Canada Child Benefit Program: 2020-2021 Satisfaction Survey

Final Report

Prepared for Canada Revenue Agency

Supplier Name: The Strategic Counsel
Contract Number: 46G85-226673/001/CY
Contract Value: $57,336.77
Award Date: 2021-01-28
Delivery Date: 2021-03-31
Registration Number: POR 110-20

For more information, please contact Canada Revenue Agency at: media.relations@cra-arc.gc.ca.

Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français

Canada Child Benefit Program : 2020-2021 Satisfaction Survey

Final Report

Prepared for: Canada Revenue Agency
Supplier Name: The Strategic Counsel
March 2021

This public opinion research report presents the results of a telephone survey conducted by The Strategic Counsel on behalf of Canada Revenue Agency. The research study was conducted with 1,150 Canada child benefit (CCB) recipients between February 22 and March 9, 2021.

Cette publication est aussi disponible en français sous le titre:
Programme de l’Allocation canadienne pour enfants : 2020-2021 Sondage sur la satisfaction.

This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes only. Prior written permission must be obtained from Canada Revenue Agency. For more information on this report, please contact Canada Revenue Agency at: media.relations@cra-arc.gc.ca

Catalogue Number: Rv4-131/1-2021E-PDF

International Standard Book Number (ISBN): 978-0-660-38931-8

Related publications (Registration Number: POR-110-20)

Catalogue Number: Rv4-131/1-2021F-PDF (Final Report, French)

International Standard Book Number (ISBN): 978-0-660-38933-2

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of the Canada Revenue Agency, 2021

Executive Summary

A. Background and Objectives

Since 2000, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has been continuously conducting studies to gauge client awareness and satisfaction with the Canada child benefit (CCB). The CCB is a tax-free monthly payment made to eligible families to help them with the cost of raising a child under 18 years of age. In 2019-2020, 3.4 million families and 5.9 million children were entitled to receive the CCB, with $24.5 billion dollars paid out.

Over the years, the survey has transitioned between different methodologies as outlined below.

• The initial telephone survey of first-time Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB, now CCB) applicants was conducted in 2000. Additional telephone surveys of GST/HST clients, and regular recipients of the CCB were added in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
• In 2014, both CCB surveys (first-time and regular recipients) were moved to an online environment and clients were mailed invitations with a URL address to access the surveys. The GST/HST credit survey remained a telephone survey.
• In 2016, the GST/HST credit survey was conducted both via telephone and online. The rationale for keeping this survey available via telephone was based on the number of respondents who indicated they did not have access to the Internet (e.g., seniors).
• In 2018, The Strategic Counsel conducted a CCB survey of first-time applicants, reverting to a telephone methodology only. Given the availability of telephone numbers for first-time applicants and the ability to take a more targeted approach, it was decided that a telephone methodology remained the most appropriate and efficient way of obtaining feedback from clients. Additionally, the number of respondents from the sample in previous years was proving to be too small for the results to be deemed statistically valid.
• In 2020 and 2021, the CCB survey was again conducted solely by telephone. This survey remained consistent across the years and targeted all current recipients of the CCB, including both first-time and long-time recipients.

CRA continues to recognize the value in collecting recipients’ feedback, in order to provide the Benefit Programs Directorate (BPD) team with useful data. The main objectives of the survey are to gauge satisfaction with the overall CCB experience, as well as various stages and/or components, and to evaluate specific aspects of the delivery of the program. In 2021, the research also tracked progress against the results of the previous year’s survey with a view to understanding if CCB recipients’ perceptions have changed over time, and why.

The findings support CRA’s continuous service improvement initiatives and will provide the BPD with a better understanding of benefit and credit clients and direction to improve programs, services and communications. The data will also be used to populate results against a ‘client satisfaction’ indicator included in CRA performance reports.

B. Methodology

Consistent with the approach taken in 2020, the 2021 survey was conducted by telephone. This methodology was deemed to be the most appropriate and efficient way of obtaining feedback from recipients and allowed for year-over-year tracking.

The CRA provided The Strategic Counsel with a list of 25,000 CCB recipients. The list was generated by the CRA using the following probability-based sampling process, allowing each respondent within each of the two target groups (e.g., first-time and long-time recipients) to have an equal opportunity to participate in the survey.

• From the full CCB data base of 3.4 million CCB recipients, CRA pulled all those meeting the criteria for long-time and first-time recipients.
• This subset of the full database was then sorted into the specific subgroups (first-time and long-time recipients).
• To provide a sample frame of approximately 25,000 long-time and first-time CCB recipients, CRA drew approximately 13,750 long-time recipient contacts and 11,250 first-time recipients.
• Within each of the subgroups a random sort was undertaken (from a list alphabetically ordered by last name) to draw every ‘nth’ recipient to generate the required sample frame. For example, if the initial pull generated a list of 47,000 first-time recipients, approximately every 4th contact would be pulled in order to generate the list of 11,250.

