Angus Reid Group -- North American Research Company Launches First Ever Annual World Poll.

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 1996--Ambitious Project to Survey 20,000 People in Top 40 Countries for Yearly Global Snapshot.

Former U.S. Ambassador Joins Canadian Based Angus Reid Group Market Research Firm to Head New World Products Division in Washington, DC.

The Angus Reid Group, one of North America's leading market research firms, announced today that it will launch an annual world wide survey involving 40 of the top ranked countries which represent over 82 percent of all global economic activity in April 1997. The World Poll will comprise 20,000 personal interviews -- 500 interviews per country -- conducted either face to face or by telephone and will provide an accurate opinion snapshot of the views of more than 3 billion consumers living in the world's most progressive and productive nations.

The Angus Reid Group is Canada's premier public opinion and survey research firm with eight offices throughout Canada and the United States. The company, founded by Vancouver based Dr. Angus Reid, has annual sales of $31 million and conducts an extensive amount of international research on behalf of a variety of clients -- within the last year, alone, the firm has conducted research in 17 countries.

The World Poll will offer corporations, governments, international organizations and media outlets an opportunity to regularly and reliably sample public opinion in the global village.

The company also announced today the official appointment of the Honourable Ambassador Frederick Bush, former U.S. Ambassador to the 1992 World Exposition in Seville, Spain, to head up the project. Bush, who will spearhead the company's Global Products Division, will be located in the Washington area office of the Angus Reid Group and will spend the next three months traveling throughout the United States, Europe and Asia discussing the project with various corporate and international leaders.

"More than ever, the success of global initiatives requires a detailed knowledge of the beliefs, attitudes and perceptions of consumers and citizens in local markets," said Dr. Angus Reid. "New communications technology and a growing market research capacity have created an unparalleled opportunity to bridge the gap between global decision making and local values."

The report of the findings from the 1997 World Poll is scheduled to be completed by late May or early June 1997. Clients will be given a preview report in June with a detailed analysis in August.

The report will represent the survey's global results by country and region as well as by socio-economic and demographic groups. The full data set will be available on CD-Rom to facilitate further study and comparison. Over the next five years, each succeeding annual World Poll will provide a unique, timely and changing mural of critical developments in global public opinion.

Clients will receive approximately five minutes of time on the survey which will take about 30 minutes to complete. Client questions will be customized and data collected will become the client's property and will only be released to them. Once a client has purchased time on the survey no other competitive entity will be allowed to participate.

To overcome linguistic and cultural barriers, the Angus Reid Group will work with local research firms in each country that meet the company's standards and use a common methodology. Those firms will interview 500 people based on a representative national sample unless local conditions dictate an increased number of interviews be conducted in urban settings or among narrower demographic or socio-economic groups.

The World Poll reflects the Angus Reid Group's experience with public opinion surveying which crosses national and cultural boundaries since 1992 when the Angus Reid Group and CNN broke new ground in international polling with a comprehensive survey of global issues in 16 countries.

Reid believes dramatic post-cold war changes in how the world works has made cross-border polling an essential tool for corporations marketing internationally, governments developing multi-lateral policies or tourism strategies and organizations that must cope with global trends.

"As the transition to a new world order continues, political and economic power is shifting not only away from sovereign states to trans-national organizations but also to the billions of consumers on whom they depend. Success in this complex, multi-cultural marketplace depends on being able to develop international strategies that reflect local values," he said.

"The World Poll," Reid said, "will give its elite participants a panoramic view of attitudes in the global village and a critical competitive edge in the market it has become."

CONTACT: Angus Reid Group

Dr. Angus Reid, 604/257-3200

The Honourable Frederick Bush, 301/907-8685