Canadian Consumers Research Articles

Purchase Drivers of Canadian Consumers of Local and Organic Produce

In recent years, the new trend for local and organic produce has transformed the landscape of fruit and vegetable purchasing. To this effect, “local” and “organic” logos have become the norm in many retail outlets. To examine the effects of different “local” and “organic” logos on Canadian consumers, a consumer survey was used to identify preferences for various external attributes and to identify consumer segments within the buyers of both local and organic purchasers. Our results indicate that the “Foodland Ontario” logo has the largest effect on likelihood of purchase and also increases willingness to pay within the overall sample. Furthermore, there are gender, region, and income differences associated with the likelihood of purchase and willingness to pay given various logos. Through this study, three consumer segments were identified, “Confident in Produce Produced in Ontario,” “In Organic We Trust,” and “Socially Responsible Locavores,” each of which has their own preferences for external characteristics.

Baby products and injuries in Canada: Is it still an issue?

As a frontline primary health care provider, you reflect on the patients encountered during your last emergency medicine rotation. Many of the injuries seen were related to baby products, and you wonder whether this was also the case in other areas of the country. To obtain further data on the types of incidents seen in Canada on this important question, the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP) sent a one-time survey on injuries associated with baby products to all CPSP participants (1). The survey focused on the frequency and extent of injuries associated with baby walkers, cribs and strollers. In addition, information on the dissemination and knowledge transfer of the bans/advisories and recalls issued on these products was obtained. The survey was designed in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Consumer Product Safety Bureau at Health Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society. • The response rate to the CPSP one-time survey on baby products was 27% (658 responses of 2466 eligible participants). Three per cent of participants reported seeing injuries associated with strollers, baby walkers or cribs. • Overall, there were 92 reported incidents associated with baby products including some serious injuries: Strollers - Concussions = 4 Skull fractures = 1 Upper extremity fractures = 2 Lower extremity fractures = 1 Abrasions / lacerations = 16 Minor injuries = 34 Baby walkers - Concussions = 1 Skull fractures = 0 Upper extremity fractures = 0 Lower extremity fractures = 2 Abrasions / lacerations = 5 Minor injuries = 11 Cribs - Concussions = 1 Skull fractures = 3 Upper extremity fractures = 1 Lower extremity fractures = 1 Abrasions / lacerations = 2 Minor injuries = 7 • In January 2010, Health Canada issued a recall notice for certain stroller models after reports of finger amputations and lacerations were identified in association with specific models. In addition, an advisory was also issued reminding Canadians to exercise caution when using strollers with hinge mechanisms. Awareness of all respondents to these measures was indicated in the survey as follows: Approximately 53% (352) were aware of the stroller recall; 43% (285) were aware of the stroller advisory; 36% (238) were aware of both the stroller recall and advisory. Just over 75% of respondents who reported how they learned of the recall and/or the advisory indicated that it was through news media reports (ie, newspaper, radio, television and Internet). •Baby walkers are banned in Canada. Health Canada's Consumer Product Safety Bureau investigated reports of serious head injuries associated with falls while in baby walkers, which ultimately led to a ban on baby walkers. Since April 2004, it is illegal to import, advertise for sale or sell baby walkers in Canada. It is also illegal to sell baby walkers at garage sales, flea markets or on street corners. - 83% (544) of respondents indicated that they were aware of the prohibition of baby walkers. -Approximately 40% of those respondents who reported how they learned of the ban indicated that it was through the news media. Language: en

Advocating for safer products in Canada

Injuries to children from use of consumer products are common, frequently serious & sometimes fatal. Survey results show that the vast majority of Canadians believe that if a product is...

How do U.S. and Canadian consumers value credence attributes associated with beef labels after the North American BSE crisis of 2003?