The primary list provided by CRA was further scrubbed by the Strategic Counsel to remove any duplicates and identify incomplete contact listings. The list was then separated into two contact lists based on the length of time the recipient had been receiving payments. The first included 10,854 first-time recipients, defined as those who had received their first CCB payment within the last 12 months, and the second included a list of 13,649 long-time recipients (e.g., those in receipt of the CCB for more than 12 months). Each list included contact information such as the recipient’s name and phone number(s) which was used only for the purposes of contacting the individual, as well as key demographic and regional information to be used as analytical variables. A further sort was performed to ascertain the distribution of recipients by region. A computer-generated randomization of the list was undertaken using the =RAND function in Excel and the formula f=n/N was used to draw a simple random sample of the contacts to be surveyed. As the sample was depleted, the approach was repeated as necessary to obtain the final target n.

In total, The Strategic Counsel completed surveys with 1,150 CCB recipients across Canada (500 first-time recipients and 650 long-time recipients). In accordance with the original sample provided, soft quotas were established to ensure the final sample closely aligned to regional proportions reflected in the sample provided by CRA. Otherwise, no additional quotas were set. The telephone survey was conducted between February 22 and March 9, 2021. The survey was intended to be no more than 10 minutes in length and the average duration was 9 minutes. In accordance with Government of Canada public opinion research (POR) accessibility requirements, an alternative PDF format of the survey was offered. However, no requests were made for this alternative format.

The above noted probability-based sampling protocol means that the final sample has an associated margin of error of 2.82% at a 95% confidence interval. However, because the original sample provided by CRA was a subset of the universe of CCB recipients, the results cannot be extrapolated to the total population of those receiving the CCB. Rather, the results are representative of first-time and long-time recipients only.

Further details on the methodology can be found in Section III of this report. The response rate calculation, and the English and French surveys are included in the Appendix (Section V).

C. Key Findings

1. Satisfaction with CCB Services: Overall and on Specific Service Attributes and Processes

CRA continues to receive high ratings of satisfaction on CCB services, both in terms of the experience overall for recipients, and across specific service areas, processes and attributes.

The table below summarizes the ‘net’ satisfaction scores in all areas for which this was measured, showing both the total (all recipients) for 2020 and 2021, and the break-out for first-time and long-time recipients for the most recent survey results. The ‘net’ satisfaction score combines the percentage of respondents who gave a rating of ‘very’ or ‘somewhat satisfied’ on the measure being assessed.

Note that the specific service area or attribute being rated may not apply to all respondents. As per the asterisks included throughout the table, only those who had contacted the CRA about CCB services in the last 12 months were asked to assess their satisfaction on certain attributes including how quickly their issue was resolved or the accuracy of the response they received. Similarly, only those who had contacted the CRA by telephone regarding CCB services were asked to rate their level of satisfaction with aspects of the interaction between themselves and the CRA agent.

The overall satisfaction rating, taking into account various interactions the recipient may have had with the CRA regarding the CCB, remains very strong and unchanged since 2021, with almost nine-in-ten (87%) reporting they are satisfied. Just over half (51%) of recipients offered the highest rating of ‘very satisfied’. The results on this measure in 2021 are higher for first-time recipients (91%) compared to long-time recipients (84%) suggesting that more recent applicants were more slightly more satisfied with the level and quality of service from the CRA regarding the CCB, although the overall satisfaction score is high for both groups.

Results from 2021 continue to suggest that there is still a fairly wide spread in satisfaction ratings across the key service attributes and processes which were assessed as part of this study. Ratings varied by 16-points with the highest being for the professionalism shown by the CRA agent (90%) – asked only of those who had specifically contacted CRA by telephone – and the lowest rating associated with how quickly an issue was resolved (74%) – asked only among recipients who had contacted CRA about CCB services in the last 12 months. This was also the only area which received satisfaction ratings below the threshold of 80 percent (which is often set as the goal for many client or customer satisfaction programs). Across all service aspects or areas listed below, satisfaction scores did not vary significantly between first-time and long-time recipients in 2021.

The 2021 results for ‘net satisfaction’, both overall and on specific service areas are consistent with those obtained in 2020, with very minimal changes in the scores year-over-year.

Net satisfaction with CCB services and key service attributes

Base sizes vary per statement.
*Asked of a sub-set of respondents – those who contacted CRA by telephone
** Asked only of first time respondents
***Asked of a sub-set of respondents – those who have contacted CRA about CCB services in the last 12 months

2. Contact with CRA Regarding CCB Services: Method and Reason for Contact

In line with the findings from the 2020 survey, a relatively small percentage of those surveyed in 2021 had contacted CRA within the past year about CCB services (19% in 2021; 17% in 2020). First-time recipients (27%) remain more likely to have contacted CRA compared to long-time recipients (10%).

The reasons for contacting CRA are also relatively unchanged from 2020 with the largest proportion of recipients seeking to update their file (46%), followed by those who are dealing with an application (38%) and those addressing an issue related to issuance of payment (21%). The number of recipients who contacted CRA about a service complaint remains low (4%) and unchanged from 2020 (5%).

Telephone continues to be the primary method of contact for the vast majority of recipients who interacted with the CRA in regards to the CCB (79% in 2021; 78% in 2020), followed by online services (26% in 2021; 23% in 2020). Very few recipients contacted CRA by mail (7% in 2021; 11% in 2020). Overall, most recipients found it easy to access CCB services (62% in 2021; 65% in 2020). Nevertheless, views on ease of access did vary across service platforms: higher among those accessing CCB services online (75%) versus those interacting with CRA by telephone (58%).

