New Rogers survey shows staying connected with family and friends as vital to Canadians as eating and sleeping

• Canadians no longer worry about family due to technology advances
• Women and men use technology differently to stay connected to family and friends
• Young adults prefer phone calls with parents – especially when asking for money

TORONTO, Feb. 16, 2012 /CNW/ – Rogers Communications today released the results of its Rogers Innovation Report that regularly explores Canadians’ habits and views on technology. The latest Report focuses on how technology users connect to family and friends and includes a survey that shows six-in-ten (58%) Canadians cannot imagine life without the modern conveniences of texting, email and social networking, while nearly four-in-ten (39%) feel that staying connected with loved ones is equally as important as eating and sleeping.

“There’s no question that technology is transforming our lives. Canadians tell us that with all the communication options that technology now provides, it’s making their lives easier and relationships better,” said Robert Switzman, Rogers Senior Director, Convergence.  “From making plans for dinner to checking in with the kids, staying connected to their loved ones is a top priority for Canadians.”

Among other findings, the report reveals that women have a much stronger tendency than men to use technology as a tool for keeping close to those they care about. And while young adults continue to rely heavily on newer technologies like texting to connect with friends and family, they still recognize situations when a traditional phone call is the way to go.

Women vs. men
In the battle of the sexes, women, significantly more than men, felt strongly about the use of technology to manage relationships with their friends, families and partners. It helps them to avoid anxiety and positively benefits their overall lives.

• NO WORRIES: Six-in-ten women (60%) no longer worry about their family because technology allows them to stay in touch when and where they need to, compared to 49% of men. Almost twice as many women as men felt anxious when they can’t connect quickly with friends and family (22% women vs. 12% men).
• ESSENTIAL: Two-thirds of women (67%) cannot imagine their lives without technology as opposed to 49% of men. Fifty-six percent of women feel that staying connected with technology is essential to their well-being, while only 39% of men felt the same.
• DAILY: Seven-in-ten women (71%) would feel out of touch if they didn’t have technology vs. 53% of men. Forty-four per cent of women say it’s nearly impossible to go a day without connecting with friends compared to 28% of men.
• IMMEDIATE: One thing both genders agreed upon was feeling irritated when a text was not responded to within an hour, with 29% of men and 30% of women desiring quick responses.

Young adults are the most connected
Young adults aged 18-24 are the most plugged-in, using technology with the highest frequency to manage all of their personal relationships.

• CONSTANT: Young adults spend two-and-a-half hours per day on average communicating with their boyfriend or girlfriend.
• DIVERSE: Young adults connect with family and friends in many different ways. Texting is the most commonly used tool at 95%, while 87% use social networking applications; 86% use email; 80% place a phone call with their mobile device; and 45% place a video call.
• STRONG: Two-thirds of young adults (67%) state the availability of such technologies as texting, social networking, email and instant messaging allows them to have better relationships with their friends, partners and family.
• APPROPRIATE: Young adults know that it is best to make it more personal with their parents: placing a call by cell or home phone is the still most used method (88%), followed by texting (58%) and email (56%). When it comes to asking their parents for money, young adults feel it is appropriate to ask over the phone (57%), but they also feel other methods are appropriate; 15% feel asking via email is acceptable; 14% are okay doing this by video calling; and 10% think asking via text is fine.

Even in our social media era, email still one of the most popular ways for Canadians to stay connected

• Two-thirds of respondents (73%) use email to stay close to friends, 51% to connect with parents, and 58% for siblings and 57% for other family members.
• Nearly one-half of respondents (46%) feel staying connected with friends is a top priority in their lives. A similar proportion feels that using technology to stay connected is essential to their personal well-being (47%).

About the survey
From January 13^th to January 23^rd 2012, an online survey was conducted among 1,403 randomly selected adult Canadians that own a smartphone or tablet and use texting, social networking, video calling, email, instant messaging, or BBM. All were Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.6%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to region and gender. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

Join or follow the conversation about the new Rogers Innovation Report on Twitter by following and using the hashtag #RIRExplores.

About Rogers Communications Inc.
Rogers Communications is a diversified Canadian communications and media company. We are Canada’s largest provider of wireless voice and data communications services and one of Canada’s leading providers of cable television, high speed internet and telephony services. Through Rogers Media we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, sports entertainment, and digital media. We are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). For further information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit rogers.com.

Image with caption: "Canadians using technology to manage their personal relationships (CNW Group/Rogers Communications Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120216_C4769_PHOTO_EN_10172.jpg