4. Successful Televisual Communication

Based on studies by Statistics Canada,^{Footnote 1} television is one of the most important sources of information for people with low literacy skills. Indeed, 70 per cent of them say they receive a lot of information from television, compared to 62 per cent of other Canadians.

Communication Canada’s Listening to Canadians surveys corroborated these results, suggesting that television is a determining influence on the opinion of people with low literacy skills.

COMMUNICATION PREFERENCES
ADVERTISING (% having responded “very important”)
Choice of words
Spokesperson
Images
Colours
Music

Each element was evaluated separately.
Communication Canada, Towards Action: Issues and Challenges of Communicating with Canadians with Low Literacy Skills, April 2003.

Television Advertisements

In 2000, three out of four individuals indicated that they would prefer to have the Government of Canada inform them using television advertising.^{Footnote 2}

More recently, people with low literacy skills said that they place considerable importance on the choice of words and language, on the spokesperson and, although to a lesser degree, on the visual presentation of the advertisement.^{Footnote 3}

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