3. Awareness of CCB Online Services

As noted above, many recipients contact CRA in order to update their file, and this is especially the case for first-time recipients. And, while most continue to contact CRA by telephone, results from the 2021 survey highlight an increase in awareness among recipients of the various features related to managing CCB online and updating their profile:

• Awareness is highest among recipients regarding their ability to update personal information for benefit and credit purposes through My Account (85%, up from 75% in 2020);
• While somewhat lower, awareness that recipients can pay their CCB balances owing using the CRA online My Payment service or online banking also increased year-over-year (65%, up from 60%); and
• There has also been an upward trend in awareness of the My Benefits app which allows recipients a quick view of their benefit and credit details, and their eligibility information (60%, up from 54%).

As in 2020, results show that those recipients who have interacted with CRA via their online services feel positive about the experience. As such, CRA should continue efforts to enhance awareness of its online options and encourage recipients to access CCB services online.

4. Awareness of the Need to File a Tax Return

Consistent with 2020 findings, a strong majority of recipients (88%) were aware of the need to file a tax return in order to continue receiving CCB benefits, although awareness continues to be higher among long-time recipients (91%) compared to first-time recipients (83%). In line with the previous year’s survey results, relatively few were unaware of this requirement (12%).

5. Applying for CCB in the Future

A slim majority (53%) of recipients, up 4 percentage points from 2020 (49%), indicated that, in future, if they were to apply for the CCB for another child, they would do so online using the secure portal ‘My Account.’ First-time applicants (60%) are much more likely to cite this as their preferred method over registering at the hospital (33%). This finding, consistent with previous years’ results, continues to suggest that there is some momentum among the more recent cohort of applicants, and thus possibly those who will be applying in the near future, to make better use of CRA’s online platform when accessing CCB services. Again, this underscores the value for CRA in continuing to raise awareness of the array of CCB services and information online and the ease of use of this platform both for registration as well as ongoing management of the recipient’s profile and account.

Hospitals are a preferred source by about one-third (36%) of recipients, were they to apply again for the CCB for another child, although preference for this method is slightly higher among long-time recipients (38%) compared to first-time recipients (33%). This finding is perhaps not that surprising given that hospitals and/or birthing centre staff are a common referral source (31%), particularly for long-time recipients (37% vs. 24% among first-time recipients).

6. Evaluation of the Child Custody Questionnaire

From time to time, the CRA sends a questionnaire to CCB recipients requesting that they confirm or correct the information with regards to child custody arrangements. When asked if they had received this questionnaire in the last 12 months, very few (3%, n=34) recipients representing only half the amount compared to the previous year (6% n=67 in 2020) said they had. This could suggest there was less distribution of the custody questionnaire overall in the past year or simply that recall has dropped.

While the base of those who responded in the affirmative to this question is quite small, over two thirds (68%) said it was either ‘somewhat’ or ‘very easy’ to fill out the questionnaire. Only 15% indicated having some difficulty, a drop of 24 points from 2020 (39%), suggesting that some improvements to the questionnaire (such as for clarity, comprehension, length, etc.) may have been realized.

D. Conclusions

The findings from the 2021 survey of both first-time and long-time CCB recipients present a fairly positive picture in terms of their awareness of and experience with CCB services. Many continue to report high levels of satisfaction with the information and processes related to obtaining information about and maintaining their CCB, as well as interacting with the CRA in regards to the CCB.

That said, there are a number of areas that CRA could explore in more depth and continue to monitor. The 2021 results identify several ongoing opportunities for CRA to improve the experience of CCB recipients, recognizing that, on the whole, most are rating CRA quite positively on its current performance:

• While recipients primarily access CCB services by telephone, there are continued opportunities to encourage clients to shift to the online platform, especially given the significant difference in the perceived experience of those using online services compared to telephone – the former is viewed as easier to access relative to the latter. There has been a marked increase in awareness of the range of features available online and CRA should build upon this success to further enhance awareness among recipients in general, but targeting first-time recipients in particular. Moreover, awareness of the My Benefits CRA web-based app could be higher, so a particular marketing effort focused primarily on highlighting this app would be useful. The survey did not assess clients’ media consumption patterns. But large proportions did indicate that they first heard about the CCB via friends or family members. A marketing strategy which is heavily focused on social media (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, etc.) could continue to leverage and amplify ‘word-of-mouth’ referrals to the online platform.


• At the same time, the survey underscores that contact with the CRA about CCB services is predominantly undertaken over the phone, notably more so by first-time recipients relative to long-time recipients. Thus, continuing to improve telephone service remains critical. In this regard, more work needs to be done to determine what would help to make interactions by phone easier, as well as what clients’ expectations are in terms of how quickly issues should be resolved.

MORE INFORMATION

Supplier Name: The Strategic Counsel
Contract Number: 46G85-226673/001/CY
Contract Award Date: 2021-01-28
Contract Budget: $57,336.77

To obtain more information on this study, please e-mail media.relations@cra-arc.gc.ca.

