47%
52%
44%
55%
Yes No
General Public (n=1,006) Parents (n=545) 26. Did you know that you can report an incident or injury involving consumer products or other products to Health Canada or other government agencies?
DK/NR=1%
Related Focus Group Findings:
Most focus group participants have never reported an incident or injury involving a consumer or other product. With one exception, those who have done this have reported a product defect or suspected defect, but not an actual injury. Examples include defective appliances or tools, defective or broken children’s products, poor/defective packaging, missing product parts, and spoiled foods and beverages. In all cases, participants either contacted the product manufacturer or the retailer from whom they purchased the product.
Only a few participants were aware that they can report an incident or injury involving a consumer or other product to Health Canada. Among the few who were aware of this, no one has actually done it.
Asked how likely they would be to report an incident or injury involving a consumer or other product to Health Canada now that they are aware that they can do this, participants tended to say that it would depend on the circumstances. For example, many said that they would likely do this if something affected their personal health or the health of their family, or the circumstances involved a serious accident or injury to themselves or family/
friends. Short of that, if they took any action at all they would be more likely to contact the retailer or manufacturer, or perhaps a consumer protection agency.
Over and above the issue of the seriousness of the circumstances, many said that their likelihood of reporting an incident to Health Canada would depend on the reporting procedure (e.g. how does one do this? how much time and effort is required to report an incident? how long does it take to get a response? how long does it take before a decision is rendered?). In short, there was a relatively widespread sense that interaction with government can involve a lot of bureaucratic red tape, with the result that that any resolution to a problem could take a long time.
Looking beyond the process itself, a number of participants focused on the end result saying that their likelihood of reporting an incident would depend on what the end result or outcome might or could be (e.g. what type of sanction could be imposed or what kind of compensation might be provided?). Depending on the possible outcomes, some thought it might not be worth investing the time and effort required to report an incident.
Differences in Knowledge of Product Safety
In order to assess differences in knowledge regarding product safety, a knowledge index was created based on the number of correct responses to the five true or false questions asked at question 13. The knowledge index included four categories:
• Those who answered 0-1 question correctly (little or no knowledge);
• Those who answered 2 questions correctly (limited knowledge);
• Those who answered 3 questions correctly (some knowledge);
• Those who answered 4-5 questions correctly (knowledgeable).
Subgroup variations in knowledge about products sold in Canada were relatively limited.
Among members of the general public, the following differences were evident:
• Respondents with little or no knowledge of product safety were more likely than those who are knowledgeable to say they always read the labels of products before they purchase them (42% vs. 27%) and after they purchase them (25% vs.
14%).
• The likelihood of looking for information about the use and safety of products increased with knowledge of product safety (from 57% of those with little or no knowledge to 75% of those who are knowledgeable).
• Those with little or no knowledge were more likely than those who are knowledgeable to express strong agreement with the following:
o Knowing how to read and use product labels is important to them (85% vs.
74%);
o Knowing what products are recalled in Canada is important to them (78%
vs. 68%);
o Information on labels helps them safely use a product (68% vs. 53%);
o When they hear about product recalls, they feel more confident about product safety (63% vs. 34%);
o Information on product labels is easy to understand (41% vs. 21%);
o They currently get enough information from product labels to make informed purchase decisions (37% vs. 24%).
Among parents, the following differences were evident:
• Respondents with at least some knowledge of product safety were the most likely to look for information about the use and safety of products (81-82% of those with at least some knowledge vs. 64-65% of those with limited or no knowledge).
• Those with little or no knowledge were more likely than those who are knowledgeable to express strong agreement with the following:
o Knowing how to read and use product labels is important to them (91% vs.
76%);
o Information on labels helps them safely use a product (71% vs. 52%);
o When they hear about product recalls, they feel more confident about product safety (62% vs. 32%);
o Information on product labels is easy to understand (43% vs. 25%);
o They currently get enough information from product labels to make informed purchase decisions (37% vs. 24%).
Demographics
This section presents the demographic characteristics of survey respondents in terms of their age, education, employment status, household income, parental status (i.e. children or not and if so, age of children), status of household members regarding allergies and medical conditions, gender, location, language and region. Data presented in this section is weighted.
Phoenix SPI for Health Canada; December 2010
Education
21%
8%
27%
38%
5%
16%
9%
30%
43%
2%
High school
Apprenticeship / trades certificate or diploma
College / CEGEP / Non-university certificate or diploma
University degree, certificate or diploma
None
General Public (n=1,006) Parents (n=545) Weighted Data
Refused=1% or less Phoenix SPI for Health Canada; December 2010
Age
27%
19% 19%
14% 17%
30%
45%
19%
2% 1%
Under 35 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 and older
General Public (n=1,006) Parents (n=545) Weighted Data
Refused=3-4%
Phoenix SPI for Health Canada; December 2010
Phoenix SPI for Health Canada; December 2010