Remote breakups preferred by many younger Canadians, survey finds

Younger Canadians would rather break up with their partners remotely via phone, email or social media, according to a new poll from Research Co.

Breaking up with someone can be hard, especially in person – but younger Canadians appear to be turning more toward remote methods of delivering difficult news.

A new survey from Research Co. found 29 per cent of Canadians between the ages of 18 and 34 prefer ending a relationship by text, phone, email or app.

That’s compared to 24 per cent of Canadians ages 35 to 54, and 14 per cent of those 55 and up.

Technology analyst Carmi Levy called the demographic split “hardly surprising.”

“The younger you are, the more likely you are to be a digital native,” Levy said. “You don’t remember what it was like not having this technology in your hands, you’re more likely to think that it’s acceptable to dump somebody via text.”

Overall, 22 per cent of Canadians favour breaking up using one of those remote methods, according to the survey.

Research Co. found a similar generational divide when it comes to quitting a job, with 40 per cent of younger Canadians preferring to tender their resignation by text, phone, email or app, compared to 18 per cent of those 55 and older.

Younger respondents were also less likely to consider text messages or emails “impersonal,” and more likely to express anxiety at the prospect of having a phone call with someone they don’t know.

Levy said technology has proven immensely powerful at connecting people in some ways while isolating them in others, which he called “the great oxymoron of our time.”

“As a parent, I’ve seen my kids stand around with their friends at school in a circle holding their phones, head down, texting each other instead of having a face-to-face conversation,” Levy said.

“We’re so enamored of the newest, brightest, shiniest technology but we don’t give a whole lot of thought to how it’s changing our very culture, the way we interact with each other, our personal habits – and in some cases, that is not necessarily a positive thing.”

The Research Co. survey was conducted online from June 30 to July 2 among 1,001 adults in Canada, with the data statistically weighted according to census figures for age, gender and region.

A probability sample of that size would carry a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

With files from CTV National News’ Andrew Johnson