Statement of Political Neutrality

I hereby certify as a Senior Officer of The Strategic Counsel 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.
Signed:
Donna Nixon

Background and Objectives

A. Background

The Canada child benefit (CCB) is a tax-free monthly payment made to eligible families to help them with the cost of raising a child under 18 years of age. The CCB may also include the child disability benefit and any related provincial or territorial programs. In 2019-2020, 3.4 million families and 5.9 million children were entitled to receive the CCB, with $24.5 billion dollars paid out.

Since 2000, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has been continuously conducting satisfaction studies to gauge client awareness and satisfaction with CCB and its predecessor programs. The CRA continues to recognize the value in collecting recipients’ feedback in order to provide the Benefit Programs Directorate (BPD) team with useful data.

Over the years, the survey has transitioned between different methodologies as outlined below.

• The initial telephone survey of first-time Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB, now CCB) applicants was conducted in 2000. Additional telephone surveys of GST/HST clients, and regular recipients of the CCB were added in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
• In 2014, both CCB surveys (first-time and regular recipients) were moved to an online environment and clients were mailed invitations with a URL address to access the surveys. The GST/HST credit survey remained a telephone survey.
• In 2016, the GST/HST credit survey was conducted both via telephone and online. The rationale for keeping this survey available via telephone was based on the number of respondents who indicated they did not have access to the Internet (e.g., seniors).
• In 2018, The Strategic Counsel conducted a CCB survey of first-time applicants, reverting to a telephone methodology only. Given the availability of telephone numbers for first-time applicants and the ability to take a more targeted approach, it was decided that a telephone methodology remained the most appropriate and efficient way of obtaining feedback from clients. Additionally, the number of respondents from the sample in previous years was proving to be too small for the results to be deemed statistically valid.
• In 2020 and 2021, the CCB survey was again conducted solely by telephone. This survey remained consistent across the years and targeted all current recipients of the CCB, including both first-time and long-time recipients.

B. Objectives

The purpose of this study is to measure and track client satisfaction with the overall process, from application to receipt of the CCB payments. The survey provided an opportunity for program recipients to offer feedback in terms of their overall satisfaction with the program, their satisfaction at various stages and components of the process and evaluations of specific aspects of program delivery and service, as defined by the program area.

The 2021 research will also tracking progress relative to the previous survey (2020) with a view to understanding if CCB recipients’ perceptions have changed over time, and why.

The findings support CRA’s continuous service improvement initiatives and will provide the Benefit Programs Directorate (BPD) with a better understanding of benefit and credit clients and direction to improve programs, services and communications. The data will also be used to populate results against a ‘client satisfaction’ indicator included in CRA performance reports.

Methodology

In 2021, a telephone survey of 1,150 CCB recipients, including 500 first-time recipients and 650 long-time recipients, was undertaken utilizing contact lists provided by the Canada Revenue Agency. The questionnaire (see Section V – Appendix: Research Instruments) remained almost identical to 2020 allowing for tracking data to be compared between the two years.

A. Sample Design

The CRA provided The Strategic Counsel with a list of 25,000 CCB recipients. The list was generated by the CRA using the following probability-based sampling process, allowing each respondent within each of the two target groups (e.g., first-time and long-time recipients) to have an equal opportunity to participate in the survey.

• From the full CCB data base of 3.4 million CCB recipients, CRA pulled all those meeting the criteria for long-time and first-time recipients.
• This subset of the full database was then sorted into the specific subgroups (first-time and long-time recipients).
• To provide a sample frame of approximately 25,000 long-time and first-time CCB recipients, CRA drew approximately 13,750 long-time recipient contacts and 11,250 first-time recipients.
• Within each of the subgroups a random sort was undertaken (from a list alphabetically ordered by last name) to draw every ‘nth’ recipient to generate the required sample frame. For example, if the initial pull generated a list of 47,000 first-time recipients, approximately every 4th contact would be pulled in order to generate the list of 11,250.

The primary list provided by CRA was further scrubbed by the Strategic Counsel to remove any duplicates and identify incomplete contact listings. The contact list of 24,503 recipients was then separated into two contact lists based on the length of time the recipient had been receiving payments. The first included 10,854 first-time recipients, defined as those who had received their first CCB payment within the last 12 months, and the second included a list of 13,649 long-time recipients (e.g., those in receipt of the CCB for more than 12 months). Each list included information such as:

• Recipient’s name
• Phone number(s), including home and mobile as applicable, which was used only for the purposes of contacting the individual
• Gender
• Age
• Province
• Postal code
• Preferred language
• Year of receipt of first payment
• Type of recipient

A further sort was performed to ascertain the distribution of recipients by region. A computer-generated randomization of the list was undertaken using the =RAND function in Excel and the formula f=n/N was used to draw a simple random sample of the contacts to be surveyed. As the sample was depleted, the approach was repeated as necessary to obtain the final target n.

In total, The Strategic Counsel completed surveys with 1,150 CCB recipients across Canada (500 first-time recipients and 650 long-time recipients). Quotas were established to ensure the correct distribution of first time recipients (n=500) and long-time recipients (n=650), consistent with the previous wave. Soft quotas were also put in place to ensure the sample included a representative cross-section by province based on the original sample.

The table below outlines the percentage by type of recipient and province in the original client list, and the final completes achieved.

