Final Quantitative Executive Summary
Prepared for Health Canada
Supplier name: Ipsos Public Affairs
Contract Number: HT372-183162/001/CY
Contract value: $69,718.40
Award Date: September 11, 2018
Delivery Date: July 8, 2019
Registration number: HC POR 044-18
Ipsos Public Affairs
1 Nicholas St, Suite 1400
Ottawa ON K1N 7B7
Tel: 613.241.5802
Fax: 613.248.7981
www.ipsos.ca
For more information on this report, please contact Health Canada at: HC.cpab.por-rop.dgcap.SC@canada.ca.
Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français
I hereby certify as Senior Officer of Ipsos that the deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada and Procedures for Planning and Contracting Public Opinion Research. Specifically, the deliverables do not include information on electoral voting intentions, political party preferences, standings with the electorate or ratings of the performance of a political party or its leaders.
Mike Colledge
President
Ipsos Public Affairs
Baseline and Post-Campaign ACET for the Cannabis Coming into Force Campaign
Executive Summary
Prepared for Health Canada
Supplier name: Ipsos Public Affairs
March 2019
This public opinion research report presents the results of baseline and post-campaign ACET online surveys conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Health Canada. The research study was conducted with 4739 Canadians aged 18+ (16+ in the Post-Campaign, including 636 who were the target audience. The baseline survey was conducted between September 28-October 17, 2018, the post-campaign survey was conducted between June 10- June 30, 2019.
Cette publication est aussi disponible en français sous le titre : Sondages de l’Outil d’évaluation des campagnes publicitaires (OECP) initiaux et après-campagne pour la campagne sur l’entrée en vigueur de la légalisation du cannabis
This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes only. Prior written permission must be obtained from Health Canada. For more information on this report, please contact Health Canada at hc.cpab.por-rop.dgcap.sc@canada.ca or at:
Communications Branch
Health Canada
200 Eglantine Driveway
AL 1915C, Tunney’s Pasture
Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9
Catalogue Number:
H14-331/2019E-PDF
International Standard Book Number (ISBN):
978-0-660-32060-1
Related publications (registration number: 044-18):
Catalogue Number H14-331/2019F-PDF (Final Report, French)
ISBN 978-0-660-32061-8
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Health, 2019
In anticipation of the Cannabis Act coming into force on October 17, 2018, Health Canada launched a multi-year public education and awareness campaign targeted at the general population and youth to ensure Canadians are well-informed about the health and safety risks of cannabis use and about the new laws. The campaigns will include partnerships with key stakeholders, public communications and outreach, and paid media (advertising).
The latest cannabis public education advertising campaigns aim to inform Canadians about:
It is therefore necessary to conduct research utilizing baseline and post-campaign Advertising Campaign Evaluation Tool (ACET) surveys to measure the effectiveness of the campaign.
The research consisted of online surveys (individualized to the pre-wave and post-wave research) conducted in English and French, taking place between September 28 - October 17, 2018 for the pre-wave, and June 10 - June 30, 2019 for the post-wave.
Ipsos programmed, hosted and provided sample management services only, while Health Canada provided the online surveys. Ipsos was responsible for data collection and data storage in Canada, data processing, and data weighting. The total contract value of this research was $69,718.40 including HST.
Quantitative baseline and post-campaign Advertising Campaign Evaluation Tool (ACET) surveys are required to understand the effectiveness of the advertising campaign.
The specific research objectives are as follows:
Respondents for both the pre- and post-wave samples were drawn from the Ipsos i-Say panel, consisting of over 200,000 Canadians recruited in all provinces and territories. The pre-wave sample of n=2376 was drawn from Canadians 18+ and included an oversample of males aged 18-24 (n=246) and an oversample of respondents aged 16-17 (n=55). The post-wave sample of n=2363 was drawn from Canadians 16+ and similarly included an oversample of males 18-24 (n=159) and respondents aged 16-17 (n=176). To appropriately survey youth respondents, a series of questions were asked to parents and/or legal guardians of children aged 16-17 to obtain consent to survey their children. By obtaining consent, we were able to safely poll youth respondents and acquire the necessary oversample. Respondents were invited to participate in the survey via email, with a unique URL link. This link could only be used once, with respondents being allowed to take pause during completion and return to complete it at a later time. Survey questionnaires took 10 minutes to complete on average.