AbstractA consumer survey conducted in 2006 (n = 419), and therefore after the first confirmed bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) cases in North America in 2003, employs attribute‐based choice experiments for a cross‐country comparison of consumers' valuation of credence attributes associated with beef steak labels; specifically a guarantee that beef was tested for BSE, a guarantee that the steaks were produced without genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and a guarantee that beef steaks were produced without growth hormones and antibiotics. Considering consumers' socio‐economic characteristics, the results suggest that consumers in Montana (U.S.) and Alberta (Canada) are significantly heterogeneous in their valuation of the above attributes, although consumers' relative valuation of these process attributes does not appear to have changed since the 2003 BSE crisis in each region. Alberta consumers place a significant valuation on beef tested for BSE, which is striking because Canada's current legal environment does not permit testing and labelling of such beef by private industry participants. Montana consumers' valuation was found highest for a guarantee that the steaks were produced without GMO. Effective supply‐chain responses to consumers' valuation of credence attributes, for example, in the form of labelling, should therefore take consumers' heterogeneity into account.

Canadian consumers short-changed by govt intervention

Canadian consumers short-changed by govt intervention

The Impact of Goods and Services Tax on the Pattern of Canadian Consumer Spending and Saving

This paper examines the effects of the Canadian Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the pattern of Canadian consumption and savings over a period of time. To test the change since the introduction of GST, we apply a version of the almost ideal demand system (AIDS) which allows individual demands to be conditional on shift parameters. The empirical results suggest important changes in the relationships since the introduction of GST in Canada. The appearance of GST in 1991 has significantly increased the share of savings and services, while the share of commodity goods has decreased.

Negotiating with Uncle Sam

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme choseThe truth is, of course, that we [Canada and the United States] are about as close as we can possibly be. History and geography looked after that. We cannot disentangle ourselves or put up walls. Coping is inevitable.John W Holmes, 19811When John Holmes published Life with Uncle: Canadian American Relationship in the early 1980s, the world and our border with the United States looked very different from the way they do today. Holmes's essays on the Canada-US relationship were based on a series of lectures he delivered at the University of Toronto in 1980-81 as the Claude T. Bissell visiting professor. They were written before Canada had signed a free trade agreement with the United States and Mexico. Although the Canadian and American economies were becoming increasingly intertwined, there was little evidence that postnationalist sentiment would replace the Canadian nationalism that was still clearly in full bloom. As one American scholar wryly observed, Canadians and Americans maintained distinctly national conceptions of community: The eagle may soar, beavers build dams.2In the 1970s, increasing US investment and ownership in Canada was a focus of widespread concern and debate. Many Canadians, including members of the Liberal government of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, feared that continued integration with the US would ultimately lead to a loss of political autonomy and identity. As the federal government adopted a wide variety of new legislative initiatives to protect Canadian interests, our actions generated inevitable friction with the United States. Foreign Investment Review Agency (FIRA), which was established in 1974 to screen foreign investments in Canada, had by the early 1980s become a major irritant in Canada-US relations. In 1976, the federal government passed bill C-58 in response to the recommendations of the 1970 special senate committee on the mass media (the Davey committee), which allowed Canadian advertisers to seek tax exemption for advertising placed in periodicals that were 75 percent Canadian-owned, or on television stations that were at least 80 percent Canadian-owned. This too stoked a small firestorm in our bilateral relations. Then, in 1980, the Trudeau government enacted the national energy program (NEP), which was directed at lowering the cost of energy for Canadian consumers following the 1979 oil crisis while simultaneously promoting greater levels of Canadian ownership over the ou and gas industry through a greater federal presence in the exploitation of Canada's on and gas reserves. Canadianization targets in the NEP were vigorously protested by the United States.The early 1980s also marked the onset of what some have called the second Cold War. Ronald Reagan had just been elected president following what were widely regarded as a disastrous series of foreign policy setbacks - the American hostage crisis in Tehran following the 1979 Iranian revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, which led many western nations (Canada included) to boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Reagan also embarked on one of the biggest buildups of US defence forces in modern history and a major program of weapons modernization and force structure expansion, including a plan to develop and deploy strategic defences to protect North America from a Soviet nuclear attack.The escalation of US-Soviet tensions in the early 1980s was viewed with increasing discomfort by most Canadians, Holmes included. Canada had been an enthusiastic supporter of US-Soviet detente under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and their secretary of state, Henry Kissinger. Canadians had welcomed the end of the Vietnam War. (As a member of the UN truce commissions overseeing the implementation of the 1954 Geneva accords, Ottawa had tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to help mediate an end to that conflict.) Trudeau, who enjoyed a close relationship with Alexsander Yakovlev, the Soviet ambassador to Canada at the time, had also been keen to open new avenues of dialogue that would lead to greater liberalization - what later came to be known as glasnost - in the Soviet Union. …

