- More than two-thirds of Atlantic Canadians call a winter hat a toque, though opinions vary by province.
February 4, 2022
While most English-speaking countries call winter hats a variety of names, from beanies, watch caps to stocking caps, Atlantic Canadians most commonly call them toques (when shown an image and asked what they called it). More than two-thirds (67%) of residents in Atlantic Canada call these knit hats “toques,” while one in six (16%) call them simply “a hat,” a handful each call them a “wool stocking cap,” a “knit wool hat” or a “beanie.”
Across provinces, the term toque is most popular in New Brunswick with eight-in-ten (79%) residents using this term, followed by Nova Scotia where three-quarters (76%) call it a toque, and Prince Edward Island where two-thirds (66%) of Islanders describe it this way. By contrast, in Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately one third (37%) call it a toque while one-quarter (26%) refer to it as a hat and two in ten (20%) say it is a wool stocking cap or a stocking cap.
When taking a closer look across demographics, those who identify as male are more likely to use the term toque to describe the image shown (72% compared to 63% of those who identify as female), while females are more likely to call it a hat (22% compared to 10% of males).
There are no notable differences in what this headpiece is called across various income or education categories, although younger residents are less likely to say it is a toque (60% of those aged 18-34 compared to 73% of those 55 and older), and more likely to call it a hat (27% of 18-34-year-olds compared to 9% of those 55 and older).
Narrative Research, www.narrativeresearch.ca, is one of Canada’s leading public opinion and market research companies. As a non-partisan, 100% Canadian-owned research company, Narrative Research provides clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services. Visit EastCoastVoice.ca to join Atlantic Canada’s largest panel, and share your opinions.
This survey was conducted from January 11 to 16, with 1,140 Atlantic Canadians from Narrative Research’s online panel, East Coast Voice. As a non-probability sample (i.e., a panel sample where residents have joined a panel to share their opinions), and in accordance with CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards, a margin of error is not applied.
The questions reported in this release include the following:
What do you call the image (shown above):
- Toque
- Hat
- Wool stocking cap/Stocking cap
- Knit wool hat
- Beanie
- Cap
- Tassel cap/hat
- Other (Please specify)
For more information, please contact:
Margaret Chapman, COO & Partner: 902.493.3834 (W); 902.222.4048 (M), mchapman@narrativeresearch.ca
