More Canadians Have Changed Hair Colour (45%) Than Hotmail Email .

More Canadians Have Changed Hair Colour (45%) than Hotmail Email Accounts (23%) in the Past 10 Years Three Quarters (76%) of Canadians Creating Virtual Shoeboxes by Archiving Important Messages, Documents and Photos Public Release Date: Monday, May 14, 9:00 a.m. Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader and the country’s leading provider of public opinion research. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 300 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in Canada, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and on-line panels. Ipsos Reid’s Canadian marketing research and public affairs practices are staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, offering the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada—including the Ipsos Trend Report, the leading source of public opinion in the country—all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group. To learn more, visit www.ipsos.ca For copies of other news releases, please visit http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/ Ipsos Reid Washington New York Chicago Minneapolis Seattle San Francisco Vancouver Edmonton Calgary Winnipeg Toronto Ottawa Montreal

More Canadians Have Changed Hair Colour (45%) than Hotmail Email Accounts (23%) in the Past 10 Years Three Quarters (76%) of Canadians Creating Virtual Shoeboxes by Archiving Important Messages, Documents and Photos Toronto, ON – As the popular internet email service celebrates its 10th anniversary, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of MSN finds that more Canadians have changed the colour of their hair (45%) than Hotmail email addresses (23%) in the past ten years. Similarly, more Canadian Hotmail users have moved into a new home or apartment (70%), lived in more than one town, city or province (46%), or been in more than one relationship (43%) than changed Hotmail accounts. Canadians are using their Hotmail accounts for more than just sending emails. In fact, three quarters (76%) of Canadians are creating virtual shoeboxes by archiving important messages, documents and photos. Similarly, Canadians are using Hotmail to send and receive family photos (80%), engagement announcements (12%), and even wedding invitations (10%). These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of MSN from May 1 to May 3, 2007. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1317 adults was interviewed online. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 2.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. Ipsos Reid -1Washington New York Chicago Minneapolis Seattle San Francisco Vancouver Edmonton Calgary Winnipeg Toronto Ottawa Montreal

These data were weighted to ensure that the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data. More Canadians Have Changed Hair Colour (45%) than Hotmail Account (23%) It appears that Canadians are more willing to change most other things about their lives than to change their Hotmail email account. In fact, while almost half of Canadian Hotmail users have changed their hair colour in the past year (45%), less than one quarter (23%) have changed their Hotmail email addresses. This is interesting, considering some of the other findings outlined below: Table 1: How Canadians are Changing Item Change over past 10 Years % of Canadians who have Changed Changed hair colour 45% Moved into a new home or apartment 70% Owned more than one car 60% Changed a telephone number 60% Held more than one job 57% Lived in more than one city/town/province 46% Been in more than one relationship 43% Changed Hotmail address 23% Q: Which of the following applies to you? Over the past 10 years, I have The difference between those who have changed hair colour and those who have changed Hotmail addresses is particularly marked among women, where three Ipsos Reid -2Washington New York Chicago Minneapolis Seattle San Francisco Vancouver Edmonton Calgary Winnipeg Toronto Ottawa Montreal

quarters (72%) of women have reportedly changed their hair colour, and only two in ten (21%) have changed their Hotmail addresses. This represents a 51 point difference. The least likely group to change are older Canadians, aged 55 and over, where only 16% of those individuals changed email addresses. The age group most likely to have changed their Hotmail address was young adults, aged 18-34; nevertheless, only one third (32%) indicated that they have done so. Six in Ten (62%) Hotmail Users Plugged In for At Least Five Years While three quarters of Canadians (75%) have had an email account for five years or more, six in ten (62%) Hotmail users have had a Hotmail account for a similar duration. Nearly one third (31%) have had a Hotmail account for seven to ten years, which is more or less since the inception of the popular email service. One in ten (8%) users has signed up for a Hotmail account within the past year. British Columbians are the Canadians who have been plugged into email for the longest, with 36% of residents claiming to have had an email account for over ten years. This is compared to the national average of 28%, and a rate of 18% in Quebec. Young adults, aged 18 to 35, are the most likely of all demographic groupings surveyed to claim that they have a Hotmail account. At 84%, this group is 26 points ahead of middle-aged Canadians (58%), and 41 points ahead of older Canadians, aged 55 and over (43%). Ipsos Reid -3Washington New York Chicago Minneapolis Seattle San Francisco Vancouver Edmonton Calgary Winnipeg Toronto Ottawa Montreal

