“New” Environics Poll Confuses Me

Maggie Fox, October 24 2006

I just got wind of this story, which is essentially a re-hash of two Environics polls [tres ugly website, BTW], one conducted in early October, the other in July. The jist of it is this:

One third, or 32 per cent, of online Canadians have read a blog in the last three months. B.C. is the most active blog market with 42 per cent stating they check out blogs while Quebec remains at the back of the pack at 28 per cent.

Incidentally, Canadian youth seem to be leading the way; 51% have read a blog and almost a quarter actually write one themselves (no word on what exactly constitutes a “youth”).

Anyway, that’s not what’s confusing me. What is? Well, some research I recently read at competing Canadian pollmeister Ipsos-Reid. The contrast is rather dramatic (all numbers refer to people with internet access):

42% of all online Canadians have read a blog at least once
44% of Canadians with household incomes of $60,000 or more have read blogs
48% of Canadian men say they have read a blog at least once vs. 35% of women
50% of Canadian adults aged 18-34 have read a blog at least once
45% of Canadians with post secondary education have read blogs

So, uh, what’s up, Environics?

Update: The Toronto Star picked up the Environics story October 25th.