Ottawa, ON, Wednesday, November 10, 2010 – An Abacus Data National Poll, sponsored by Algonquin College who will be hosting Canada’s largest Corporate and Community Social Responsibility Conference next week, has revealed new trends in the way Canadians think about sustainability. Most notably, 50 per cent of those surveyed said they would take a pay-cut to work for a socially responsible company – some indicated they would take a cut of 10 percent or greater.

“This research confirms something we have been paying attention to and watching evolve over the years,” explains Dave Donaldson, Dean, School of Business, Algonquin College. “Canadians are changing the way they are thinking and businesses are trying to adapt to meet these 21st Century expectations.”

The survey also reveals a majority of Canadians are willing to spend more for products and services from socially responsible companies. On average, Canadians said they would spend $8.62 more on a $100 product or service from a socially responsible company.

“It is clear that businesses need to change the way they are doing things to ensure their continued viability and growth,” adds Donaldson. “Organizations are looking to the post-secondary sector to supply the next generation of business leaders to help them make this change.”

Algonquin is stepping up to this challenge with several sustainability-related programs, including Green Business Management, and the ‘greening’ of the curriculum in virtually all of the College’s nearly 200 full-time programs. Also, as a result of the College’s recent comprehensive program and service review, the College has already begun working on a new Bachelor of Applied Business – Sustainability/Corporate and Social Responsibility program with an anticipated launch in Fall 2014.
“Socially responsible organizations make more money, it’s as easy as that,” adds Donaldson. “This new business degree will be the first of its kind in Canada and industry is already asking when these grads will hit the job market.”

The survey also highlights the need for this type of training as only one in three Canadians rated the job Canadian corporations are doing being socially responsible as either excellent or good. Four in ten said corporations in Canada were neither good nor poor while 16% rated them as poor or very poor. “Canadian businesses are making headway, but there is a definite need for education and leadership on this front,” adds Donaldson.

In-depth Findings:
Canadians willing to spend more for socially responsible companies: Overall, over six in ten Canadians said they would be willing to spend more on a $100 product if a version of the product or service was available from a socially responsible company. 19% would spend $10 more on a $100 purchase, while 18% would spend between $5 and $10 more. 38% of Canadians said they would spend no extra money for a version of a product or service from a socially responsible company. On average, Canadians said they would spend $8.62 more on a $100 product or service from a socially responsible company. Women would spend more on average than men ($10.11 vs. $7.03).

Younger Canadians would spend more on average than older Canadians
o 18 to 29 - $11.88
o 30 to 39 - $8.32
o 40 to 49 - $7.56
o 50 to 59 - $7.76
o 60 to 69 - $7.70
o 70 and over - $8.70

Canadians are willing to take a wage cut to work for a socially responsible company: One in two Canadians (50%) said they would be willing to take a pay cut to work for a socially responsible company. 8% would take over a 10% pay cut, 15% would take between a 5% and 10% pay cut, while 28% would take between a 1% and 5% pay cut. Younger Canadians were the most likely to take a pay cut. The average pay cut Canadians 18 to 29 would take to work for a socially responsible company was 5.6%. Those 30 to 39 years old said, on average, they would take a 7% pay cut.
Most Canadians cannot name a company that does well at being socially responsible: Only 21% of Canadians could identify a company that they believed to be socially responsible. No single company was mentioned by more than 1% of Canadians.

Half of Canadians are unaware of what corporate social responsibility means: When asked if they knew what corporate social responsibility means, 49% of Canadians said they were aware while 51% said they were unaware. This is comparable to recent surveys in the United States.

Canadian corporations have a lot to do to become more socially responsible: Only one in three Canadians (31%) rated the job Canadian corporations are doing being socially responsible as either excellent (3%) or good (28%). Four in ten (42%) said corporations in Canada were neither good nor poor while 16% rated them as poor (13%) or very poor (3%).

About the survey:
From October 29 to November 1, 2010, Abacus Data Inc. conducted an online survey among 1,001 randomly selected Canadian adults from an online panel of over 400,000 Canadians. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is comparable to 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. To read the executive summary of the report, please visit: www.ccsrconference.com.

About the CCSR:
The CCSR conference will be held on Tuesday, November 16, 2010, at Algonquin College’s Woodroffe Campus in Ottawa. This year's theme is Achieving Social Innovation through Corporate and Community Collaboration. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with experts from around the country and learn new ways corporations are working with communities and NGOs. Algonquin is the lead organization behind the conference, but it would not be possible without strong support from five other academic institutions including the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, La Cité collégiale, Red River College, and new for 2010 the University of Waterloo.

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About Algonquin College:
Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is located in the Nation’s Capital and the Ottawa Valley and is the largest college in Eastern Ontario. Algonquin is a leader in the integration of technology into learning. Algonquin College has a diverse population of more than 18,000 full-time students and over 36,000 part-time registrations in over 170 programs and is committed to student success. www.algonquincollege.com or follow us at www.twitter.com/algonquincolleg

For more information, contact:

David Hall
Communications Officer
Algonquin College
Office: (613) 727-4723 ext. 2091
Cell: (613) 220-7796
david.hall@algonquincollege.com