The Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) released the results of its Value of Research Survey today that gathered the opinions of Canadians and Canadian business executives on research.

Key Findings – Trust and Value in Researchers and Survey Projects: The survey found that Canadians and business decision-makers place a high degree of trust and value in survey findings. It also found that respondents believe that participating in research projects gives voice and influence to Canadians:

The vast majority (more than 9 in 10) of Canadians and business executives had a moderate to high degree of trust for survey research:
–>93% of Canadians and 91% of business executives;
Nine-in-ten Canadians and business executives believe surveys are a useful way for the federal government to gather the views of Canadians.(Only national elections and referendums were rated higher, and these options come with significantly higher costs.):
–>89% of Canadians and 90% of business executives;
Eight-in-ten Canadians believe that public opinion polling is accurate:
–>83% among Canadians and 86% among businesses executives;
Two thirds of Canadians and business executives believe that surveys provide a picture of where the public stands on critical issues of the day:
–>66% of Canadians and 65% of businesses executives.

“CRIC’s Value of Research Survey shows that Canadians place a high degree of trust and value in survey findings,” said Gary Bennewies, Chair of CRIC and CEO of Ipsos Canada. “There’s a very clear understanding that research gives voice to Canadians.”

Key Findings – Factors that Influence Participation in Research: The survey also looked into the key factors that influenced the decision to participate in research. The findings are encouraging for CRIC members as they highlight the importance that Canadians place on the need for rigorous standards:

Given the high value that Canadians and business executives place on public opinion research, it is not surprising that most believe polling companies working in the public realm should belong to a standards organization:
–>72% of Canadians and 66% of business executives;
Over three quarters of Canadians and seven-in-ten business executives indicated that “knowing that the firm administering the survey was guided by strict rules and standards available on a public website” was a top factor that encouraged them to participate in research:
–>78% of Canadians and 70% of business executives;
Other important factors included being able to represent their views and views of people like them; knowing that their feedback influenced decisions-makers in business and government; and being able to see results of the study.

“In today’s era of misinformation, unethical data collection practices, and fake news, Canadians recognize that quality standards are more important than ever,” said Margaret Brigley, CEO of Narrative Research and Chair of the CRIC Standards Committee. “As a self-regulatory industry and professional association, CRIC has put in place some of the toughest professional standards for insights research in the world.”

To better equip Canadians with the ability to differentiate legitimate research projects from illegitimate ones, CRIC maintains the Research Verification Service that allows Canadians to verify the authenticity of research they are invited to participate in. CRIC also adopted the CRIC Pledge to Canadians that sets out 10 promises that CRIC members agree to uphold to protect the good relationship that exists between researchers and the general public.

Survey highlights (graphs) are provided below. The full report and detailed tables (Canadians and Business Executive) of the Value of Research Survey are available on the CRIC Website.

CRIC thanks Leger and Ekos Research for their contributions to this research. Ekos Research conducted the fieldwork and provided sample for the survey of Canadians. Leger conducted the fieldwork and supplied sample for the survey of Canadian Business Executives and Lisa Covens from Leger prepared the report. CRIC also thanks the following members of the CRIC Industry Survey Working Group for their joint efforts in developing the surveys: Anastasia Arabia (Trend Research); Rob Berger (Schlesinger Group); Frank Graves (Ekos); Jean-Marc Léger (Leger); and Diana Lucaci (True Impact).

Survey Methodology:

Business Executives: 303 business leaders were interviewed between July 28 and August 4, 2021 from the Leger panel of over 40,000 executives from across Canada.

Canadians: A probability sample of 1,004 respondents from the Ekos Probit panel were interviewed between July 21 and August 4, 2021. The margin of error is ±3.1%, 19 times out of 20. All the data have been statistically weighted by age, gender, and region to ensure the sample’s composition reflects that of the actual population of Canada according to Census data.

About CRIC

The Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) is Canada’s voice of the research, analytics, and insights profession both domestically and globally. CRIC represents the highest standards, ethics, and best practices; provides effective promotion and advocacy of the industry; serves as a source of information and thought leadership; and is a forum for collective industry action. CRIC’s members include Canada’s leading research agencies as well as client organizations, academic institutions, and other industry partners.

For more information, visit www.canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca or contact John Tabone at [email protected].

#mrx #cmrx #cric