TORONTO – A study to be released later today says that as Canada’s population rapidly becomes more diverse, traditional media measurement tools are becoming inadequate in their ability to provide an accurate read of audiences.
This poor measurement results in a waste of advertiser dollars, says the new study, called "Diversity in Canada", by Solutions Research Group, a Toronto-based market research firm.
The first of its kind in Canada, the study looks at six key population groups in Toronto, Vancouver and Montréal, including Canadians of Chinese, South Asian, West Asian, Hispanic and Italian backgrounds, as well as Black Canadians, representing over four million people in these three markets.
Among the key findings:
• Internet is a vital media option and a communications tool for all ethnic groups included in the survey. They are above-average Internet users and more likely to have broadband in the home compared to the total population.
• Major ethnic groups are somewhat lighter users of traditional radio, TV and newspapers. While TV viewing is somewhat below average in total time spent, more ethnic Canadians have digital cable or satellite TV compared to the market benchmark.
• Ethnic media plays a much larger role in the lives of fast-growing groups than traditional media measurement would indicate. The largest and fastest-growing ethnic groups, Chinese and South-Asian Canadian segments, are above-average in their use of media in their own languages.
• Over half across all major ethnic groups surveyed – 52% – agree with the statement: “I rarely see advertising messages intended for me,” suggesting a significant lost opportunity.
Diversity in Canada is an independent syndicated research study conducted by Solutions Research Group, and delivers a one-of-a-kind snapshot of Canada’s fastest-growing population groups in Toronto, Vancouver and Montréal.
A total of 3,000 respondents (age 15+) were interviewed in nine different languages: English, French, Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Spanish and Italian.
