Recently, Insightrix Research examined social media in Manitoba using web scraping techniques to learn what issues Manitobans are talking about. We learned that one issue that is being discussed is visits to the emergency room.

So, between January 22-24, 2020, we asked 602 Manitoban residents from all over the province to tell us about their experiences at the emergency room using our online market research panel, ManitobaWatch™.

Check out the infographic below to find out what they told us.

Almost half (47%) of Manitobans have been to the emergency room either for themselves of accompanying someone else in the last three months. Further, about the same number (48%) have been to the emergency room in the last 12 months.

When it comes to the experiences Manitobans who had visited an ER are having there, one third (33%) of respondents say they are very satisfied with the check-in and administration process, while almost the same number (32%) are very satisfied with the work ethic and the work culture they witnessed at ERs. That said, more than one third of Manitobans (37%) are very dissatisfied with the wait times they experience at emergency rooms.

We asked Manitoba residents who are dissatisfied with wait times what they think the main reason that contributes to the wait times they experience, and 37% of that group state they believe they are due to government cutbacks in health care. Approximately one fifth of that group (21%) say too many patients go to the hospital when they could easily go to a clinic or doctor’s office, and 16% say that wait times are because of the limited number of staff available to work.

Have questions YOU would like to ask?

Do you have a question you would like to ask Manitoba residents? Try our omnibus service – OnTopic®– to learn more about what Manitobans think about any issue that matters to you.

About ManitobaWatch Research
Insightrix began developing its ManitobaWatch Research™ online market research panel in August 2014, using high-quality techniques including telephone recruitment, online advertisement and referrals from existing panel members. Presently, there are over 6,000 active panel members representing all regions of the province and distributions of the general population. For more information, please visit http://manitobawatch.ca.

Winter in Winnipeg is no joke.

You don’t earn the nickname, Winterpeg, for nothing after all.

Around this time of year, it’s not uncommon to hear friends and family complain about the winter taking a toll both physically and mentally.

To combat these winter blahs, many cities and their residents work hard to create a positive winter culture. Insightrix wanted to know how the City of Winnipeg and its residents created a winter culture all their own – like how do they spend their time outdoors during the winter, how cold is just too darned cold and what else could be done to promote a positive winter culture in Winnipeg.

We surveyed 360 residents of Winnipeg between February 12 and 15 using ManitobaWatch^®  – the Insightrix online research panel in Manitoba. ManitobaWatch sample quotas are set by age, gender and region to match the general population of the province, and since the research is conducted online, it is considered to be a non-probability proportion sample. Therefore, margins of error are not applicable.

This is what we learned…

Winnipeggers don’t mind the cold

It takes a little more than cold weather to keep Winnipeggers indoors.

When we asked Winnipeggers how cold is too cold, 64% said that between -15°C to -30°C is too cold for them. More than one fifth (21%) are tougher, saying -31°C to -40°C is too cold for them, and 3% say anything colder than -46°C is just too cold.

Others were less tough, with 4% saying -6°C to -15°C is too cold and another 1% saying 5°C to 1°C is too cold.

It might be safe to say this last 1% of the Winnipeg population may be living in the wrong place.

Winter culture abides in Winnipeg

The people of Winnipeg think winter culture is alive and well in their city.

When we asked Winnipeggers whether they thought the City and its residents have done enough to create and support a positive winter culture in the city, more than two thirds (69%) agree. Conversely, less than one third (31%) disagree, and wish more were done to create and support a positive winter culture in the city.

Some changes suggested

Winnipeggers made several suggestions for ways the people and the City could create and support a positive winter culture.

The most common answer we received was that better snow clearing should be provided (63%), followed by building more heated bus shelters (58%) and creating walkable spaces for pedestrians that are shielded from the wind.

The people of Winnipeg also suggested making improvements to the transit system (48%), providing more lighting in key areas (45%), holding more public events/festivals and building more public parking (39%).* Other common answers are noted in the infographic above.

Have questions YOU would like to ask?

Do you have a question you would like to ask Manitoba residents? Try our omnibus service – OnTopic™– to learn more about what Manitobans think about any issue that matters to you.

*Note that percentages total to more than 100% as participants were able to make multiple selections.