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