22nd Annual Report on Government of Canada Public Opinion Research Activities
2022 to 2023 Fiscal Year
This report provides information on public opinion research activities contracted by the government between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023.
It informs Canadians about the volume of research studies, lists projects undertaken by departments and describes the roles of key stakeholders involved in public opinion research.
Previous annual reports on public opinion research activities can be viewed on the Government of Canada Publications website.
This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes only. Prior written permission must be obtained from PSPC for all other uses. For more information, please email the Public Opinion Research Directorate at: dgsiopinionpublique.isbpublicopinion@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca.
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, 2023
Catalogue Number:
P100-3E-PDF
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN):
2560-855X
Highlights
The year at a glance
In the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) awarded 164 public opinion research contracts on behalf of 34 departments to 20 suppliers at a total value of $20.3 million. This includes subscriptions to syndicated research studies shared among federal departments.
Overview of public opinion research activities in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023
- 164 public opinion research studies
- 34 departments
- 20 suppliers
- $20.3 million in contract value
Understanding Canadians
In this section:
Taking public perspectives into account
The Government of Canada remains committed to ensuring that public policies, programs and communications are developed while taking into account the views and perspectives of Canadians.
Public opinion research is an essential tool which provides the government with valuable insights on a wide range of subjects that contribute to evidence-based decision making.
Over the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year, public opinion research activities continued to provide the government with information that helped realize its objectives and deliver on its priorities.
Considerable research was conducted to support Canada’s post-pandemic recovery and mitigation of the health, economic and social impacts of COVID-19. Among other objectives, the research was aiming to better understand Canadians’ day-to-day financial management and well-being in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. Information was also gathered regarding vaccine behaviours and immunization coverage.
At the same time, the government undertook research to support its continued work on other health, safety and social issues.
Topics included:
- opioid and alcohol awareness
- food safety
- services for youth, newcomers and seniors
- cyber security and privacy
- environmental issues and natural resources
This annual report provides information on contracted public opinion research activities the government has undertaken, and the money invested in them. The following sections provide information on all the public opinion research projects that were contracted between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023, and about how the projects were contracted and managed.
Public opinion research is the collection of opinion-based information from the public or any target audience.
We use quantitative and qualitative methods such as surveys and focus groups to gather:
- attitudes
- feelings
- ideas
- opinions
- perceptions
- views
Research is conducted in a manner that respects and protects the rights of participants. To learn more, consult the Standards for conducting public opinion research.
Breakdown of research methods
Image description
Breakdown of research methods by number of projects:
- quantitative research projects: 52%
- qualitative research projects: 23%
- combined qualitative and quantitative research projects: 25%
Visually, there is a tri-coloured circle. Each colour represents a research method.
Research approaches
Public opinion research relies on various data collection techniques to obtain information from a wide variety of audiences. The research approaches used to reach these audiences include qualitative methodologies, quantitative methodologies or a combination of both.
Qualitative research
It is widely used to gain insights into people’s behaviours and perceptions that can help interpret and contextualize information. With this approach, exploratory questions, such as how or why, are often used. The most commonly used qualitative techniques are focus group discussions, group interviews and individual interviews. Qualitative methodologies do not yield numeric data and the findings cannot be projected to the broader population.
Quantitative research
It uses a more structured approach to obtain precise, objective and measurable data that can be analyzed with statistical procedures. Quantitative research aims to be more conclusive, answering questions such as what, when, and where. This approach uses techniques such as surveys, with the aim of obtaining results that reflect the broader population.
Target audiences
The audiences included the general population and the following groups:
- 2SLGBTQI+
- business owners and representatives
- Canada Workers Benefit recipients
- firearm owners
- food and beverage exporters and importers
- grocery buyers
- homeowners and renters
- Indigenous peoples
- international travellers
- job seekers
- low income families
- medical and health professionals
- newcomers and immigrants
- parents, guardians, caregivers and pregnant women
- park visitors
- people living with chronic diseases and life-limiting illnesses
- people living in the North
- people with disabilities
- pet owners and veterinarians
- public servants, Canadian Armed Forces members and veterans
- seniors
- smokers, vapers and cannabis users
- supporters of climate action
- taxpayers
- telecommunication plan subscribers
- youth
- zero-emission vehicle owners and intended buyers
The year through numbers
In this section:
- Custom studies
- Syndicated studies
- Procurement methods used
- Volume of research studies over the last 5 years
Custom studies
- Table 1: Volume of custom studies by department in 2022 to 2023
- Table 2: Volume of custom studies by supplier in 2022 to 2023
- Table 3: List of custom studies by department in 2022 to 2023
Departments contract custom research studies when there is a need to collect specific information. The custom research studies must meet a project’s scope, objectives and requirements as defined by the government through a detailed statement of work.