Residents of Quebec are the most likely of all regions within Canada to have this popular free email account, with nearly seven in ten (67%) claiming to have a Hotmail account. Individuals whose families earn less than 30,000 a year in income are one of the most likely demographic groups in Canada to have a Hotmail account, with three quarters (72%) saying that they have an account. Three quarters (75%) of British Columbian users have had a Hotmail account for five years or more, compared to just over half (53%) of residents of Atlantic Canada. Particularly popular among young adults, nearly three quarters (73%) those aged 18 to 35 say that they have a Hotmail account. From Family Photos to Wedding Invitations, Canadians Use of Email is Diverse Canadians are varied in their uses of email. Emailing has evolved beyond sending letters to friends, family and colleagues. Interestingly, eight in ten Canadian Hotmail users (80%) have either sent or received family photos in an email. Other activities include sending vacation (66%) and pet (52%) photos, party invitations (48%), and even love letters (32%). Canadians are even using email as a means by which to communicate important messages and notices to family and friends. One in ten (12%) Hotmail users have sent engagement announcements over the internet; a similar margin (10%) has even sent wedding invitations over the internet. Focusing specifically on wedding invitations, Canadians are not unified in their experiences of sending or receiving this piece of information via email. Of particular Ipsos Reid -4Washington New York Chicago Minneapolis Seattle San Francisco Vancouver Edmonton Calgary Winnipeg Toronto Ottawa Montreal

note is the geographical pattern that has emerged from the results of the survey. As one moves west across Canada, the reported incidence of sending or receiving wedding announcements among Hotmail users goes from 6% in Atlantic Canada to 14% in British Columbia, representing an 8 point difference. Similarly, one third (33%) of British Columbians have sent or received baby announcements via an email account, whereas only 13% of Atlantic Canadians have done the same, representing a 20 point difference. British Columbians are also the most likely Canadian Hotmail users to have felt the impact of cupid via email, with 42% saying that they have sent or received a love letter online, compared to the national average (32%). Canadian Hotmail Users Prefer Email (78%) to Snailmail (28%) when Sending Personal Announcements, Invites and Photos When sending personal announcements, invites or photos, a solid majority (72%) of Canadian Hotmail users note that they ‘prefer email’ because ‘it’s easier’. Further, Canadians enjoy the ability to ‘access these memories on the internet from anywhere in the world, and it doesn’t create clutter’. Conversely, nearly three in ten (28%) users agree that it is ‘bad etiquette’ to send these items by email, and that they prefer to send these items by regular mail. Two thirds (63%) of Canadians are using email to stay in touch with family or friends, while two in ten (17%) use email for day-to-day business communications, and one in ten (9%) use email to sign up for contests and subscribing to newsletters. Quebecers are the most likely of all regions within Canada to prefer email for sending these items, with eight in ten (81%) agreeing that it is easier. Ipsos Reid -5Washington New York Chicago Minneapolis Seattle San Francisco Vancouver Edmonton Calgary Winnipeg Toronto Ottawa Montreal

Consistent with many of the rest of the findings of this survey, Atlantic Canadians are the most reserved Hotmail users when it comes to sending personal announcements, invites or photos via email, with only six in ten (62%) preferring to send these items by email. Residents of British Columbia are most likely to use email to stay in touch with family or friends, with three quarters (74%) claiming to do so. By contrast, only half (50%) of those is Saskatchewan and Manitoba claim to do the same., where over one quarter (27%) use email for day-to-day business communications. Canadians Share their Views and Preferences With so many uses for email, Canadians are varied in their responses regarding their views and preferences. Below are some of the highlights of the survey: Table 2: How Canadians Use their Email Statement % of Canadians who ‘Agree’ % of Canadians who ‘Disagree’ 49% 51% I prefer instant messaging over email when I want a quick response 60% 40% I use less formal language when writing emails now than when I first started using it 48% 52% I use my email as a personal information manager and organizer 42% 58% I prefer to use email for more formal means of communication, like applying for jobs and interactions with a superior Ipsos Reid -6Washington New York Chicago Minneapolis Seattle San Francisco Vancouver Edmonton Calgary Winnipeg Toronto Ottawa Montreal