TORONTO – Scotiabank recently polled Canadians to better understand their time commitments and attitudes toward them. The study, conducted by Harris/Decima, found that more than half of Canadians (57 per cent) agree that their daily schedule is more hectic today than it was five years ago, but this statement is most true for those aged 25-44 (74 per cent for those 25-34; 78 per cent for those 35-44). This young adult age group was also more likely than other Canadians to feel they would be much better off with an extra hour of free time each day (78 per cent for those 25-34; 80 per cent for those 35-44 vs. 63 per cent national average).

The study found that if Canadians were given an extra hour in each day the majority (70 per cent) would spend time with family or friends, about half would exercise (51 per cent) or read (49 per cent) and more than one-third of Canadians (37 per cent) would take a nap. Canadians aged 18-24 are more likely than some of their older counterparts to use an extra hour in their day to nap (49 per cent), which makes sense considering 47 per cent of those in that age group reported that they sleep less in order to have more time in a day to get everything done.

“It’s not surprising to see that so many Canadians are feeling overwhelmed by the demands on their time,” said Mike Henry, Senior Vice-President, Customer Experience, Scotiabank. “With all of the technology at our fingertips today, many would think Canadians would feel less anxiety than they did five years ago, but it seems that the real outcome of being so connected is that the expectation of immediate responsiveness is the new normal.

“At Scotiabank, we recognize that it has become more important than ever for Canadians to use technology to their advantage in order to have more time for what really matters,” continued Mr. Henry. “Something as simple as banking on a mobile device could, over time, save Canadians some time to spend with a friend or take that much needed nap.”

According to the study, Canadians would like to make better use of their time, with 53 per cent expressing the need to use idle time more productively. The majority of Canadians (62 per cent) also feel that since they do not have a lot of time, they want to be able to do things when they think of them. Fifty-nine per cent of the Canadian population find that they forget to do things that they put off. 

“Having access to bank accounts on a mobile device allows Canadians to make the best use of their time,” said Jason Charlebois, Vice-President, Self Service, Scotiabank. “Scotiabank’s Mobile Banking Service lets Canadians take care of their finances from anywhere, at any time.”

The need to check account balances is something that more than a third of Canadians have experienced, with 36 percent indicating that they had to check their account balance or transfer money before they could make a purchase. An almost equal number (37 per cent) said they needed to check their account balance while they were on the go.

About the Survey

The Scotiabank Poll was conducted via Harris/Decima’s weekly telephone omnibus, teleVox, from May 27th through May 30th, 2010. 1,007 Canadian adults were surveyed.  Results are accurate to +/- 3.1 percent 19 times out of 20.

About Scotiabank’s Mobile Banking Service
With Scotiabank mobile banking, customers can check balances, pay bills, make transfers and send money with their mobile phone. For more information, visit scotiabank.com from your mobile phone or download our iPhone App.