Canadians want more Canadian content on Internet, new survey discovers

While Canada is one of the most Internet-connected nations on the planet, citizens are not happy with the lack of Canadian content available to them. A new study done by a Toronto consulting firm asked 500 people about Canadian identity on the Internet. The survey, conducted by Innovative Consulting Strategies, found that 40 per cent were not happy with the amount of Canadian services on the web. Thirty two per cent declared themselves "somewhat dissatisfied" with a further eight per cent were "not satisfied at all". By contrast, 48 per cent said they were "somewhat satisfied" and only 12 per cent pronounced themselves "extremely satisfied". A variety of industry sectors were rated according to on-line visibility. Participants in the survey were asked to assess web sites on a scale from 10 (extremely visible) to one (not visible at all). Innovative Consulting owner Stewart MacDonald explained to Network Letter that he sets seven as the benchmark for high ratings. Only banking, finance and investment, at a 7.3 rating, and media, news and publishing, at 7.1, managed to post good numbers. "Other sectors need to become more visible on the web," MacDonald stated. Private sector firms rated a mere 5.4, while directory/information services were slightly better at 6.3. MacDonald worried about the lack of visibility in an analysis he wrote for Microsoft Corp.’s CanadaOne site. "If we didn’t know any better we would assume that most Canadian organizations don’t have web sites," he offered. "In fact the opposite is true. It only takes a quick glance at business cards and letterhead to see that this isn’t the case. It’s just that a large number of us aren’t noticing them. And if you don’t notice them or can’t find them you can’t use them." MacDonald places some of the blame on the fact that Canadians are not using Canadian Internet services. Only one-quarter of respondents said they used services that are owned and operated by their fellow citizens (see chart). Another 15 per cent were not sure who provided their content. But nearly 60 per cent get their information from American-owned firms with no Canadian content or from foreign-controlled companies with some Cancon. Surprisingly enough, Canadians opt for more traditional methods to learn about new on-line services. When asked, "How would you prefer to find out about new Canadian on-line services?", one-third answered newspapers or magazines. A further 22 per cent chose television. Email notification was suggested by 21 per cent, while only nine per cent preferred on-line banner ads. Other methods, such as word of mouth, radio and transit ads, fared even worse. The 500 people who took part in the study comprise a broad range of the population. Men made up 68 per cent of respondents, women 32 per cent. Participants were selected from all parts of the country, in various size communities. Ontario represented 32 per cent of respondents, the Maritimes 30 per cent, B.C. 15 per cent, the prairies 14 per cent, and Quebec nine per cent. Cities of one million or more inhabitants were represented by 24 per cent of respondents, with other size communities posting numbers from 10 per cent to the mid-teens. Even towns under 10,000 people accounted for 10 per cent of survey participants. Respondents represented a wide range of educational experience. University graduates made up 35 per cent of participants, while 16 per cent had done post graduate work. Twenty eight per cent had attended college. High school graduates made up 12 per cent with another nine per cent have attended high school but not graduated. This was not an anonymous survey. Respondents were obliged to provide contact information, including full name and phone number, before they were directed to the secure survey form on a dedicated web site. The study has a statistical accuracy of plus or minus 4.3 per cent, 19 times out of 20. MacDonald concedes that there is debate about the validity of market research conducted on-line. He believes that if proper controls are in place, a report such as his will accurately reflect Canadian popular opinion with a margin of error of 0.3 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Canadians want more Canadian content on Internet, new survey discovers

News | 04/23/2002 4:00 am EDT

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