Suppliers that were awarded contracts for custom public opinion research delivered various services, ranging from research design to data collection, data analysis and reporting.
In 2022 to 2023, the government awarded and/or issued amendments to 155 contracts for custom public opinion research services to 19 suppliers at a total value of $19,271,091.18.
| Department | Number of custom studies | Contract value |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 155 | $19,271,091.18 |
Table 1 Notes
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| Supplier | Number of custom studies | Contract value |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 155 | $19,271,091.18 |
Table 2 Notes
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| Department | Custom study title | Registration number | Supplier | Contract value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | $19,271,091.18 | |||
Table 3 Notes
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Syndicated studies
The Government of Canada purchases subscriptions to syndicated studies to gain access to findings from independent research which are then shared with all federal departments. These studies cover a variety of broad issues and themes. The subscription presents an economical way of obtaining information as the research costs are shared among subscribers. The intellectual property rights remain with the research firm.
In 2022 to 2023, the government subscribed to 9 syndicated public opinion research studies at a total value of $ 1,036,301.80.
| Syndicated study title | Supplier | Contract value |
|---|---|---|
| Total | $1,036,301.80 | |
Procurement methods used
There are different contracting methods for public opinion research.
A contract valued up to $40,000 can be awarded through a process called sole sourcing. This simplified approach does not require a competitive process due to a lower monetary value.
The vast majority of public opinion research contracts are issued against a standing offer. PSPC periodically conducts a rigorous and open competitive process to establish standing offers with an inventory of pre-qualified suppliers. For their individual projects, federal departments can obtain a contract with one of the pre-qualified suppliers on standing offer. Standing offers give departments timely access to suppliers with demonstrated research expertise and pre-determined pricing for projects up to a contract value of $300,000.
For public opinion research requirements falling outside the scope of the standing offer or for which the estimated contract value exceeds $300,000, an open process called public tender can be used. This means that the government posts a request for proposals on CanadaBuys to allow interested suppliers to bid for the research project. After a thorough evaluation, the supplier with the best proposal wins the contract.
PSPC supports federal departments with their public opinion research contracts by providing advisory services and overall coordination and by issuing contracts on their behalf.
To learn more on how the Government of Canada manages its contracted public opinion research or its procurement methods, see:
- the stakeholders and their roles section
- our Web page Contracting public opinion research
| Procurement methods | Number of research studies | % Contract value | Contract value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 164 | 100.0% | $20,307,392.98 |
Volume of research studies over the last 5 years
The volume of research fluctuates from year to year depending on the government’s needs. The following table represents a summary of past research studies and contract values over the last 5 years.
| Period | Number of research studies | Contract value (in millions of dollars) |
|---|
Appendices
In this section:
- Stakeholders and their roles in research
- Standing offers for public opinion research services
- Public opinion research-related laws, regulations and policies
Stakeholders and their roles in research
The following stakeholders play pivotal roles in public opinion research activities.
- Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat sets policies, directives and procedures for the management of public opinion research conducted by or for the Government of Canada.
- Privy Council Office performs a central leadership role in the planning of public opinion research projects across the government.
- PSPC plays a dual role by providing research advice and overall coordination through its Public Opinion Research Directorate and by issuing the contracts to the selected suppliers through its Communication and Advertising Procurement Directorate.
- Departments define the research projects, select the suppliers, manage the issued contracts and ensure the overall quality of the research produced.
- Suppliers conduct the public opinion research studies according to the departments’ requirements and the Government of Canada research standards, and provide written reports as per regulations.
- Library and Archives Canada makes contracted public opinion research reports available to Canadians in both official languages.
Standing offers for public opinion research services
The standing offers enable departments to obtain public opinion research services in an efficient and effective manner with qualified research firms, at predetermined prices, terms and conditions.
Four series of public opinion research services were available in 2022 to 2023.
Fieldwork and data tabulation for online surveys (series A)
Departments may use this standing offer for online surveys for the following services: programming, pretesting, collecting data, tabulating data and providing pretest and end results.
