While Canadians and Americans 18 to 34 love the Internet and TV, a new study from Ipsos Reid reveals some cultural differences between these young adults.
Canadians spend nearly five hours watching TV, while Americans spend an hour more in front of the tube each day. Canadians spend another 27 hours each week on the Internet, while Americans spend an extra hour per week online.
“But when it comes to the way Americans and Canadians in the 18-34 year-old age group play, communicate, and use media, it is a sure bet there are cultural differences and nuances marketers need to understand to better reach this audience,” said Paul Lauzon, senior vice-president with Ipsos Reid.
Canadians like hockey, Facebook, and playing the lottery, and Americans like football, MySpace and text messaging.
While comparing gambling and lottery habits, the study revealed Canadians are more likely to play the lottery than Americans. In the past year, 80% of Canadians 18-34 have played a lottery game, while only 63% of Americans in the same age bracket have played lottery games.
However, Americans are more interested in playing lottery games on the Internet. Nearly half (46%) of Americans said they would be interested in playing lottery games online, while less than a third (31%) of Canadian expressed an interest.
Though Americans are more likely to play games on the Internet for real money (28% versus 20% in Canada) they are more likely to perceive online gambling as illegal (31%) than those in Canada (19%).
When it comes to watching sports, Americans pick football while Canadians choose hockey. NFL football is the most watched sport in the U.S., with 57% of respondents having watched a game in the past year.
Major league baseball (44%) and college football (43%) came second and third.
In Canada, 58% said they have watched an NHL game in the past year. NFL football came second with 32%, with the CFL landing in third (29%).
“It should come as no surprise here–football culture in America and hockey culture in Canada run deep and tie in closely to national identity,” said Samantha McAra, senior research manager with Ipsos Reid. “But what is interesting is that for a country with no NFL team and a reputation for winter sports, many Canadians have an interest in the NFL.”
Americans really like text messaging, sending and receiving an average of 129.6 text messages per week, nearly double the Canadian average of 78.7 messages per week.
Both groups seem to enjoy social networking, but gravitate towards different sites. Canadians are Facebook fans with 81% of respondents to the online survey having registered a profile compared to only 57% in the U.S. However, Americans have gravitated more towards MySpace with 54% registering compared to 23% in Canada.
