Canadian Men Drawn to 2016 Oscar Awards

VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - February 24, 2016) -  A new poll by NRG Research Group and Peak Communicators reveals that the majority of Canadians planning to tune into the 88^th Annual Academy Awards will be men. Sixty-five percent of Canadian men under 35 intend to watch the Oscars hosted by comedian Chris Rock on Sunday, February 28 compared to only half of the women in the same age group.

Furthermore, out of the films shortlisted for Best Picture, the largest group of Canadians are betting on The Revenant winning -- with 37 percent of the votes. The second closest prediction is The Martian with 11 percent of votes.

Interestingly, Mad Max: Fury Road, predicted as the Best Picture winner by 6 percent overall, proves more popular among both men and women under the age of 35 (15% and 11% respectively). Despite being filmed in Alberta, The Revenant is no more popular among Albertans than the national average; instead, Albertans are more likely than those in other regions to believe The Martian will walk away with the top prize.

"It is fascinating to see the demographics of Canadians planning to tune into this entertainment telecast," says Dr. Lesley Duncan, Research Consultant with NRG Research Group. "Stereotypically we picture women following entertainment and celebrity news more closely, whereas in reality the Oscars seem to be more popular among men."

The research also looked at how the controversy surrounding the lack of diversity in this year's Oscars, as exemplified by the #OscarsSoWhite social media campaign, impacts Canadians' decision to tune in. Duncan explains: "While two-thirds of Canadians won't change their viewing habits as a result of the #OscarsSoWhite campaign, 18 percent -- predominantly men aged 18-54 -- are more likely to watch the show, and 10 percent -- mostly women aged 18-34 -- are less likely to tune in."

Last year, 6.4 million Canadians tuned into watch the Academy Awards, a 19 percent decline from the previous year. Of those polled this year, 51 percent plan to tune in on Sunday, while 27 percent plan not to and 22 percent have not yet decided. By province, residents of British Columbia are most likely to watch at 58 percent, compared with only 42 percent of viewers in the Atlantic Provinces and 38% in Manitoba.

These results are from a provincially-representative Canada-wide study of 1,000 online respondents conducted by NRG Research Group from February 16-18, 2016*.

Notes to editor:

*One thousand Canadians were asked the following three questions:

1. "Do you plan on watching the 88 ^th Academy Awards (the Oscars) on February 28 ^th ?"
1. 51 percent will watch; 27 percent will not; 22 percent are undecided
2. 65 percent of men under 35 will watch; 50 percent of women under 35 will watch
3. 58 percent of BC residents will watch; 42 percent of Atlantic residents and 38 percent of Manitoba residents will watch
2. "Which film do you predict will win best picture, based on your own enjoyment of any of the movies you have seen as well as anything else you may have seen or heard about them?"
1. 37 percent say The Revenant; 11 percent say The Martian; 6 percent each say Brooklyn, Bridge of Spies, and Mad Max: Fury Road; 4 percent say The Big Short; 3 percent each say Spotlight and Room; 24 percent don't know
2. 15 percent of men under 35 and 11 percent of women under 35 say Mad Max: Fury Road
3. 19 percent of Albertans say The Martian
3. "The social media hashtag #OscarsSoWhite has been trending and represents a lack of diversity in nominees across major categories. Some celebrities have also voiced their intention to boycott the event in protest. Knowing this, would you say that you are more or less likely to watch this year's Oscar broadcast?"
1. 66 percent say it will not impact viewing decision (including 49 percent who are neither more nor less likely as well as 17 percent who do not watch the Oscars regardless of the controversy); 10 percent are less likely to watch; 18 percent are more likely to watch
2. 26 percent of men 18 to 34 and 27 percent of men 35 to 54 say they are more likely to watch; 17 percent of women 18 to 34 say they are less likely to watch

NRG Research Group is a leading Canadian public affairs and market research company, with offices in Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg.

Peak Communicators is one of the largest independent full-service public relations agency in Western Canada with a specialty in media relations, communication strategy, media training and digital media.

To view the Results by Demographic Categories, please visit the following link below.

Attachment Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/2/24/11G084270/ResultsbyDemographicCategories-bb2d639408fc851590c10b21af586c30.pdf