Canadians flirting more electronically

TORONTO, April 8 (UPI) -- An increasing number of Canadians are using technology to flirt and break up relationships, a poll for Motorola Canada indicates.

In polls of 2,004 adults conducted by Angus Reid Strategies, 32 percent of respondents in the 18-34 age bracket said they would flirt using instant messages and 35 percent said they would on the Facebook social Web site.

Among those 55 or older, the percentage fell to 15 percent for Facebook and 12 percent for instant messaging, the company said in a release.

When it comes to breaking up, 35 percent of Canadians asked said they would choose to break up with someone over the phone or in person. Another 10 percent they'd let their partner know it's over by changing their status on Facebook, the survey showed.

As for e-mail, French-speaking Canadians are significantly more likely to use it to give someone a hint they have a crush on them -- 70 percent of poll respondents, compared with 50 percent of English speakers.

Just 3 percent of respondents said they would use instant messaging to tell someone they have food in their teeth or their fly is down, the report said.

The survey had a 3.1-percentage-point margin of error, the pollster said.