TORONTO — Canadians are still spending more time watching TV news during the Covid-19 pandemic, and their trust in TV news has grown, according to new research by Ipsos conducted on behalf of marketing and research association thinktv.
The TV in a Pandemic: Our Attitudes and Behaviours report is based on online interviews with 1,000 Canadians across the country from May 5 to 7. In addition to looking at changes in TV viewing habits during the pandemic, the survey also asked Canadians about their perceptions around television, advertising and buying behaviour.
Almost half of Canadians surveyed (49%) said they have turned to TV as their primary source for news during the Covid-19 crisis, while 28% said the Internet has been their main source of news. Forty-four percent of survey respondents said they are spending more time watching news on television during the pandemic, and 19% said they trust TV news more since the pandemic started.
News isn’t the only reason Canadians have been watching a lot of TV during the pandemic — the top two reasons survey respondents gave for watching television are for entertainment (67%) and relaxation (57%). While isolating at home, 33% of Canadians said they have been watching five or more hours of television per day.
When it comes to advertising, 63% of Canadian surveyed said TV is their most trusted source of video advertising. In addition, 29% of Canadians said they could recall advertising that has impressed them during the pandemic.
Looking at buying behaviour, 30% of Canadians said they have tried a new brand, product or service in the last four weeks, and 33% said they are more likely to do so when life goes “back to normal”.
Finally, the report concludes that TV is the most effective way to get Canadians to try new brands, products and services, based on the survey responses. TV in all its forms was cited by 26% of respondents as the most effective advertising medium, compared to 20% for social media and 19% for online search and display ads.
To access a free copy of the report, please click here.