The Ipsos i-Say panel is the primary source for recruiting respondents. Where necessary, a supplemental sample from third party vendor panels is also used as a source. The Ipsos i-Say online panel is a diversely-sourced and actively maintained panel of over 200,000 Canadian adults. Utilizing this panel allows us to confidently build online samples based on known population characteristics like the ones available through Census data. Invitations to participate in each survey are adjusted to reflect the most recent Current Population Data provided by Statistics Canada.
Online panel participants are recruited and screened using rigorous double and triple opt-in checks1 to ensure that respondents want to receive contact such as invitations to participate in research surveys. Ipsos i-Say panel Terms and Conditions of Membership details the respondents’ rights to, at any time, for any reason ask to be removed from the panel and stop receiving emails from Ipsos and its clients.
Panel recruitment consists of the following steps:
It is important to note that any panel – no matter how well recruited – does not enable random selection in the sense that not all members of the public are apt to join a panel. This applies to panels recruited through online approaches as well as panels recruited via traditional telephone Random Digit Dialing.
Rigorous panel maintenance procedures mean only those participants who actively participate in online surveys, at least once every six months, are included. Participants can choose whether to enter a survey or not. While participating in a survey, the respondent can simply exit the survey by closing the survey Internet browser window at any time without submitting their responses if they no longer want to participate.
In order to capture responses from low incidence individuals, such as vaccine-hesitant women who are currently pregnant, we use what is called a Webcruiser on our iSay Panel. A Webcruiser asks a set number of questions to our entire panel and typically takes approximately three weeks to complete. Panelists who meet the criteria we are looking for are then flagged and can be contacted for further research.
Respondents to Ipsos’ online surveys are offered a number of innovative incentive programs in the forms of a point-based system where participants can redeem points for various items. We do not reward our panelists using cash payments.
Extensive quality-control procedures are in place within IIS (Ipsos Interactive Services, who manage our panel) to ensure that the survey inputs (sample and questionnaire design) allow for high-quality survey outputs (survey data). These processes span the life cycle of a panelist and are in place for all Ipsos online surveys. IIS experts are constantly monitoring and reviewing the performance of our quality measures and updating and integrating new ones as respondents’ behaviors and the online landscape evolve.
Are panelists who they say they are:
They have not participated recently in similar surveys:
They complete surveys seriously:
They can only take the survey once:
The table below indicates the unweighted and weighted distributions of the pre-and post-wave online samples. Weighting was applied to the sample to ensure that the final data reflects the population of Canada by region, age, and gender according to the 2016 Census. A Random Iterative Method (RIM) technique was applied for weighting.
| - | Unweighted Pre Sample Size* | Weighted Pre Sample Size* | Unweighted Post Sample Size* | Weighted Post Sample Size* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2376 | 2376 | 2363 | 2363 |
| Region** | - | - | - | - |
| British Columbia | 317 | 322 | 324 | 321 |
| Alberta | 247 | 266 | 232* | 265* |
| Sask./Man. | 154 | 155 | 147 | 154 |
| ON | 948 | 913 | 847 | 910 |
| QC | 556 | 558 | 675 | 553 |
| Atlantic Canada | 154 | 162 | 138 | 161 |
| Gender** | - | - | - | - |
| Male | 1252 | 1164 | 1359 | 1148 |
| Female | 1124 | 1212 | 1004 | 1215 |
| Age** | - | - | - | - |
| 16-17 | 55 | 51 | 176 | 66 |
| 18-34 | 650 | 647 | 592 | 629 |
| 35-54 | 714 | 787 | 716 | 782 |
| 55+ | 957 | 892 | 879 | 886 |
| *Includes Territories | ||||
The figures presented in the table above show minimal differences between the pre-wave unweighted and weighted samples. As previously noted, the pre-wave research was drawn from a sample of Canadians 18+. In the post-wave research the youngest age group (16 to 17 years old) is overrepresented due to the sample age range being altered to 16+ in conjunction with the requested oversample. This resulted in a higher weight ratio of 2.6:1 which remains within acceptable ranges for a survey of the general population.