Alberta Consumers’ Valuation of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Red Meat Attributes: A Choice Experimental Approach

This paper analyzes Alberta consumers’ perceptions toward extrinsic and intrinsic attributes of bison and beef steaks. In contrast to published Canadian consumer studies on bison meat that were undertaken prior to May 2003, before the first BSE case of Canadian origin was identified in beef cattle, this study provides a “post‐BSE” assessment of consumer perceptions toward selected bison meat attributes. The results from an attribute‐based choice experiment provide little support that simple traceability assurance schemes have value to consumers of bison and beef steaks, thus confirming similar findings of earlier beef studies that have employed different methodological approaches. The results also suggest that consumers are willing to pay significant premiums for bison steaks that are certified as being produced without genetically modified organisms, an attribute that has so far been unexplored in previous published bison studies. Le présent article analyse les perceptions des consommateurs de l’Alberta envers des attributs intrinsèques et extrinsèques du bifteck de bœuf et de bison. Contrairement aux études canadiennes sur la consommation de viande de bison publiées avant mai 2003, soit avant l’apparition du premier cas d’ESB dans un troupeau de bovins canadien, la présente étude livre une évaluation « post‐ESB » des perceptions des consommateurs envers des attributs sélectionnés de la viande de bison. Les résultats obtenus à partir de la méthode des choix multi‐attributs apportent peu d’appui à l’idée voulant que les mécanismes simples d’assurance de la traçabilité aient de la valeur pour les consommateurs de bifteck de bison et de bœuf, ce qui confirme les résultats similaires d’études antérieures sur le bœuf effectuées à l’aide de diverses approches méthodologiques. De plus, les résultats ont montré que les consommateurs sont prêts à payer un supplément appréciable pour du bifteck de bison certifié sans organisme génétiquement modifié (OGM), un attribut qui n’a pas été examiné dans les études sur le bison publiées antérieurement.

Semiparametric indirect utility and consumer demand

A semiparametric model of consumer demand is considered. In the model, the indirect utility function is specified as a partially linear, where utility is nonparametric in expenditure and parametric (with fixed- or varying-coefficients) in prices. Because the starting point is a model of indirect utility, rationality restrictions like homogeneity and Slutsky symmetry are easily imposed. The resulting model for expenditure shares (as functions of expenditures and prices) is locally given by a fraction whose numerator is partially linear, but whose denominator is nonconstant and given by the derivative of the numerator. The basic insight is that given a local polynomial model for the numerator, the denominator is given by a lower order local polynomial. The model can thus be estimated using modified versions of local polynomial modeling techniques. For inference, a new asymmetric version of the wild bootstrap is introduced. Monte Carlo evidence that the proposed technique’s work is provided as well as an implementation of the model on Canadian consumer expenditure and price micro-data.

Freeing Up Food: The Ongoing Cost, and Potential Reform, of Supply Management

Government-mandated cartels in eggs, dairy and poultry products impose high costs on consumers and harm Canada’s standing in international trade. The authors offer compelling evidence of the high costs to Canadian consumers and limited benefits to farmers arising from the supply management system. The study recommends phasing out Canada’s controversial supply management system through sales of new quota for the production and sale of these products.

