Survey of Canadians’ Views on Statistics Canada
Public Opinion Research 2018
Communications and Dissemination Branch December 2018 Background Information
2 Survey Objectives
To gather Canadians’ opinions on four themes:
General knowledge Access and use of Trust in Value of official and perception of Statistics Canada’s Statistics Canada and statistics Statistics Canada information the data it produces
3 Overview
12 questions 2,050 respondents from a representative panel
May 25, 2018 July 13, 2018 POR contract Methodology report awarded to EKOS and data delivered
April 18, 2018 July – August 2018 Management approval June 18 – July 9, 2018 Analysis by CDB of POR proposal Online survey collection
4 Respondent Profile
5 Respondent Profile Gender
48% 50% 2%
Male Female Other 7% Age Group 14% 18% 23% 38% 27 % 20 % 16 % 17 % 17 %
3 % 6 18-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65 and up No response Respondent Profile Education
46% 36% 16% 1%
Don’t know/ University College High school or not stated below Income
25% 20% 15% 14% 15% 11%
Less than $40,000 $40,000-$59,999 $60,000-$99,999 $100,000-$149,999 $150,000 or more Don't know/not stated 7 High-Level Overview of Results
8 High-Level Results
Important business statistics Census Federal government
Statistics on Canadians Census complaints Conducts surveys Quality data used for decision-making
Familiarity Use Perception Contribution 55% 58% 65% 68% know about Statistics Canada frequently or occasionally use or of Canadians view Statistics believe Statistics Canada reference information produced Canada positively contributes to the quality of life of by Statistics Canada Canadians 9 High-Level Results Trust Overall Quality Confidentiality 88% 80% 74% agree that the personal information they provide to trust Statistics Canada trust the quality of the data that Statistics Canada produces Statistics Canada will be kept confidential
Top purpose for using Preferred communication channel Statistics Canada information General Interest Statistics Canada Website
Preferred way to use Top method used to obtain Statistics Canada information Statistics Canada information
Visuals Statistics Canada Website (e.g., maps, infographics or interactive charts) 10 First Impressions and Perceptions
11 First Thing that Comes to Mind Regardless of demographics, when asked about the first thing that comes to mind when they think of "Statistics Canada”, respondents’ top answer was Statistics on Canadians (gather, research, analyze and publish).
Statistics on Canadians… 42%
Census 20%
Quality data used for decision-making 13%
Important business statistics 7%
Conducts surveys and asks Canadians their opinions 3%
Waste of money, skewed numbers, propaganda,… 3%
Federal government, Tax / CRA 1%
Census complaints 1%
Other 1%
Don't know / No response 7%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 12 General Perception of StatCan Positive Neutral Negative 65% 26% 5% Why? Why? Why? • Little known about it, not enough knowledge • Concerns about data validity, trustworthiness, to say (15%) government bias and use of data (30%) • Reliable and useful statistics for Canada (53%) • Concerns about data validity, trustworthiness, • Ineffective department, waste of money, government bias and use of data (12%) doubt usefulness (26%)
Positive perception of Statistics Canada is highest with university graduates.
Canadians with an income below $100k are less likely to report a positive perception (65%) than those making over $100k (72%).
The Prairies are less likely to report a positive perception (55%), while respondents in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia have the most positive perception (just under 70%) of Statistics Canada. 13 General Perception of StatCan
2018 65% 26% 5% 3%
2007 79% 6% 10% 5%
2005 77% 7% 11% 5%
Positive Neither Negative Don't know
14 Note: Due to methodological differences, please use caution when comparing data from different years. Familiarity with StatCan
Familiar Neither Unfamiliar 55% 19% 25%
Age Groups Geography Education Income
Most 18 – 34 Ontario* University $150K + Familiar (62%) (64%) (63%) (70%)
Least 65 + Quebec High school $40K – $60K Familiar (50%) (35%) and below (44%) (46%) 15 * Alberta (61%), Atlantic (60%), British Columbia (59%) and Saskatchewan/Manitoba (58%) Trust and Value of Official Statistics
16 Trust in Institutions
Trust Distrust Don't know
Statistics Canada 88% 6% 6%
Government institutions 70% 27% 2%
Banks and financial institutions 58% 39% 3%
Private market research 57% 38% 5% or polling companies
The media 51% 45% 5%
Trust in StatCan Trust in quality Overall trust Income Education data quality and confidentiality Age in StatCan
Canadians with an income below Trust in data quality and confidentiality Overall trust in Statistics Canada, data $60k have the lowest levels of trust at of personal information is highest in quality and confidentiality of personal 78%, while 86% of those making over those Canadians under the age of 35. information is highest in respondents $100k trust the quality of the data. with a university education. 17 Contribution to Canadians’ Quality of Life
Major Moderate Little None Don’t know 36% 32% 17% 4% 10%
Two thirds of Canadians believe the agency makes a major or moderate contribution to the life of Canadians, while 17% believe the agency’s contributed a little and 4% believe there was no contribution.
