VANCOUVER, May 29, 2012 /CNW/ - Three-quarters of Canadians say a criminal record check would influence their purchasing decision when considering home service providers, according to a national survey released today.
Babysitters and house cleaners top the list of home service providers Canadians want criminal record checked. Ninety-three percent of Canadians would prefer hiring a baby sitter who has undergone a criminal record check, followed by house cleaners (76 per cent), electricians (57 per cent) and plumbers (56 per cent).
In general, women and older respondents feel most strongly that a criminal record check would influence their decision to purchase goods or services from a home service provider.
Regionally, Albertans most consistently say that criminal record checks would positively influence their buying decision, whereas Quebec residents are typically less concerned about criminal record checks - with the exception of baby sitters and food delivery services.
Canadians believe criminal record checks are important for home service providers in the following order:
Conducted by BackCheck - Canada's largest provider of criminal record and employment reference checks - the survey showed that respondents were less concerned about trades operating outside the home, such as roofers and landscapers.
"This survey clearly shows that criminal record checks boost business prospects," says Dave Dinesen, Founder and CEO of BackCheck. "Canadians would feel more comfortable hiring someone with a clean record, particularly if that person will be working where you live."
According to Corrections Canada, ten percent of Canadians have criminal records. Background checks are increasingly being used in the hiring process by both corporations and volunteer organizations.
Dinesen believes criminal record checks - which can be done quickly and inexpensively online - make sense for two key reasons. "First, this one simple step is a differentiating factor that encourages people to purchase from your company. Second, it makes customers feel safer. Clearly, it's important to Canadians to have that sense of security. Given the survey results, the many house cleaning companies across the country that require criminal record checks are on the right track."
When it comes to employment involving children, 98 percent of Canadians think criminal record checks are important. "Not surprisingly, the vast majority of us would feel more comfortable hiring a babysitter with a clean record," Dinesen says.
BackCheck is headquartered in Surrey, BC and has additional offices in Montreal, the UK and the Philippines.
About BackCheck
BackCheck, founded in 1997, is Canada's largest provider of background checking services, and one of the largest providers of background checking in the United Kingdom. Led by founder and CEO Dave Dinesen, BackCheck has for 15 years served nearly two thirds of the Financial Post 100, as well as thousands of Not-for-Profit organizations, medium and small businesses, and government. The first company to deliver background check results securely online in Canada and to offer a completely online criminal record check, BackCheck has continued technology innovation with the goal of maintaining the highest security, greatest customer satisfaction, and delivering the fastest results. For more information on BackCheck, visit www.backcheck.ca.
About the survey
From April 4th to April 5th 2012, an online survey was conducted among a sample of 1,002 Canadian adults who are also Angus Reid Forum panel members. The margin of error — which measures sampling variability — is +/- 3.10%, 19 times out of 20. The sample was balanced by age, gender, region and education (and language in Quebec) according to the most recent census data. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
Photos available upon request:
Image with caption: "Top five home service providers Canadians most want criminal record checked. (CNW Group/BackCheck)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120529_C2278_PHOTO_EN_14211.jpg
Media contact
Jeremy Twigg
Fleishman-Hillard Communications
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604-688-2505
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