The table below presents general statistics regarding the response rate for the email phase of research. Overall, a response rate 7% was achieved, which is within normal ranges for a survey of the Canadian adult population.
| Calculation for Data Collection | Pre-Wave | Post-Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Total Email Invitations Issued | 34826 | 52854 |
| Invalid (incomplete/incorrect email address, email invitation bounce backs) | 0 | 0 |
| Unresolved (U) (no response at all) | 31084 | 48534 |
| In-scope - non-responding (IS) | 101 | 771 |
| Qualified respondent break-off (incomplete) | 101 | 771 |
| In-scope - Responding units (R) | 3641 | 3549 |
| Over quota | 706 | 435 |
| Other disqualified | 559 | 751 |
| Completed questionnaires | 2376 | 2363 |
| Response Rate = R/(U+IS+R) | 10% | 7% |
As with any probability sample there exists within the current sample the possibility of non-response bias. In particular, this survey does not include members of the population who do not have access to a computer with an Internet connection (either at home or at work) or who are not capable of responding to a survey in either English or French. In addition, some groups within the population are systemically less likely to answer surveys.
The table below compares the unweighted pre- and post-wave samples to the 2016 Census results by region, age, and gender. Overall, the sample is highly representative of the national adult population, except for a few gaps which are described below.
| - | Pre-Wave Unweighted Percentage | Post-Wave Unweighted Percentage | Census 2016 Proportions (16+) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region* | - | - | - |
| BC | 13.3% | 13.7% | 13.6% |
| Alberta | 10.4% | 9.8% | 11.2% |
| Prairies (MB/SK) | 6.5% | 6.2% | 6.5% |
| Ontario | 39.9% | 35.8% | 38.5% |
| Quebec | 23.4% | 28.6% | 23.4% |
| Atlantic | 6.5% | 5.8% | 6.8% |
| Gender* | - | - | - |
| Male | 52.7% | 57.5% | 48.6% |
| Female | 47.3% | 42.5% | 51.4% |
| Age* | - | - | - |
| 16-17 | 2.3% | 7.4% | 2.8% |
| 18-34 | 27.4% | 25.1% | 26.6% |
| 35-54 | 30.1% | 30.3% | 33.1% |
| 55+ | 40.3% | 37.2% | 37.5% |
| * Denotes variables included in the weighting scheme. | |||
The comparison for the variables used in the weighting scheme are minimal, however, there are a few notable differences. In the post-wave, the youngest age group (16-17) shows an overrepresentation in the unweighted sample. This is due to the intentional oversampling of this population and is to be expected. Additionally, men in both waves show an overrepresentation. However, this is due to the oversampling of men in the research and is also to be expected. The remaining age distribution in the online sample remains consistent with only slight differences observed between the unweighted percentages and the Canadian 2016 Census data. Regional distributions similarly demonstrate slight, but not significant, differences between the unweighted percentages and the 2016 Census data.
Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey dealing with current issues of interest to Canadians. Si vous préférez répondre au sondage en français, veuillez cliquer sur français [SWITCH TO FRENCH VERSION].
Your participation is voluntary and your responses will be kept entirely confidential. The survey takes about 5 minutes to complete.
To view our privacy policy, click here.
If you require any technical assistance or if you wish to verify the authenticity of this survey, please contact Nikolas Lopez nikolas.lopez@ipsos.com.
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
IF “NONE OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS” CONTINUE, OTHERWISE THANK AND TERMINATE.
(YYYY)
ADMISSIBLE RANGE 1900-2002
IF > 2002, THANK AND TERMINATE
ASK D IF QUESTION C IS LEFT BLANK
SELECT ONE ONLY
IF “LESS THAN 16 YEARS OLD” OR “BLANK”, THANK AND TERMINATE
SELECT ONE ONLY
IF NO PROVINCE OR TERRITORY IS SELECTED, THANK AND TERMINATE
Q1: Over the past three weeks, have you seen, read or heard any advertising from the Government of Canada?
→ GO TO T1A
Q2: Think about the most recent ad from the Government of Canada that comes to mind. Where have you seen, read or heard this ad?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
Q3: What do you remember about this ad?
Q4: How did you know that it was an ad from the Government of Canada?
T1A: Over the past three weeks, have you seen, read or heard any Government of Canada advertising about the Cannabis Act coming into force?
→ GO TO GO TO T1D
T1B: Where have you seen, read or heard this Government of Canada ad about the Cannabis Act coming into force?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
T1C: What do you remember about this ad?
CAMPAIGN SPECIFIC ATTITUDINAL AND BEHAVIOURAL QUESTIONS MAY BE ADDED HERE
T1D: Please rate your level of knowledge on each of the following topics related to cannabis:
| - | 1 Not at all knowledgeable |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 Very knowledgeable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The health effects of cannabis use | o | o | o | o | o |
| Laws related to the possession and use of cannabis | o | o | o | o | o |
| Impact of the use of cannabis while driving | o | o | o | o | o |
| Laws on travelling outside Canada with cannabis | o | o | o | o | o |
| Laws on using cannabis in the workplace | o | o | o | o | o |
T1E: I know where to find information on …
| - | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| The health effects of cannabis use | o | o |
| Laws related to the possession and use of cannabis | o | o |
| Impact of the use of cannabis while driving | o | o |
| Laws on travelling outside Canada with cannabis | o | o |
| Laws on using cannabis in the workplace | o | o |
D1: Which of the following categories best describes your current employment status? Are you …
SELECT ONE ONLY
D2: What is the highest level of formal education that you have completed?
SELECT ONE ONLY
D3: Are there any children under the age of 18 currently living in your household?
D4: Which of the following categories best describes your total annual household income, including income from all household members, before taxes are deducted?
SELECT ONE ONLY
D5: Where were you born?
ASK IF D5=BORN OUTSIDE CANADA
D6: In what year did you first move to Canada?
(YYYY)
ADMISSIBLE RANGE: 1900-2016
D7: What is the language you first learned at home as a child and still understand?
SELECT UP TO TWO
That concludes the survey. This survey was conducted on behalf of Health Canada. In the coming months the report will be available from Library and Archives Canada. We thank you very much for taking the time to answer this survey, it is greatly appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey dealing with current issues of interest to Canadians. Si vous préférez répondre au sondage en français, veuillez cliquer sur français [SWITCH TO FRENCH VERSION].
YEAR/MONTH. What is your date of birth?
YEAR
MONTH
1 January
2 February
3 March
4 April
5 May
6 June
7 July
8 August
9 September
10 October
11 November
12 December
[PN: TERMINATE IF UNDER 18]
RESP_GENDER. What is your gender?
1 Male
2 Female
How many people are living or staying at your current address? (Include yourself and any other adults or children who are currently living or staying at this address for at least two months)
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6
7 7
8 8
9 9
10 10
11 11
12 12+
How many children under the age of 18 are living with you in your household? (If no persons under 18 in your household, please type 0).
Please provide us with the following information on the members in your household that are under 18 years old :
Gender
1 Boy
2 Girl
Month
1 January
2 February
3 March
4 April
5 May
6 June
7 July
8 August
9 September
10 October
11 November
12 December
Year
Relationship
1 Parent (biological, adopted)
2 Legal Guardian
3 Other (eg step child)
Are you the Parent or Legal Guardian of a child aged 16-17?
1 Yes
2 No,
[If NO Kids in 16-17 in the HH, please interview the parent]
IF PARENT OF 16-17-YEAR-OLD ASK QST- OTHERWISE SKIP TO Q1.
QST. We are conducting a study about [Dealing with current issues of interest to Canadians] and would like to ask your child aged [*] to take part. This study asks your child to answer questions about [Dealing with current issues of interest to Canadians]. Please remember that your child does not have to answer these questions and can exit the survey at any time.
QCONSENT. Are you happy for your child [*] to participate in this study. If so, please ask the child to come and complete this survey.
1 Yes, the child between [*] is now going to complete this survey.
2 No, please find me another survey. [CONSIDER PARENT AS A RESPONDENT]
[PN: If CONSENT = ‘YES’ SKIP to QA]
[PN: If CONSENT = ‘NO’ and Targeted/Allocated Sample skip to ldQCONSENT2]
ldQCONSENT2. Are you happy to participate in this survey yourself?
1 Yes. [CONSIDER PARENT AS A RESPONDENT, skip to QA]
2 No, please find me another survey. [Term]
QA. Does anyone in your household work for any of the following organizations?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
IF “NONE OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS” CONTINUE, OTHERWISE THANK AND TERMINATE.