Percentage by type of recipient

Percentage by Province

The telephone survey was conducted between February 22 and March 9, 2021. The survey was intended to be no more than 10 minutes in length and the average duration was 9 minutes, with interviews ranging from 4 minutes in length to 28 minutes. In accordance with Government of Canada public opinion research (POR) accessibility requirements, an alternative PDF format of the survey was offered. However, no requests were made for this format.

The above noted probability-based sampling protocol means that the final sample has an associated margin of error of 2.82% at a 95% confidence interval. However, because the original sample provided by CRA was a subset of the universe of CCB recipients, the results cannot be extrapolated to the total population of those receiving the CCB. Rather, the results are representative of first-time and long-time recipients only.

In accordance with the Standards for the Conduct of Government of Canada Public Opinion Research – Telephone surveys, the contact list provided by the CRA was destroyed upon completion of the fieldwork.

B. Fieldwork and Response Rates

In total 1,150 applicants completed the survey, with an overall response rate of 6%. The response rate was calculated according to the Empirical Method formula of R / (U + IS + R), as follows:

• The number of in scope responding (R) participants (completed, disqualified, and over-quota respondents) = 1,171
  DIVIDED BY
• The sum of the unresolved (U) numbers (14,800), the in scope non-responding (IS) participants (2,795) + the in scope responding (R) participants (1,171) = 18,766

The response rates for each of the two sub-groups was as follows: first-time recipients (7.12%); long-time recipients (5.57%).

Details on the call dispositions for the total sample, as well as for first-time recipients and long-time recipients, can be found in Section A of the Appendix.

Respondents were offered an opportunity to answer the survey in their official language of choice, English or French. A total of 886 recipients responded to the survey in English and 264 in French.

1. Non-Response Bias

Non-response bias occurs when some respondents included in the sample do not respond to the survey. This is typically a result of refusals to participate or an inability to reach or connect with respondents during the timeframe within which the survey is being fielded. A bias would occur if those who refused or were unable to participate in the survey were systematically different from those who did participate with respect to the variables measured in the survey.

Non-response rates in probability samples are increasing worldwide and a non-response bias analysis is particularly useful when response rates to a survey are low, or if there are other indications that bias may be present in the survey results. Having said this, however, research studies have shown that response rates alone are an unreliable indicator of bias. Additionally, non-response bias is typically a greater concern for research on highly personal or sensitive issues and/or where social desirability may play a role in respondents’ answers on interviewer-led telephone surveys. This is a lesser issue for the 2020-21 Benefits Program Service Standard survey where questions are intended to assess respondents’ awareness and experiences.

Further, a number of steps have been taken at the design stage to reduce or mitigate the risk of non-respondent bias, including:

• Ensuring the survey is kept short and is accessible – the survey averaged 9 minutes in length and participants could request an alternate PDF format, according to Government of Canada Public Opinion Research accessibility requirements; and
• Obtaining participants’ feedback on the design or structuring of questions – a pre-test was run (see below) to assess participants’ experience in completing the survey and it was found to be generally positive.

Common approaches to assessing non-response bias include: comparing the frame variables for respondents and non-respondents; comparing early and late respondents on frame variables and key survey variables; and comparing estimates from the survey respondents (using non-response-adjusted weights) with estimates from an independent, external ‘gold-standard’ data source or rich sampling frame information.

There are limitations on the extent to which a full and complete non-response analysis can be undertaken of this dataset. This is primarily a factor of the absence of available data on non-responders apart from what was provided by CRA in the original sample file. However, the implementation of soft quotas to ensure that the final sample closely reflects the distribution of first-time and long-time CCB recipients by province will have the effect of reducing, if not completely eliminating, non-response bias.

Given the above, it is our considered view that any non-response bias is minimal and that the survey results as reported here are valid.

2. Pretesting

As per Government of Canada Standards for Public Opinion Research for telephone surveys, pre-testing was undertaken prior to launching the survey. The survey was pre-tested by telephone among n=20 (10 in English and 10 in French) recipients prior to commencing full field in order to obtain feedback with respect to length, ease of completion, and comprehension. Overall, the findings from the pre-test were very positive and The Strategic Counsel and the CRA agreed no changes needed to be made prior to the fieldwork.

C. Note to Reader

No weighting procedures were applied to the final data.

Unless otherwise noted, results shown in this report are expressed as percentages and may not add up to 100% due to rounding and/or multiple responses to a given question.

Throughout the report, unless otherwise noted, significance is indicated at the 95% confidence level based on the Z-Test.

Detailed Findings from the Survey

A. Overall Satisfaction

Asked to rate their overall satisfaction with their interactions with the CRA regarding the CCB (including the application, notices, and receipt of payments), consistent with the previous year’s results, the vast majority of recipients indicate they are satisfied (87%). In fact, over half (51%) give the highest rating possible - ‘very satisfied,’ while over one-third (36%) say they are ‘somewhat satisfied.’ Satisfaction ratings are significantly higher for first-time recipients (91%), compared to long-time recipients (84%).

Similar to 2020, in total just under one-in-ten (9%) recipients are neutral, citing they are ‘neither satisfied nor dissatisfied’, and only three percent are dissatisfied (3%) with the overall experience.

