many British Columbians are venturing on the web to decide where to have their next meal outside the home, a new Research Co. poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, 47% of British Columbians say they visited a restaurant’s website before making a reservation over the past year—including 62% of those who reside in the Lower Mainland.

Across the province, 48% of residents say they dine out about once a month or less. Conversely, 13% say they dine out a couple of times a week or more—a proportion that reaches 18% among those aged 18-to-34.

One-in-five British Columbians (19%) took a photograph of a dish that was served to them or someone at their table when dining out. Residents aged 18-to-34 are decidedly more likely to have pointed their cameras at food inside a restaurant (33%) than those aged 35-to-54 (18%) and those aged 55 and over (7%).

Millennials are also more likely to report waiting or standing in line for more than hour to enter a restaurant (12%, compared to the provincial average of 7%).

For the most part, the experiences of British Columbians who dine out have been positive over the past year. Almost two-in-five (38%) say they left a restaurant after tipping more than 20%, while only one-in-five (21%) admit to exiting a restaurant without tipping.

More than a third of British Columbians (35%) complimented good service to a restaurant manager over the past year—including 43% of those aged 55 and over—and only 15% actively complained about bad service.

One-in-four British Columbians (25%) say they sent a bad dish to the kitchen while dining out, and 28% affirm they were served hot food that was too cold.

More than half of British Columbians (52%) say they would go back to a restaurant where the food is great, but too expensive—including 70% of those aged 18-to-34.

Fewer British Columbians would revisit a restaurant where the food is great, but the service is terrible (36%) or a restaurant where the food is cheap, but not great (24%). Only one-in-twenty residents (5%) would go back to a restaurant where the service is great, but the food is terrible.

“There is an interesting gender gap when it comes to revisiting cheap restaurants that are not remarkable,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Men in British Columbia (29%) are more likely to have no qualms about this than women (18%).”

Methodology:

Results are based on an online study conducted from January 2 to January 4, 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.
[c] 778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca