2010-2011 Departmental issues survey

Phoenix SPI was commissioned by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada to explore with Canadians issues relevant to the department’s mandate.

The objectives of the 2010-2011 survey included the following: • Explore issues related to the recent recession and the economic recovery now under-way; • Gauge Canadians’ awareness, understanding and perceptions of issues related to the aging of our population, including the perceived impact of our aging population on Canadian society/economy; • Explore issues related to caregiving, including the challenges facing caregivers, the types of support needed, the amount of time devoted to caregiving, and perceptions of how well caregivers are coping with their responsibilities; • Explore issues related to indebtedness, including the nature and impact of household debt on Canadians; and • Assess government performance in areas relevant to the department’s mandate, tracking measures included in previous surveys.

A mixed methodology was used that included a telephone survey and a set of focus groups. The survey averaged 17 minutes and was conducted with 1,505 Canadian residents, 18 years of age and older. Based on a sample of this size, the results can be considered to be accurate to within +/- 2.53%, 19 times out of 20. The fieldwork for the survey was conducted January 29 to February 18, 2011.

A set of eight focus groups was conducted in four locations (two per city), using both in-person (Toronto, Montreal) and online focus groups (Halifax and Calgary). The groups were segmented by age: one group per location consisted of participants 18-35 years old, and the other group of participants aged 36-65. The qualitative research results provide an indication of participants’ views about the issues explored, but cannot be generalized to the full population of Canadian residents, 18 years and older.