Satisfaction with overall interactions with CRA, regarding the CCB

Q16. Thinking about all of your interactions with the CRA regarding the CCB, including the application, notices, receipt of payments, for example, how satisfied are you with the overall experience? Base: Total sample

Across the country, satisfaction scores continue to remain high in 2021. There are few significant differences to note between the regions to note, with one exception – a higher proportion residing in the Prairies (4%) are more likely to be dissatisfied with their overall experience.

Satisfaction with overall CCB interactions, by region

Q16. Thinking about all of your interactions with the CRA regarding the CCB, including the application, notices, receipt of payments, for example, how satisfied are you with the overall experience? Base: Total sample

Overall satisfaction varies to some extent by age, with younger recipients (aged 18-34) expressing the highest levels of satisfaction with their interactions (89%), compared to middle-aged (35-49 years old) and older (aged 50 and older) recipients (85% and 84%, respectively).

Satisfaction with overall CCB interactions, by age

Q16. Thinking about all of your interactions with the CRA regarding the CCB, including the application, notices, receipt of payments, for example, how satisfied are you with the overall experience? Base: Total sample

Examining overall satisfaction by the language spoken at home, it is notable that those who speak a language other than English or French rate satisfaction with the experience (92%) higher than Francophones (88%) and Anglophones (84%) do.

Satisfaction with overall CCB interactions, by language spoken at home

Q16. Thinking about all of your interactions with the CRA regarding the CCB, including the application, notices, receipt of payments, for example, how satisfied are you with the overall experience? Base: Total sample

While there are limited differences in satisfaction levels by educational attainment, results vary somewhat based on household income. In particular, a higher proportion of those in lower income households (earning less than $60,000 annually) offer higher overall ratings of satisfaction, compared to those in middle to higher incomes households earning between $60,000 and $100,000 (82%) or over $100,000 (83%) annually.

Satisfaction with overall CCB interactions, by education and income

Q16. Thinking about all of your interactions with the CRA regarding the CCB, including the application, notices, receipt of payments, for example, how satisfied are you with the overall experience? Base: Total sample

B. Satisfaction with CCB Payments

First-time recipients, defined as those who had been receiving the CCB for less than 12 months, were asked to rate their level of satisfaction with the time it took to receive their first CCB payment. Results in 2021 continue to show that first-time recipients’ satisfaction on this aspect is quite high, with over four-in-five (86%) saying they were satisfied. In fact, more first-time recipients gave the highest rating of ‘very satisfied’ (56%) in 2021 compared to 2020 (48%) – an increase of 8 points.

Satisfaction with timeliness of first CCB payment

Q5A. How satisfied are you with each of the following aspects of the CCB? – “The time it took to get your first CCB payment”. Base: First-time recipients

Those living in British Columbia and the Territories (93%) are most likely to be satisfied with timeliness of receiving their first CCB payment, as are those who have achieved a university level of educational attainment (90%).

C. Satisfaction with and Understanding of CCB Notices

A series of questions were posed to all recipients to assess their satisfaction with the accuracy of information on CCB notices and the relative ease of understanding of the information on these notices.

1. Satisfaction with Accuracy of Information on CCB Notices

Findings from the current survey continue to indicate that a strong majority of CCB recipients (80%) are satisfied with the accuracy of information on the last CCB noticed used to calculate their benefit. Notably, a half of first-time recipients (50%) provided the highest rating of ‘very satisfied’, compared to only 44% of long-time recipients.

Satisfaction with Accuracy of Information on last CCB Notice

Q5B. How satisfied are you with each of the following aspects of the CCB? – “The accuracy of the information on the last CCB notice which was used to calculate your benefit”. Base: Total sample

Satisfaction with the accuracy of information on the last CCB notice varies to some extent by:

• Region – Levels of satisfaction are significantly higher in Quebec (86%) relative to Ontario (80%), the Prairies (75%) and BC/North (74%);
• Language spoken at home – Among both first-time and long-time recipients, slightly lower levels of overall satisfaction are expressed by Anglophones (76%), compared to Francophones (85%) and those who primarily speak a language other than English or French at home (85%);
• Age – Younger recipients (83%) report higher satisfaction levels on this aspect compared to those middle-aged recipients (77%);
• Household income – Those with incomes under $60,000 (84%) or between $60,000-$100,000 (81%) are more satisfied than those in high income households (earning over $100,000); and
• Education – In the same vein, those with a high school education or less tend to offer higher ratings (83%) compared to those with post-secondary education – either college/trades (79%) or university (78%) educated.

2. Ease of Understanding Last CCB Notice

Eight-in-ten (80%) recipients, both first-time and long-time, find the information on CCB notices ‘easy’ to understand. In fact, half of long-time recipients (50%) and just under half of first-time recipients (47%) say the information on their last CCB notice was ‘very easy’ to understand. About a third (33% of first-time recipients; 30% of long-time recipients) rate the information as ‘somewhat easy’ and only six percent of all recipients (6%) say it was ‘difficult’ to comprehend (7% of first-time recipients; 5% of long-time recipients). These results have remained virtually unchanged since 2020.

Ease of understanding CCB notices

Q6. How easy or difficult was it to understand the information on your last CCB notice? Base: Total sample

Those more likely to find the information on their CCB notice more difficult to understand include:

• Recipients who speak a language other than English or French at home (11%);
• Those who identify as single parents (10%);
• Recipients who identify as part of a minority group (9%); and
• Those with lower annual household incomes (8%).