Measuring identity theft and identity fraud

Identity theft and fraud are an increasing concern to consumers who interact with online businesses routinely. This paper presents a process-oriented model of consumer identity theft and fraud, and reports on a 2008 survey of Canadian consumers. Results are reported in standard categories of fraud: credit card, existing accounts, new accounts, and other fraud. We found that 20% of participants have stopped or reduced online shopping, and 9% have stopped or reduced online banking activities. These findings are of concern to business and government since, if consumers stop doing business online, the productivity benefits of e-business will not be realised.

Canada and Asia Pacific's Track-Two Diplomacy

Viewed in broad sweep, the most dramatic change in eastern in the past 25 years may be the associational revolution that has accompanied the region's spectacular economic growth and integration. Asian and transPacific relations have been transformed less by changes in regime type and diplomatic initiatives, though there certainly have been examples of both, than by the ways that people and organizations have connected to each other across national boundaries. All this in an Asian neighbourhood in which the principles of sovereignty and non-interference reign supreme, regional institutions are comparatively weak, and divided states and Cold War tensions remain unresolved.The frame of Asia and its multiple variants was invented in the mid-1980s, largely as a way of capturing the trans-Pacific interest in the growing markets of and finding a way to create some kind of community or commonality as an overlay on economic transactions. An act of parliament created the Pacific Foundation of Canada in 1984. In its aspirations, achievements, and failures, it has embodied the Canadian attempt to cement the Canadian place in a trans- Pacific world in the making.Commercial and economic issues have been the principal focus of the foundation's activities from the outset, even as its architects and some of its leaders held to a much broader conception that also highlighted political, security, cultural, and educational domains. The nurturing of bilateral political relations and the commitment to building multilateral institutions for Ottawa has been mainly a complement to economic objectives. The Canadian economy is now much more closely integrated into as Canadian consumers, producers, and citizens see in their daily lives.Despite the economic focus and the absolute growth in the levels of trade, in relative terms Canada's significance in continues to slide. Trade dependence on the US is only slightly reduced and the capacity for Canadian businesses to become integral parts of the global value and supply chains centred in remain comparatively weak.The paradox of these 25 years is that Canadian policymakers have aimed at commerce while the real fields of Canadian success often have been elsewhere. Chief among these have been the enormous human flows in immigration from to Canada, the presence of Canadians in Asia, travel and tourism, and student recruitment. Historians may have difficulty pinpointing a major economic triumph but little problem finding a vast array of people-to-people contacts and Canadian initiatives in building the sinews of international society within and across the Pacific.In the billiard-ball world of state-to-state relations in the Pacific, Canada has at most been an intermittent and second-tier player. It has scored occasional successes in intergovernmental institutions like Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and in bilateral relations, especially with China, Japan, South Korea, and ASEAN under Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments and with India under the current Conservative government.The unsung hero has been the Canadian role in the nongovernmental and semi-governmental arenas that have blossomed in the Asia-Pacific era. In a context of rapid economic and social change in east and southeast Asia, the sprouts of multilateralism have taken root. Canada's involvement has both made a lasting contribution in and coincided with the way that foreign policy is made and implemented at home.The fact that the Harper government is comparatively less interested in Pacific than its predecessors and has virtually shut down the interactive processes inside Canada and with Asian partners does not diminish the record of accomplishment nor dim its future prospects.TRACK-TWO DIPLOMACYThe idea of second track or track-two diplomacy crept into the lexicon of international relations in the early 1980's. …

Framing genetic risk: trust and credibility markers in online direct-to-consumer advertising for genetic testing

This study looks at Internet direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for genetic testing to assess the way in which genetic risk information is framed to consumers, and strategies to establish trust and credibility in this context. Keywords specific to genetic test DTC advertising were entered into popular Internet search engines, arriving at 22 companies. Representations of benefits and risks on company websites were coded and themes were developed pertaining to promotional information of genetic tests for a variety of health conditions. Two strategies were most frequently used by companies to frame risk: underlining the basis of the condition, often with genetic determinist and essentialist undertones, and stressing the commonality of the conditions. Major credibility and trust markers employed were indications of organizational professional accreditation/recognition and credentials of company executives and staff. The DTC ads examined provided limited, vague or inaccurate information about disease etiology and promoted tests for use in broader at-risk populations than is normally indicated in clinical practice. Implications of these trends for Canadian consumers and clinicians are discussed.