Country10. In which country do you live?
[TERMINATE IF NOT CANADA]
HCAL_Region1_Label_CA. In which province or territory do you live?
(48) Alberta
(59) British Columbia
(46) Manitoba
(13) New Brunswick
(10) Newfoundland and Labrador
(12) Nova Scotia
(61) Northwest Territories
(62) Nunavut
(35) Ontario
(11) Prince Edward Island
(24) Quebec
(47) Saskatchewan
(60) Yukon
Your participation is voluntary and your responses will be kept entirely confidential. The survey takes about 5 minutes to complete.
If you require any technical assistance or if you wish to verify the authenticity of this survey, please contact Daniel Kunasingam daniel.kunasingam@ipsos.com.
Q1: Over the past three weeks, have you seen, read or heard any advertising from the Government of Canada?
→ GO TO T1A
Q2: Think about the most recent ad from the Government of Canada that comes to mind. Where have you seen, read or heard this ad?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
Q3: What do you remember about this ad?
Q4: How did you know that it was an ad from the Government of Canada?
T1A: Over the past three weeks, have you seen, read or heard any Government of Canada advertising about legal cannabis in Canada?
→ GO TO T1D
T1B: Where have you seen, read or heard this Government of Canada ad about legal cannabis in Canada?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
T1C: What do you remember about this ad?
CAMPAIGN SPECIFIC ATTITUDINAL AND BEHAVIOURAL QUESTIONS MAY BE ADDED HERE
T1D: Please rate your level of knowledge on each of the following topics related to cannabis:
| - | 1 Not at all knowledgeable- |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 Very knowledgeable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The health effects of cannabis use | o | o | o | o | o |
| Laws related to the possession and use of cannabis | o | o | o | o | o |
| Impact of the use of cannabis while driving | o | o | o | o | o |
| Laws on travelling outside Canada with cannabis | o | o | o | o | o |
| Laws on using cannabis in the workplace | o | o | o | o | o |
T1E: I know where to find information on …
| - | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| The health effects of cannabis use | o | o |
| Laws related to the possession and use of cannabis | o | o |
| Impact of the use of cannabis while driving | o | o |
| Laws on travelling outside Canada with cannabis | o | o |
| Laws on using cannabis in the workplace | o | o |
T1H: Here are some ads that have recently been broadcast on various media. Click here to watch.
[INSERT VIDEO, PRINT AND RADIO ADS]
[CLICK TO GO TO THE NEXT PAGE]
Over the past three weeks, have you seen, read or heard these ads?
→ GO TO T1J
T1I: Where have you seen, read or heard these ads?
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY
T1J: What do you remember about this ad?
T1K: Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about these ads?
| - | 1 Strongly Disagree |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 Strongly Agree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| These ads catch my attention | o | o | o | o | o |
| These ads are relevant to me | o | o | o | o | o |
| These ads are difficult to follow | o | o | o | o | o |
| These ads do not favour one political party over another | o | o | o | o | o |
| These ads talk about an important topic | o | o | o | o | o |
| These ads provide new information | o | o | o | o | o |
| These ads clearly convey that the Government of Canada wants to educate Canadians about the new laws regarding cannabis use. | o | o | o | o | o |
D1: Which of the following categories best describes your current employment status? Are you…
SELECT ONE ONLY
D2: What is the highest level of formal education that you have completed?
SELECT ONE ONLY
D4: Which of the following categories best describes your total annual household income, including income from all household members, before taxes are deducted?
SELECT ONE ONLY
D5: Where were you born?
ASK IF D5=BORN OUTSIDE CANADA
D6: In what year did you first move to Canada?
(YYYY)
ADMISSIBLE RANGE: 1900-2019
D7: What is the language you first learned at home as a child and still understand?
SELECT UP TO TWO
That concludes the survey. This survey was conducted on behalf of Health Canada. In the coming months the report will be available from Library and Archives Canada. We thank you very much for taking the time to answer this survey, it is greatly appreciated.
1 The Ipsos online panel is recruited utilizing a double and triple opt-in screening process to ensure maximum return from an engaged and representative audience. After the intital opt-in to the Ipsos online panel, respondents are sent a second and third email to confirm they want to join our panel.