Study finds Thanksgiving is one of the country's top holidays in which technology use by family members is considered most annoying

Families encouraged to take a break from technology

TORONTO, Oct. 1, 2014 /CNW/ - For many families across Canada, Thanksgiving will be spent with the ones they love but data from a study that looked at the impact of technology on Canadians' lives suggests digital devices are impacting quality family time together.

The Foresters Tech Timeout™ survey of 1,021 Canadians aged 25-55 who live with a family member conducted online in late 2013 by Harris Poll and commissioned by Foresters™, an international financial services provider with a purpose to enhance family well-being, revealed that Thanksgiving ranks as one of the top three holidays in which family members use of electronic devices is considered most annoying. Nearly half (45%) of these Canadians indicated that this behavior during the holidays is somewhat, very, or extremely annoying. Among these Canadians, most (69%) would like to ban the use of technology during family holiday meals and almost half (46%) would like to ban the use of technology during the holidays entirely.

"Thanksgiving reminds us to stop and take the time to appreciate the important things in life," said Tony Garcia, president and CEO, Foresters. "Statistics like these demonstrate the benefits to family well-being that can be realized by taking a break from technology. Putting digital devices away is a meaningful gesture of gratitude family members will appreciate and can help make this Thanksgiving holiday one families can truly celebrate."

As a solution to what they see as a growing dilemma that is impacting family well-being and in some cases, fostering social isolation among people who live under the same roof, Foresters created the Tech Timeout™ challenge to encourage families to reconnect in a more meaningful way. By unplugging for an hour, a meal, or an entire holiday, families can improve their relationship with each other. With 38% of Canadians aged 25-55 living a family member who consider the use of electronic devices during the holidays to be somewhat annoying reporting that more conversation and interaction could improve family holidays, Foresters is encouraging families to unplug and engage in more conversation and activities with each other.

To learn more about Foresters Tech Timeout™ challenge or to pledge to take a break from technology this holiday, visit www.techtimeout.com.

Methodology
The Foresters Tech Timeout™ survey was conducted online within the United States and Canada by Harris Poll on behalf of Foresters between October 10-22, 2013 among 1,507 residents of the United States and 1,021 residents of Canada, aged 25-55 years who live with at least one family member. Of these respondents, 693 in the U.S. and 492 in Canada are parents of children under age 18. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Susan Perkins at sperkins@bvk.com.

About Foresters
For 140 years, Foresters, an international financial services provider, has fulfilled its purpose to enhance family well-being for its members and the communities where they live.   A fraternal benefit society, Foresters offers quality life insurance and investment products, unique member benefits and inspiring community activities. Foresters shares its financial strength with more than one million members in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.  For more information, visit foresters.com, facebook.com/foresters and techtimeout.com.

Foresters™ is the trade name and a trademark of The Independent Order of Foresters, a fraternal benefit society, 789 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Canada M3C 1T9; its subsidiaries are licensed to use this mark.

Tech Timeout and the Tech Timeout logo are trademarks of The Independent Order of Foresters.

About Nielsen & The Harris Poll
On February 3, 2014, Nielsen acquired Harris Interactive and The Harris Poll. Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence and mobile measurement. Nielsen has a presence in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA and Diemen, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.

SOURCE Foresters