Standing offer holders for series A:
- Advanis Inc.
- Ekos Research Associates Inc.
- Elemental Data Collection Inc.
- Forum Research Inc.
- Ipsos Limited Partnership
- Léger Marketing
- Maru/Blue Canada Inc.
- Nanos Research Corporation
- Narrative Research Inc.
- The Logit Group Incorporated
Fieldwork and data tabulation for telephone surveys (series B)
Departments may use this standing offer for telephone surveys for the following services: programming, pretesting, interviewing, tabulating data and providing pretest and end results.
Standing offer holders for series B:
- Advanis Inc.
- Ekos Research Associates Inc.
- Elemental Data Collection Inc.
- Ipsos Limited Partnership
- Léger Marketing
- Maru/Blue Canada Inc.
- Nanos Research Corporation
- The Logit Group Incorporated
Qualitative research (series C)
Departments may use this standing offer for qualitative research for the following services: developing the research design, conducting the research, analyzing, presenting and reporting the results.
Qualitative methodologies such as dyads, triads or one-on-one interviews, focus groups and bulletin board groups may be used to meet the research objectives of specific projects.
Standing offer holders for series C:
- Abacus Data Inc.
- Advanis Inc.
- Earnscliffe Strategy Group GP
- Ekos Research Associates Inc.
- Entegrité Consulting
- Environics Research Group Limited
- Forum Research Inc.
- Gregg, Kelly, Sullivan & Woolstencroft: The Strategic Counsel
- Ipsos Limited Partnership
- Léger Marketing
- Maru/Blue Canada Inc.
- Nanos Research Corporation
- Narrative Research Inc.
- Patterson, Langlois Consultants with Element54 Inc, in joint venture
- Phoenix SPI
- Pollara
- PRA Inc.
- Probe Research Inc.
- Quorus Consulting Group Inc.
- Sage Research Corporation
- Synopsis Recherche Marketing Inc.
Quantitative research (series D)
Departments may use this standing offer for quantitative research for the following services: developing the research design, conducting the research, analyzing, presenting and reporting the results.
Quantitative methodologies such as telephone or online surveys or any other methods, such as mail and in-person surveys, may be used to meet the research objectives of specific projects.
Standing offer holders for series D:
- Abacus Data Inc.
- Advanis Inc.
- Earnscliffe Strategy Group GP
- Ekos Research Associates Inc.
- Environics Research Group Limited
- Forum Research Inc.
- Gregg, Kelly, Sullivan & Woolstencroft: The Strategic Counsel
- Ipsos Limited Partnership
- Léger Marketing
- Nanos Research Corporation
- Phoenix SPI
- Pollara
- Probe Research Inc.
- Quorus Consulting Group Inc.
Public opinion research-related legislation, regulations and policies
Legislation and regulations
- Financial Administration Act requires a written report for contracted public opinion research
- Library and Archives of Canada Act requires departments to provide written reports of custom contracted public opinion research to Library and Archives Canada within 6 months of completion of data collection
- Public Opinion Research Contract Regulations standardize the form and content of contracted public opinion research reports
Policy instruments
- Policy on Communications and Federal Identity gives context and rules for how the Government of Canada enables communication with the public about policies, programs, services and initiatives
- Directive on the Management of Communications provides rules for managing and coordinating communications, including procedures for advertising, public opinion research, social media and web communications
- Appendix C: Mandatory Procedures for Public Opinion Research details requirements that federal departments must follow when public opinion research activities are being considered
Research standards
Standards for Conducting Public Opinion Research requires departments and suppliers to follow specific research standards when collecting information through public opinion research in order to produce high quality studies
More information
This annual report provides an overview of the Government of Canada’s public opinion research activities coordinated and contracted by PSPC on behalf of federal departments listed in Schedule I, Schedule I.1 and Schedule II of the Financial Administration Act.
For more information on public opinion research activities, please visit our pages on the Government of Canada website.
If you have any comments or questions, please contact:
Public Opinion Research Directorate
Public Services and Procurement Canada
Email: dgsiopinionpublique.isbpublicopinion@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca
This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes only. Prior written permission must be obtained from PSPC for all other uses. For more information, please email the Public Opinion Research Directorate at: dgsiopinionpublique.isbpublicopinion@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca.
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, 2023
Catalogue Number:
P100-3E-PDF
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN):
2560-855X