[A2k] Gender Differences in Attitudes Towards the Canadian Copyright Bill!

[Manon Ress]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
 From a Canadian friend:
quote

The discrepancy between males and females is also of interest. While
49 per cent of men want their MPs to vote against the new copyright
amendments, only 29 per cent of females concur.

end of quote

Not sure what to make of this!

Manon

    http://www.angusreidstrategies.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=3Dnews&newsid=
=3D245

Angus Reid Poll: Canadians Evenly Split on Proposed Amendments to
Copyright Act
Three-in-four say changes come as a result of lobbying by the North
American music industry; half think downloading music without paying
amounts to stealing.

06.19.08 Thursday
[VANCOUVER =96 Jun. 19, 2008] =96 With proposed amendments to the
Copyright Act on the table, a new Angus Reid Strategies poll reveals a
Canadian public that is on the fence when assessing the new
regulations and the consequences they carry.

Earlier this month, the federal government proposed several amendments
to the existing Copyright Act, which would fine people $500 for
downloading copyrighted material from the Internet and up to $20,000
for hacking digital locks or uploading copyrighted material to file-
sharing websites.

In the online survey of a representative national sample, respondents
answered a wide range of comprehensive questions regarding their views
on the benefits and drawbacks of the proposed changes, as well as
their perceptions on the existing copyright laws.

Amendments to the Copyright Act
Canadians are clearly divided on the proposed changes, with 45 per
cent of respondents supporting the amendments, and another 45 per cent
rejecting them. One-in-ten (10%) are undecided.

Regionally, British Columbia (52%) and Alberta (48%) show the most
resistance to amending the Copyright Act , while Quebec (53%) and the
Atlantic Provinces (50%) are the most encouraging of tougher copyright
infringement laws. In turn, Manitoba and Saskatchewan (21%) house the
most respondents who are unsure on the issue.

The large disparity among respondents in each of the different age and
education groups is particularly interesting. The survey reveals that
a majority of Canadians over the age of 55 and those with a high
school diploma or less are clearly in favour of the amendments to the
Copyright Act. Sixty-one per cent of older Canadians support the new
changes, while only 23 per cent of those aged 18 to 34 and 47 per cent
of those aged 35 to 54 feel the same way.

Canadians with a high school diploma or less are also very supportive
of the stricter laws=9755 per cent say they support the anticipated
changes, compared to 40 per cent of those with a college or technical
school diploma and 40 per cent of those with at least one university
degree.

Is Downloading Without Paying Stealing?
The research into the views of Canadians on this subject reveals that
half of all respondents (50%) think that downloading music from the
Internet without paying amounts to stealing. Another 45 per cent
disagree, and four per cent are unsure.

A breakdown among various groups reveals that women (54%), older
Canadians (65%), respondents living in households earning more than
$100,000 a year (57%) and university graduates (53%) are more prone to
believe that downloading music from the Internet without paying
amounts to stealing.

Privacy of Consumers
The survey shows some misconceptions about what the Government of
Canada could actually do if the changes become law. Only one-third of
all respondents (33%) correctly identified that the proposed
amendments will not allow the federal government to search the
portable music players and computers of Canadians.

Regionally, respondents living in British Columbia (41%) and Quebec
(36%) are more likely to believe that the federal government would be
allowed to gain access to portable music players and computers. Older
Canadians (36%), those with a university degree (36%), and those
living in households earning $100,000 or more a year (41%) appear more
aware of the limits of the proposed amendments.

Perceptions on the Copyright Act
To further gauge the perceptions of Canadians regarding this topic,
respondents to this Angus Reid Strategies survey were provided with a
list of seven statements related to the new amendments and asked
whether they agree or disagree with each one.

The findings reveal that a large majority of respondents (76%) believe
the proposed amendments to the Copyright Act are being introduced as a
result of lobbying by the North American music industry. For many
years, strengthening copyright infringement laws has been a recurrent
topic in the United States.

Another finding worth mentioning is that, while most Canadians
recognize the purpose of the new changes is to stop people from
profiting from illegal file-sharing (67%), two-thirds (66%) feel that
the anticipated changes are merely symbolic, and that the government
will not be able to enforce them. Three-in-five respondents (63%)
foresee millions of lawsuits against Canadians if the new
modifications take effect, and more than half (54%) believe the
changes are necessary, because current regulations are outdated and
need to be reformed.

Less than half of all respondents think the proposed amendments to the
Copyright Act balance the rights of copyright holders and consumers
(47%), and two-in-five (44%) state that emerging artists will not be
able to easily promote their work as a result of the changes.

Voting on the Bill
Finally, when asked how they would want their Member of Parliament to
vote in regards to the new amendments, respondents once again showed a
clear division. While more respondents said they wanted their MP to
vote against the changes (39% versus 32%), it is interesting to note
that three-in-ten respondents (29%) are undecided about the direction
the local representative should take.

The discrepancy between males and females is also of interest. While
49 per cent of men want their MPs to vote against the new copyright
amendments, only 29 per cent of females concur.

Respondents aged 18 to 34 once again show the highest level of
opposition to tougher restrictions, with a clear majority (58%) saying
they want their MP to vote against the new changes=97compared to 37 per
cent in the 35-54 age group and only 27 per cent of older adults.

The education bracket also reveals an interesting snippet=97more
educated respondents are much more likely to want their MPs to oppose
the changes to the Copyright Act than their respective counterparts,
especially those with a high school degree or less.

CONTACT Mario Canseco, Director of Global Studies, 604-647-3570, mario.cans=
eco@angus-reid.com
Full Report, Detailes Tables and Methodology (PDF)



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