University educated Canadians are the most likely to believe that activities of Statistics Canada make a major contribution to the quality of life of Canadians (47%).
Canadians in Quebec are the most likely to believe that the agency makes a major contribution to quality of life of Canadians (42%), whereas the Prairies are the least likely (28%).
73% of Canadians that frequently use or reference Statistics Canada information believe its activities contribute to the quality of life of Canadians, compared with 45% of those that occasionally use or reference Statistics Canada information. 18 Contribution to Canadians’ Quality of Life
2018 36% 32% 17% 4% 10%
2007 31% 45% 17% 3% 4%
2005 27% 45% 19% 4% 4%
A major contribution A moderate contribution A little contribution No contribution at all Don't know 19 Note: Due to methodological differences, please use caution when comparing data from different years. Access and Use of Information
20 Frequency of Use of StatCan Data
Don’t Frequent Occasional Never Know 8% 50% 36% 6%
Age Groups Geography Education Income
Top Users 18 – 34 British Columbia* University $150K + (frequent and occasional) (70%) (61%) (72%) (72%)
High school 65 + The Less than $40K and below Non-Users (48%) Prairies** (44%) (54%) (41%) * Ontario (60%) and Quebec (59%) 21 ** Atlantic (39%) Preferred way to use StatCan Data
Visual (e.g., maps, infographics or interactive charts) 41%
Text (e.g., articles, publications or blogs) 25%
Numeric (e.g., single indicators or data tables) 23%
Auditory (e.g., radio channels or voice assistants) 6%
Don't know 4%
Preferred way to use information by type of user
Frequent Users Occasional Users Non-Users
Numeric (38%) Visual (43%) Visual (40%) 22 Methods Used to Obtain Information
68%
48% 46%
19% 12%
Statistics Canada website Internet search Indirectly through news media Website other than Statistics Canada Social media
Use of StatCan Use of StatCan Use of StatCan Age website to obtain info Familiarity website to obtain info website to obtain info Education
…decreases with familiarity, from 73% for …decreases with age, from 85% for …increases with education, from 55% for users familiar with Statistics Canada to 53% Canadians aged 18 to 34 to 46% for Canadians with a high school education to 75% for for unfamiliar users. Canadians aged 65+. Canadians with university education.
23 Purpose for Using StatCan Information
65%
45% 37%
21% 18% 16% 13% 10% 8% 4%
General interest Research or analysis Academic purposes Policy or program Planning and Business Modelling or Marketing, including Funding requests Legislative development, reporting development or forecasting market segmentation requirements decision-making or decision-making or profiles evaluation Age Groups Geography Education Income
General 55 – 64 Atlantic High school and $60K – $100K Interest (73%) (71%) below (80%) (72%)
Research or 18 – 34 Atlantic University $150K + Analysis (54%) (49%) (51%) (56%) 24 Communication Channels Overall, Canadians believe Statistics Canada should primarily use its website to provide information.
58%
18% 11% 5% 3% 3% 3%
Statistics Canada website Indirectly through news Social media Client services agent, by Client services agent, over Podcasts, videos or similar Don't know media email the telephone tools
The number of Canadians wanting information communicated Canadians in Quebec are the least likely to want information through the Statistics Canada website increases with education. communicated through the Statistics Canada website.
Canadians over 65 years of age are the least likely to want information The number of Canadians wanting information communicated communicated through the Statistics Canada website and most through the Statistics Canada website increases with income. likely to want the information through the news media. 25 THANK YOU!
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