Do Canadians Still Watch Awards Shows?
March 17, 2022
Final voting for the Oscars kicks off today (March 17, 2022) and runs for just six days before ending on the 22nd. As the 94th annual Academy Awards (scheduled for Sunday, March 27th) quickly approaches, we were eager to explore just how many Canadians will be tuning in.
We conducted a national survey of 2,100 Canadians between January 18th and 20th in which we asked about their viewing habits and preferences regarding awards shows.
To begin, we find a majority of Canadians (59%) not really watching awards shows, with 57% indicating that they have been watching less often over the past few years.
This is most common among Francophone Canadians (66%) and residents of Quebec (65%), hinting that the language of the program may be presenting itself as a barrier to these individuals. Furthermore, 63% of those 60 and older and 61% of female Canadians are watching awards shows less often. Interestingly, 10% of those between the ages of 18-29 indicated that they watch every single awards show, with the same percent also stating that they have watched more often over the past few years. But how often will Canadians be viewing in the future?
Well, 49% of Canadians indicated that they will be watching awards shows less often in the future, while 45% will be watching just as often and 6% will be watching more often. Those who are most likely to be tuning in less often in the future include those 60 and older (55%), and those living in Atlantic Canada (61%). On the other hand, 14% of those between the ages of 18 and 29 stated that they will be watching more often.
Reasons for watching less in the future include a lack of interest, lack of enjoyment, and concerns regarding politics and the nomination/voting process. A majority (56%) of those who indicated that they would be watching awards shows less often in the future feel this way due to a lack of interest. This is most common among Quebec residents (67%) and Francophone Canadians (68%).
We also wanted to take a look at the different elements to awards shows and how important they are to Canadians. While all aspects tested were deemed at least moderately important by a majority of Canadians, the performances (92%), special awards (90%), and regular awards (90%) were deemed the most important. This was closely followed by speeches (77%) and the red carpet (70%).
The recent 2022 Golden Globe Awards took place in a privately held ceremony with the winners announced via its social media platforms and press releases. When asked how they would feel about this format being used in the future, 43% of Canadians revealed that they did not like this model. This was most common among those between the ages of 18 and 29 (33%), and those who indicated watching every single awards show (25%). Interestingly, those from Atlantic Canada were among the most likely to like this model a lot (20%).
METHODOLOGY
This survey was conducted with n=2,100 from January 18th to 20th, 2022. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- 2.14%, 19 times out of 20
The survey was conducted using a random sample of panelists invited to complete the survey from a set of partner panels based on the Lucid exchange platform. These partners are double opt-in survey panels, blended to manage out potential skews in the data from a single source.
The data was weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Canada’s population according to age, gender, educational attainment, and region.
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