• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, October 15, 2009

According to the latest study from Ipsos, there are marked differences between American and Canadian young adults ages 18-34 when it comes to lifestyle decisions and values. When asked about the most important issues in their respective countries, health care, education and employment matters were rated as the top three issues in both countries.

However, there were large discrepancies in the degree of importance placed on other issues. For example:

• 73% of Canadians ages 18-34 rated the environment as important compared to 61% of Americans ages 18-34
• 65% of Americans ages 18-34 rated terrorism as important compared to less than half of Canadians ages 18-34 (44%)

Paul Lauzon, Senior Vice President with Ipsos Reid,  "... (these) young adults are critical points for marketers and decision makers... this group is growing in their consumption, gaining in their economic value, and asserting their preferences regarding lifestyle and brand choices. Knowing how they think and act is an investment in the future..."

Americans as more ‘traditional' and more ‘domestic' in their values and focus, says the report. American young adults are more likely to get married, to own their home, and travel closer to home. The comparable group in Canada, however, are less likely to be married, more likely to be in a domestic partnership type of relationship, less likely to own their home and more likely to travel abroad.

Considering the differences in this age group:

• In the United States, 39%,of the 18-34 year-old set are married compared to only 25% in Canada.
• The number of domestic partnerships in Canada is significantly higher (18% vs. 7%)
• 45% of Americans were more likely to report "owning" their home compared to those living in Canada (35%)
• 19% of Americans traveled to a vacation destination that was out of country compared to 48% of Canadian respondents
• 64% of this group in the US versus 62% in Canada reported being employed on a full-time or part-time basis or were self-employed.

Canadians in the age group were slightly more ‘academic'. The study found that:

• 76% of Canadians between the ages of 18-34 have at least some college or post-secondary education compared to 68% of Americans in the same age range
• 17% of Canadians in the group reported being full-time students compared to 13% of Americans

When asked about their leisure activity time, Americans and Canadians have a clear affinity for the Internet and television. Americans reported being "actively connected to the Internet" an average of 28 hours per week; Canadians reported being connected one hour less over the same time frame.

On a daily average, Americans in the age group watch about an hour more television per day than Canadians. On weekdays:

• Americans reported watching an average of 5.9 hours per day
• Canadians watched 4.8 hours

On weekends:

• Americans watched an average of 5.5 hours
• Canadians watched 4.6

The Internet and mobile devices have revolutionized the way people connect and communicate and that is evident in the way people have engaged in communication through their devices and online social networks, explains the study.

A marked cultural difference is noted in text messaging. Americans really like text messaging, sending and receiving an average of 129.6 text messages per week, nearly double the Canadian average of 78.7 messages per week.

Canadians in the age group are big on Facebook with 81% having registered a profile compared to only 57% in the U.S. But Americans are more into MySpace, 54% having registered compared to 23% in Canada.

Samantha McAra, Ipsos Senior Research Manager, concludes that "...these numbers demonstrate the cultural and value differences... but also highlight the fact that the younger generation is highly educated and engaged in the world... understanding the way they think and their values will also give marketers a clearer vision as to where and how they spend... "

To learn more and gain access to the complete studies, both Part 1 and Part 2, please visit Ipsos here.