D. Contact with and Ease of Accessing the CRA for CCB Services

The determinants of client satisfaction are closely related to the frequency and nature of interactions between the client and the service provider, the channel used to obtain a service, the relative ease of interactions, as well as the perceived level and quality of the service received. First-time and long-time CCB recipients were asked a series of questions to assess their interactions with the CRA regarding the CCB over the last year. They were also asked about the reasons for contact and how easy or difficult it was to access CCB services.

1. Contact with the CRA Regarding CCB

Just under one-in-five CCB recipients (17%) have had to contact the CRA within the past 12 months, roughly the same proportion as was reported in 2020 (19%).

First-time recipients (27%) are much more likely to say they have contacted the CRA regarding the CCB as compared to long-time recipients (10%).

Contacted the CRA in last 12 months regarding CCB

Q7. In the past 12 months did you have to contact the CRA regarding the CCB? Base: Total sample

Those more likely to have contacted CCB within the last year include:

• Men (31%) as compared to women (15%);
• Recipients who report being separated, divorced or widowed (28%), versus those who are married or in a common-law relationship (16%), or single (15%); and
• Those with lower household incomes, under $60,000 (23%), relative to those with incomes of $60,000 to just under $100,000 (15%), and those with household incomes over $100,000 (11%).

No regional variations were evident on this question.

The reasons for contacting CRA varied but were, for the most part, similar to what was cited in 2020. Almost half of CCB recipients mentioned they had contacted CRA to update their file (46% in 2021; 49% in 2020). Just under two-in-five had contacted CRA in regards to their application (38%), an 11-point increase over 2020 (27%). One-in-five or fewer had contacted CRA for other issues, and the proportions doing so were similar to what had been reported in 2020, including: issuance of payment (21% in 2021; 20% in 2020), general information (16% in 2021; 10% in 2020); a policy ruling or interpretation (6% in 2021; 5% in 2020), a service complaint (4% in 2021; 5% in 2020), an appeal (4% in 2021; 2% in 2020) or for another matter (1% in 2021; less than 1% in 2020).

Not surprisingly, there were some differences in the reasons for contact between first-time and long-time recipients. The majority of first-time recipients (51%) were more likely to have contacted CRA about their application, compared to just over one-in-ten (12%) long-time recipients. By contrast, most long-time recipients (58%) had contacted CRA about updating their file. A smaller, but still significant proportion of first-time recipients (40%) also cited an update to their file as a reason for contacting CRA. Apart from these two differences, the pattern for first-time and long-time recipients was similar in terms of the other reasons given for contacting CRA.

Reasons for contact (multi-mention)

Q8. Why did you contact the CRA?
Base: Those who have contacted the CRA in past 12 months

The reasons for contact varied to some extent by region and by gender, age and language.

An update to your file:

• Older (80%) and middle-aged recipients (54%) were more likely to cite updating their file, compared to younger recipients, aged 18-34 (32%).

Your application:

• Regionally, recipients residing in Ontario (54%) were more likely to cite their application as a reason for contacting CRA, relative to those residing elsewhere.
• Those recipients who indicated they speak a language other than English or French at home (61%) were also more likely to have contacted CRA about their application, compared to Anglophones (33%) or Francophones (22%).
• Younger recipients, aged 18 to 34 (54%) were also more likely to have contacted CCB in regards to their application.

Issuance of payment:

• Men (25%) were more likely to have contacted CRA about the issuance of a payment, compared to women (8%).

Telephone remains the primary service channel for CCB recipients who have had to contact CRA within the last year, and this is unchanged from the results of the previous year’s survey (79% in 2021; 78% in 2020). A much smaller proportion of recipients, about one-quarter (26%) contacted CRA online, similar to 2020 (23%). Very few (7%) contacted CRA by mail, again unchanged from 2020 (11%).

There was no difference in the choice or use of channels to interact with CRA among first-time or long-time recipients, and both client groups relied mainly on telephone in about equal numbers. The majority of first-time (81%) and long-time recipients (75%) said they had contacted CRA about the CCB by telephone, while about one-quarter did so using CRA online services (26% first-time recipients; 25% long-time recipients) and under one-in-ten interacted with CRA by mail (9% first-time recipients; 3% long-time recipients).

Method of contact (multi-mention)

Q9. How did you contact the CRA?
Base: Those who have contacted the CRA in past 12 months

A significant majority across all demographic sub-groups and regions cited telephone as the means by which they had contacted CRA. While there were few variations of note, older recipients, aged 50 and over (100%) were much more likely to have contacted CRA by telephone, compared to those who are younger (79%) and middle-aged (77%). And, the use of different channels also varied to some extent based on the reason for contact as those seeking a policy ruling or interpretation (100%) were more likely to have contacted CRA by telephone, as were those following up on an issue pertaining to the issuance of payment (88%).

