Australians Look To Ditch Birth Names In Favour Of Own Choice

EMBARGOED UNTIL: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4th 2010

Australians Look to Ditch Birth Names in Favour of Own Choice

Australians are embracing a more relaxed attitude when it comes to selecting names for themselves and their children with more people open to the possibility of changing their name, new research1 commissioned by OnePath has found.

While nearly a quarter of respondents admitted they would consider changing their name in the future (for reasons such as: they don't like it, people have trouble pronouncing and spelling it, or just for a change), eight per cent would consider changing their name to escape their digital footprint, and one third of us are already using a different name online compared to our names in 'real life'.

When it comes to marriage (traditionally the most prominent reason for a name change) only 60 per cent of respondents believe women today should take their husband's surname when saying 'I do'. Conversely, 20 per cent of women think men should take on their wife's surname when getting married, compared to 10 per cent of men.

Double-barrelled surnames aren't the popular choice these days as only two per cent of respondents had a joint surname and less than five per cent of parents and would-be parents declare they would choose a double-barrel surname for their children.

Three quarters of parents choose names simply because they like them, with only 13 per cent keeping the tradition of giving a child the first name of a family member. One in 10 parents deliberately select unique or unusual names for their children.

OnePath spokesperson Simonne Hogan said the company conducted the research to understand the attitudes of Australians towards name change as the insurance, superannuation and investment financial institution selected a new name after moving away from the ING Australia brand due to becoming part of the ANZ Group.
"It's important to highlight that we'll still be the same people, doing the same things with the same commitment to our customers, only now as an ANZ company, we'll be called OnePath."

The survey also found that 68 per cent of Australians have a pet name for their partner or spouse ranging from the usual suspects (Honey, Babe and Petal) to Chunks, Hotrod, Turtle, and Moose Face.

[1] Research conducted by Pure Profile on behalf of OnePath between 19-22 October 2010. Number of respondents: 1,002.


To celebrate the name change from ING Australia to OnePath, Australians are being encouraged to vote for their favourite name for a chance to win a OnePath $50,000 Investment and Advice Portfolio.

Entries can be made at www.whatsinourname.com.au before Sunday 21 November 2010.

Additional insights

Women are more likely to name their car (18%) than men (12%)
Over half of pet owners gave their pets 'human names' such as Gus, Chloe and
Basil
Almost 40% of respondents in NSW and the ACT feel their name is 'distinctive',
'funny' or 'unfortunate' higher than any other state
Queensland is the state with the largest number of name changers, with 39% of respondents from the Sunshine state saying that the name on their official ID/ documentation (driver's license, passport etc) is different to that which they were born with
Of the respondents in Victoria and Tasmania who say the name on their official ID/ documentation is different to that which they were born with, 21% changed their first name higher than any other state
37% of Western Australians who changed their name did so for reasons other than marriage

ENDS

For
media enquiries contact:
Symon Madry
Haystac
Tel: 02 9513 8562
0409 919 508
[email protected]

Peter Hansen
OnePath
Tel: 02 9234 7299
0434 360 013
[email protected]

About OnePath

OnePath is the new name and brand for ING Australia, one of Australia's leading
superannuation, investment and insurance businesses.

In November 2009, ANZ took a 100% ownership of ING Australia and as part of the
agreement a new name was to be chosen. There will be no change to the services
provided to customer, nor to the policy and investment arrangements currently in place.

The business serving customers under the OnePath Brand will be the same which has helped Australians grow and protect their wealth for over 130 years.

For more information on OnePath visit www.onepath.com.au.


SOURCE: OnePath