More so than other Canadians, Quebecers believe that retiring "rich" is not just about the money. According to RBC Financial Group's latest RRSP poll, 47 per cent of Quebecers who are thinking about retirement expressed this sentiment, compared with 40 per cent of all Canadians.
"People living in Quebec appear to place greater emphasis on lifestyle issues than people living in other parts of Canada - and it may very well be that approach extends to how Quebecers think about retirement as well," said Danielle Coutlee, manager, Sales Strategy and Support, RBC Financial Group in Montreal.
According to the RBC survey, some of the most highly rated factors driving the decision to retire for Quebecers are: thinking it's time to think about themselves, not everyone else (rated as very important by 53 per cent of Quebec respondents, compared with 38 per cent of all Canadians); planning where to live (rated as very important by 46 per cent in Quebec, compared with 40 per cent in Canada) and planning what to do in retirement (rated as very important by 47 per cent in Quebec, compared with 40 per cent in Canada).
"This suggests that Quebecers may have a clearer vision of what their priorities are in life and can envision what their retirement years will look like and how they plan to live those years," said Coutlee.
Across Canada, when asked to rate important considerations in deciding when the time was right to retire, 54 per cent of poll respondents said health care requirements were extremely important - second only to determining the amount in savings or investment needed to have a comfortable retirement (61 per cent).
These are the findings of an RBC Financial Group/Ipsos Reid poll conducted between October 12-26, 2006. For the survey, telephone interviews were conducted with a random sample of 1,201 Canadian adults (aged 18 and older). With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within +/-2.8 per cent, 19 times out of 20. In Quebec, interviews were conducted with a random sample of 297 adults. The results for Quebec are considered accurate to within +/-5.68 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
For full tabular results, please see the Ipsos Reid website at www.ipsos.ca.