Exploring the decision‐making process of Canadian organic food consumers

Purpose – Although consumption of organic food (OF) shows promising trends in Canada, there is no clear understanding of the barriers that still prevent a larger demand for OF. The main objectives of this paper are to understand what, how, where, and why Canadian consumers buy OF by exploring consumers' motivations and decision‐making process, and digging into consumers' trust orientations with regards to OF.Design/methodology/approach – In‐depth interviews are conducted and data collected are analyzed using content analysis.Findings – Results indicate that Canadian typical organic product consumers have a defined purchase scheme in terms of retail stores selection and price, as well as values and trust orientations. They identify health, the environment, and support for local farmers as their primary motivators for organic consumption. In particular, health motivation is mainly based on avoidance from chemical residues, antibiotics, hormones, genetically modified organisms, and diseases. Results also sho...

The effect of power distance and individualism on service quality expectations in banking

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between Canadian and Indian consumers' national cultural orientations and banking service quality expectations. Using two of Hofstede's five cultural dimensions operationalized at the individual level, and five dimensions of service quality from Parasuraman et al.'s SERVQUAL scale, the aim is to develop and test hypotheses relating national culture values to service quality expectations.Design/methodology/approach – The study is quantitative in nature, using surveys (online and written) from respondents in Canada and India. Data were analyzed using dummy variable regression and structural equation modeling.Findings – The results show that the importance of various SERVQUAL dimensions is related to Hofstede's power distance and individualism cultural dimensions both at the individual and national levels. More specifically, consumers low on power distance expect highly responsive and reliable service. High power distance customers attach...

Do Canadians Pay More than Americans for the Same Products?

The paper examines whether Canadians were paying more than the Americans for the goods and services they purchase. Based on more than 160 product price data for each of the five years under study (1985, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1999), the study finds that there were, on average, no significant price differences between the two countries for highly standardized products that flow relatively freely across borders. There were, however, subsets of products with significant differences. Over the period under study, Canadian consumers on average paid 4% more for highly differentiated tradable products, but 8% less for products that are not easily traded across borders, such as services. Given the size of the service sector, lower prices for services in Canada plays an important role in determining our standard of living compared with the United States. We also find that the shifts in the price differences (expressed in the same currency) generally reflected fluctuations in the exchange rate. Canadian prices adapt with a lag to U.S. price changes that are brought about by changes in the exchange rate.

Ease of reading of mandatory information on Canadian food product labels

AbstractFood product labels present individual product information, safety, nutrition, electronic inventory, container and environmental information, in various formats, languages and images. Some information is mandatory; much is promotional. The food label is an essential tool for regulators of safe food handling, nutrition policy and fair competition. Mandatory information on food labels in Canada is required to be presented in both English and French, readily discernable, prominently displayed and legible. This study examines the ease of finding and reading of mandatory label components on selected Canadian food products. A validated typographical scoring system assessed the lists of ingredients on a purposive sample of 100 food labels representing foods in all groups in Canada's Food Guide. Seven percent of the ingredient lists were easy to read; 26% were difficult to read and 67% were very difficult to read. Well‐educated resourceful readers in consumer focus groups examined food labels for key elements that influence ease of finding and reading information. Focus groups and typographical scoring identified: colour contrast, case, print style, print size, space between the lines, reverse print, organization, justification, type of surface, hyphenation and print reproduction as factors that affect ease of reading. Print that curves around a container, lack of paragraphing or point form organization make reading difficult; text blocks at right angles to each other make comparisons difficult; separation of the nutrition facts table from the list of ingredients makes decision making tedious. Inadequate spacing between lines of print creates problems for readers of English and exacerbates problems for readers of French. Words placed over illustrations, busy backgrounds or watermarks increase reading difficulty. Hazard statements, instructions and storage information imbedded in other information without added space or appropriate heading is difficult to find and read. Canadian consumers echo consumers in 28 European countries who find label information difficult to find and to read and want clear guidelines/regulations on the placement and the typography of mandatory food label components

