The Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released its third annual “Newcomers – Top Trends Report,” which explores how people new to Canada use media and technology to help settle in.
MTM conducted 4,000 online and in-person surveys with newcomers ages 18 and up, including permanent residents, international students, temporary foreign workers, refugee claimants and Canadian citizens. Between May and September, the research firm also polled 800 native-born Canadians.
According to the findings, mobile phones are an essential part of newcomers’ lives. The majority of responders have their own cell phone, while only 5% share a phone with another adult in the household. Almost half (47%) sign up for a new phone plan in person at a kiosk or store. The report showed that nearly four out of every 10 newcomers purchased a phone before arriving in Canada. Gen Z is more likely than other generations to arrive with a phone.
Spending time on social networks is one of newcomers’ main online activities, with more than nine in 10 accessing platforms on a monthly basis. They spend approximately five hours more on average per week than the average born-in-Canada citizen. Facebook (76%), WhatsApp (70%), and Instagram (67%) are newcomers’ favorite platforms, according to MTM. Telegram is the most popular among newcomers from Ukraine, with 64% of Ukrainian immigrants using the service. WeChat (71%) and Douyin (46%) are the most popular with people from China.
According to the study, nine in 10 subscribe to an SVOD service, preferring them in this order: Netflix (72%), Amazon Prime (51%) and Disney+ (25%). Interestingly (for advertisers), MTM also found that AVODs are equally popular with newcomers, with nine in 10 watching AVOD content, a rate higher than for those born in Canada. (The study did not differentiate between streamers that offer both AVOD and SVOD services.)
In terms of accessing this content, MTM found that newcomers own Android/black boxes at a higher rate than those born in Canada (27% vs. 14%) and their language preferences on these devices are: English (88%), Hindi (20%) and French (11%).
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