Toronto, ON, Wednesday, May 11th, 2022 – Vividata, (vividata.ca) Canada’s leading media and consumer research firm, today released their latest study results. In field January - December 2021, Vividata’s SCC | Study of the Canadian Consumer | Spring 2022 is the most comprehensive cross-media, product, attitudinal and brand research study in Canada. The Spring 2022 Study provides new coverage on evolving consumer trends, such as: attitudes toward local media, ad attention by consumer category, opinions on cannabis consumption and more.
“The value of community, from supporting local businesses to the availability of trusted local news sources, has never been more important, and the additional SCC measurement on the importance of local media is essential,” says Peter Kvarnstrom, President of Community Media at Glacier Media Corp. Exiting as Board Chair this year, Peter has served on Vividata’s Board of Directors since 2017 and as Board Chair since 2020. “Serving as Chair during a time of immense change for Vividata and the industry has been a pleasure and a privilege. I leave Vividata in a great position to help the media and consumer insights industry well into the future.”
A sample of media highlights from Vividata’s SCC | Study of the Canadian Consumer | Spring 2022 include:
NEWS MEDIA:
• Just over 21 million Canadian adults (70%) read or access print or digital newspaper content (whether a daily or community newspaper) in an average week, with reach increasing to 74% among Francophones and dipping slightly to 68% for Anglophones.
• Of the weekly newspaper audience (whether a daily or community newspaper), 95% of readers find local news is of greatest interest.
• 70% of Canadians agree, “I value my local media because it covers what’s happening in my community.” While 67% agree, “Local media makes me aware of products and services available in my community.” Agreement to both statements is greatest among those aged 50+.
• The mobile audience for magazine content continues to grow steadily. While 45% of magazine readers are still exclusive to printed magazines, 35% accessed magazine content on a mobile device in Spring 2022, up from 28% in Spring 2019.
• Digital subscriptions to magazines also continue to rise. In Spring 2022, an estimated 4.8 million Canadians subscribe to at least one digital magazine, compared to 3.2 million in Spring 2019.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
• 90% of Canadian adults access social media platforms through a mobile device on a weekly basis, a modest bump from the 85% that did so in Spring 2020. While those aged 50+ are generally less engaged with social media than younger adults, 84% are still accessing these platforms through a mobile device on a weekly basis; compared to 96% of those under 50.
• Facebook (74%), Instagram (43%), and Twitter (27%) are the most popular social media platforms accessed by Canadian adults in an average month. While Facebook has recently experienced declines in their audience, TikTok’s audience has grown by an estimated 65% since last year, now reaching 15% (4.6 million) in an average month.
TV/VIDEO VIEWING:
• Ownership of connected/smart TVs continues to rise. An estimated 55% of Canadian adults now have at least one connected/smart TV within their home, nearly double the 28% ownership in Spring 2020.
• Viewership of live broadcast TV continues to decline, from 65% in Spring 2020 to 56% in Spring 2022. However, viewing through subscription services (e.g., Netflix, Crave, Disney+, etc.) has increased from 52% to 61% for the same period. While Canadians under 50 favour viewing through subscription services (at 70%), those over 50 are still predominantly watching live TV (at 69%). Newcomers to Canada (at 64%), and BIPOC adults (at 67%) also favour streaming services to broadcast TV.
• Even though Netflix has lost subscribers in recent months, it’s still the leading subscription-based service used by 52% of adults in an average week, followed by Amazon Prime Video (38%), Disney+ (16%), and Crave (11%).
RADIO/AUDIO:
• Dipping from 80% in Spring 2020 to 71% in Spring 2022, conventional radio (e.g. AM/FM) remains the most popular way to listen. Comparatively, the audience for audio streaming services (whether free or paid) has grown from 36% to 51% for the same period, capping out at an even higher 65% among adults under 35 and 66% among newcomers to Canada.
• Breaking out streaming audio further, 37% of Canadians now use free audio streaming services, a 10-point increase from 27% in Spring 2019. Paid audio streaming services have experienced gains as well, up from 10% to 24% for the same period.
OUT OF HOME (OOH):
• Digital OOH ads are increasingly capturing the attention of Canadians. 44% now agree that digital OOH “often catches my attention”, up from 31% in Spring 2020. Agreement to this statement is particularly strong among those under 35, newcomers to Canada, and BIPOC adults at nearly 1 out of 2 for each group.
• Canadians also increasingly agree that OOH ads are “a good way to learn about a new business in the area”, with agreement up 21-points from 39% in Spring 2020 to 60% in Spring 2022.
ABOUT:
Vividata is Canada’s authoritative source for insights on cross media and consumer behaviour, and the leading provider of cross platform audience measurement. Vividata is governed by a board of directors representing the interests of Canadian media companies, agencies and advertisers.
Along with offering the largest syndicated study in the country, the SCC | Study of the Canadian Consumer, Vividata delivers niche studies and bespoke solutions for a deeper look into consumer behaviour. Through syndicated surveys and reports, segmentations, custom studies, first and third-party data integration opportunities, and strategic partnerships, Vividata provides a complete suite of unified solutions for actionable data.
Metrica is Vividata’s passive measurement panel of digital consumers, capturing the complete picture of digital device usage in Canada. Through device metering technology embedded into the devices of opted-in participants, and intelligent data science, Metrica transforms the digital activities of Canadians into new behavioural insights.
