Killarney Lifestyle & Demographics

Asian Up-and-Comers
Successful middle-aged Asian families

Divided between Vancouver and Toronto, Asian Up-and-Comers is often the first stop for new immigrants from China and, to a lesser degree, the Philippines, Vietnam and South Asia. These middle-aged families typically are well-educated and ethnically diverse. More than a third speak Chinese, nearly two-thirds speak a language other than English and 60% are foreign born. While their incomes are just average, this cluster's above-average savings levels and lofty home values - averaging nearly $309,000 for their suburban houses - result in decidedly upscale spending patterns: wardrobes filled with designer clothes and jewellery, driveways lined with sporty luxury cars, nights spent at the theatre. Self-described early adopters, Asian Up-and-Comers residents are especially fond of the latest in computers, consumer electronics and Internet technology - often to stay connected to relatives back home.

Upper-Middle $60,082
Middle-Aged
Ethnic Presence: High (Chinese)

The residents of Asian Up-and-Comers are relatively recent immigrants: nearly half came to Canada since 1990. But these large, often multigenerational families are beginning to prosper in their adopted country. Some have recently moved or bought their first home, and the 27 percent who still rent their residences will be a future market for houses. Already, many adults have university degrees and white collar jobs. And they apply their smarts when shopping, first researching products on the Internet to get the best deals. They're big on travel to Hong Kong and the western United States. And they're active in the community, not just in patronizing local shops and restaurants, but in writing public officials and donating money to political groups.

How they think
Asian Up-and-Comers is a cluster that is modern, autonomous and idealistic in its values. Among the strongest clusters on the trend Introspection and Empathy, these Canadians are living rich, thoughtful lives. This cluster is enthusiastic about consumption-especially technology, but not obsessed with material things. Asian Up-and-Comers is strong on a number of idealistic trends from Global Ecological Consciousness to Ethical Consumerism to Equality of the Sexes. This cluster delights in the non-rational: strong on Intuitive Potential and Personal Creativity, Asian Up-and-Comers residents like to feel as well as think, and create as well as produce. Asian Up-and-Comers is flexible and open; it has no particular Aversion to Complexity in Life and has little time for Ethnic Intolerance or the Acceptance of Violence.

Attitudes
"I find it enriching to talk to different kinds of people"
"I tend to be the first to own new electronic products"
"I read newspaper inserts before Shopping"
"Being Canadian is part of my identity"
"It is important for me to feel connected to my cultural roots"

Daytrippers & Nightowls
Young lower-middle-class urban singles and couples

Daytrippers & Nightowls is a collection of city and suburban neighbourhoods where young, unattached Canadians live in sprawling, garden-style apartments. With a third of its household maintainers under 35 years old, the cluster caters to young, active lifestyles. A disproportionate number of residents spend their leisure time going to bars, rock concerts, coffee shops and dance clubs. The cluster's top sports include yoga, swimming, soccer and tennis. In Daytrippers & Nightowls, the dating-and-mating dance continues in full swing - matchmaking services and bridal shows are popular - and residents are sexually tolerant and open to diversity. Residents state that they enjoy meeting people from different cultures, which is appropriate given that one-quarter of their neighbours are immigrants.

Lower-Middle $41,096
Young
Ethnic Presence: Some (Chinese/SE Asian)

Their household incomes may be modest- -an average $41,000- -but Daytrippers and Nightowls residents are well-educated and pegged for advancement in their mix of white collar and service sector jobs. Yet they are less preoccupied than the trendier yuppies with designer clothes and cars. These laid-back singles will shop for clothes at both Zellers and Club Monaco, and they'll save their money for the latest rock concert or computer technology. Daytrippers and Nightowls residents spend a lot of time on the Internet, voraciously surfing to multiple sites for news, jobs, weather and entertainment. Ever practical, they rely on modern technologies to save them time at home.

How they think
Daytrippers and Nightowls is a modest but not entirely frugal cluster: weak on both Saving on Principle and Utilitarian Consumerism, these Canadians may be able to resist fancy clothes, but their Enthusiasm for Technology has them reaching for their wallets regularly. But man cannot live by gadgets alone: this is a young cluster on an active search for meaning. Interested in the Reprioritizing of Work and in undertaking a Search for Roots, Daytrippers and Nightowls residents are considering their place and purpose in the world. They are already strong on Introspection and Empathy and Openness Toward Others, and they express an interest in developing their Intuitive Potential and Personal Creativity. (Maybe the next yoga class will inspire them.) members of Daytrippers and Nightowls aren't as outward looking as some others-they aren't strong on many idealistic trends-but they have little patience for Ethnic Intolerance and are among the weakest clusters on Acceptance of Violence. These thoughtful tech-lovers are just trying to better themselves for now, but are being careful not to step on any toes along the way.

Attitudes
"I am willing to work at a boring job as long as the pay is good"
"Regular exercise is an important part of my life"
"I like activities which push my mental and physical limits"
"If they are equally qualified for a job, men and women should be paid the same salary"
"I love to meet people whose way of life derives from different culture"

Park Bench Seniors
Downscale seniors in urban high-rises

With half of all its residents over 65 years old, Park Bench Seniors is Canada's oldest lifestyle. These downscale retirees tend to live in older, seniors-oriented high-rise apartment buildings - half were built before 1975 - and typically get by on modest pensions. Because most folks here never made it beyond high school and spent their working lives at blue-collar jobs, their lifestyles are unpretentious. Residents pursue home-based leisure activities like knitting, crafts, gardening, reading travel magazines and watching television - especially American sitcoms and mysteries. But they also support the arts, occasionally going to art galleries and ballet performances. In this low-key leisure world, they concede that they rarely go out to restaurants and aren't too keen on entertaining at home, either.

Downscale $31,362
Mature
Ethnic Presence: Low

In Park Bench Seniors, with its disproportionate number of retirees and widows, lower-income residents have ratcheted down their lifestyles. When they shop, they're known as bargain-hunters who patronize stores such as Shoppers Drug Mart, Zellers, and Reitmans. And many are techno-phobic, rarely purchasing computer software, cell phones, cameras or DVD devices. They'll occasionally splurge on a trip-Britain, Mexico, and Las Vegas are popular destinations-but these seniors make do with more modest forms of entertainment. When they splurge, it is most likely on the latest toy for a grandchild.

How they think
Park Bench Seniors is a cluster with strongly held traditional values, not surprising given its status as the oldest cluster in Canada. Strong on three values that often appear together among older segments- Primacy of the Family, Religiosity and Community Involvement-these older Canadians believe in God, family (with dad as the boss) and an old-fashioned model of community. In their small towns, these Canadians don't encounter the kind of diversity that thrives in Canada's cities, and their Ethnic Intolerance reflects their fear of people unlike themselves. Ethnic intolerance is one aspect of these Canadians' generalized Aversion to Complexity in Life. Some of the complexities they find most troubling have to do with gender and sexuality in contemporary Canadian life: this cluster is among the weakest of all on Sexual Permissiveness and Flexible Definition of the Family.

Attitudes
"Young people have too much freedom and not enough discipline"
"I have not already taken steps to ensure that I have sufficient income for my retirement"
"The father of the family must be master in his own house"
"I would never buy products from a company that tested them on animals"
"I try to eat foods that are good for me"

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