The Promise of a More Abundant Life: Consumer society and the rise of the managerial state

In the decades following the turn of the century, the rising cost of living was a subject of controversy in Canada and throughout the industrialized world. No other topic, observers often noted, commanded more attention. Rising prices exacerbated wage disputes, and intensified tensions between traditional producer values and the acceptance of new patterns of purchasing. This article explores the bond formed between Canadian consumers and the managerial state by the investigation of changes in the cost of living. In order to measure changes in the prices of goods and services, it is necessary to examine the consumption practices of Canadians. This process of data collection and collation helped to normalize new consumer behaviours, and embedded the category of the Canadian citizen as a wage spender, as well as a wage earner, in the workings of government. By engaging with consumption, that is by representing, by measuring, and by categorizing the changing purchasing practices of its citizens, the state expanded its mandate and helped to shape the way Canadians came to see themselves as consumers.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Canadian Consumers and Health Care Professionals Regarding Nutritional Genomics

With advances in the field of nutrigenomics, commercial laboratories have begun marketing genotyping services, nutritional advice, and dietary supplements "tailored" to match individual genetic predispositions. Although primarily offered by American companies, these services are available to Canadian consumers via the Internet. Qualitative research in the form of focus groups with members of the Canadian public was undertaken to assess the current level of understanding of and receptivity toward this new genomic application. Additionally, focus groups with health care professionals (physicians, pharmacists, dieticians, nutritionists, and naturopaths) investigated their interest in integrating nutrigenomics into health care delivery, and their capacity to do so. Gauging knowledge and attitudes early in the introduction of a new technology serves to identify potential "blind spots" regarding the ethical, legal, and social implications. Preliminary results indicate consumers believe potential benefits of nutrigenomics outweigh risks, while health care professionals express more skepticism. Both groups agree that more public education about nutrigenomics is needed and that regulatory oversight should ensure consumer protection.

Life‐style orientation of rural US and Canadian consumers

PurposeIn view of the existing void in the current international and cross‐national/cultural marketing literature, the purpose of this paper is to look into the similarities and differences of life‐style orientations prevalent among US and Canadian consumers. The AIO (Activities, Interest, and Opinions) and VALS (Values, Attitudes, and Life‐Styles) statements adapted from the current cross‐cultural marketing literature were utilized to determine different US and Canadian consumer market segments. The research tools and techniques used in this study help retail businesses as well as manufacturing companies of the two countries to develop and execute more effective target marketing strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe data for this study were collected through self‐administered questionnaires. The questionnaires were administered in two different locations. First, in Brandon, Canada and second, in the rural part of south central Pennsylvania (York and Lancaster counties). Both regions are similar to each other, each having a flourishing agricultural industry and a significant number of companies in the service and manufacturing industries. The data were collected through a drop‐off and pick‐up method among a sample of 300 Canadian married or common‐law families and 400 in the USA.FindingsThe study results show that there are, indeed, differences among the consumers’ life‐styles in the two countries which were similar in demographics and as such may have been previously treated the same way by marketers, but in reality have very different lifestyles. Based on the survey findings, managerial and/or public policy implications are offered for orderly marketing decision‐making purposes.Research limitations/implicationsA study of total urban consumers may produce different life‐style profiles than the ones presented here. This study only examined North American consumer life‐styles within the framework of product group (form). Additional studies may look at consumer life‐styles by use of product brands and even product options.Originality/valueThis empirical research study presents cross‐cultural comparisons of life‐styles, value orientations of consumers in the purchase of a variety of goods and services in the similar environments of North America, namely rural areas of the USA and Canada.