2. Ease of Accessing CCB Services

Respondents continue to rate access to CCB services positively. Most (62%) said that, based on their last experience, it was ‘easy’ to access CCB services, with one-third (32%) rating it as ‘very easy,’ and similar numbers (30%) saying it was ‘somewhat easy.’ These results align closely with the findings from 2020 (65% rating access as ‘easy,’ with 35% giving a rating of ‘very easy’ and 30% a rating of ‘somewhat easy’). Nevertheless, just under one-third of CCB recipients surveyed said that accessing CCB services was difficult (29% in 2021 compared to 23% in 2020).

First-time and long-time CCB recipients reported similar experiences, with most describing access to CCB services as ‘easy’ (63% among first-time recipients; 61% among long-time recipients).

Ease of accessing CCB services based on last experience

Q10. Thinking about your last experience with the CRA/CCB service, how easy or difficult was it to access CCB services?
Base: Those who have contacted the CRA in past 12 months

There were no differences across regions or demographic sub-groups on this question.

Rather, perceptions regarding ease of access to CCB services did vary slightly by method of contact, although a majority in each case indicated it was ‘easy’ regardless of the channel they had used.

As noted in the table below, those recipients who had contacted CCB services online (75%) were more likely to rate access to the services as ‘easy,’ compared to those who had contacted CCB services by telephone (58%). Indeed, almost half of those who accessed CCB services online (48%) described it as ‘very easy,’ compared to just over one-quarter who had accessed services by telephone (27%). Due to the small numbers of recipients who had contacted CCB services by mail, no significant differences were evident for this channel relative to the others.

Ease of accessing CCB services, by method of contact

Q10. Thinking about your last experience with the CRA/CCB service, how easy or difficult was it to access CCB services?
Base: Those who have contacted the CRA in past 12 months
c Caution, small base

Ratings regarding ease of access did not vary significantly based on the reason for contact, as detailed in the table below. Regardless of the reason, a majority in all cases said it was ‘easy’ to access CCB services.

Ease of accessing CCB services, by reasons of contact

Q10. Thinking about your last experience with the CRA/CCB service, how easy or difficult was it to access CCB services?
Base: Those who have contacted the CRA in past 12 months
c Caution, small base size

E. Satisfaction and Experience with CCB Online Services

1. Satisfaction with CCB Online Services

Recipients who had contacted CRA regarding CCB services within the last 12 months, by any method and for a range of reasons, were asked to rate their satisfaction with respect to three areas of service:

• The safeguards in place to protect their privacy (i.e. personal and business information);
• The accuracy of the response they receved; and
• How quickly the issue was resolved.

The table below shows results across the three service areas for ‘net satisfaction,’ that is the combined percentage of those who say they were either ‘somewhat’ or ‘very satisfied.’ Similarly to 2020, the highest satisfaction ratings relate to the accuracy of the response received (85%) and the safeguards in place to protect personal and business information (84%). Notably, although not significant, satisfaction around the accuracy of the response received increased by 5 points since 2020. Ratings for first-time and long-time recipients do not vary significantly on these two measures.

Satisfaction levels regarding how quickly the issue was resolved are lower compared to the other two service aspects noted above. Overall, three quarters (74%) are satisfied with the timeliness of resolution, the same as in 2020. However, satisfaction ratings between first-time and long-time recipients show little variability.

Net satisfaction: timeliness, privacy safeguards, accuracy of information

Q11. And, how satisfied were you with each of the following service aspects?
Base: Those who have contacted the CRA in past 12 months

The detailed findings on each of these measures are displayed in the charts that follow.

As noted, overall ratings for satisfaction with the accuracy of information provided to recipients are quite strong (85%). Although only significant at the 90% confidence level, ratings for those who were ‘very satisfied’ with this measure did increase by 9 points in 2021 (59%) from 2020 (50%). Over half of recipients in each group offer the most positive rating of ‘very satisfied’ (60% for first-time recipients and 55% for long-time recipients), contributing to the increase in this measure for 2021.

Satisfaction with accuracy of the response provided

Q11C. And, how satisfied were you with each of the following service aspects? – “The accuracy of the response you received”.
Base: Those who have contacted the CRA in past 12 months

Across key demographic groups, those more likely to give higher satisfaction ratings with respect to the accuracy of the response provided are as follows:

• Those who tend to speak a language other than English or French at home (72%) are most likely to give the highest rating of ‘very satisfied.’
• Younger recipients (71%), aged 18-34 are more likely to give a rating of ‘very satisfied’ compared to recipients who are middle-aged or older (53% and 30%, respectively).

Satisfaction with privacy safeguards remains high (84%), with first-time recipients (87%) slightly more likely to say they are ‘satisfied’ as compared to long-time recipients (78%). In fact, over half of recipients (56%) say they were ‘very satisfied’ with the safeguards put in place to protect their personal and business information. Similarly, very few respondents overall (2%) express any degree of dissatisfaction with this measure. Results do not vary markedly between 2021 and 2020.

Satisfaction with privacy safeguards

Q11B. And, how satisfied were you with each of the following service aspects? – “The safeguards that were in place to protect your personal and business information”.
Base: Those who have contacted the CRA in past 12 months

There were several variations to note across regions and demographic groups in response to this question. Higher ‘very satisfied’ ratings on this measure are offered by:

• Recipients residing in Ontario (61%) or the Prairies (60%) compared to Quebec (9%);
• Recipients that are married/in a common-law relationship (61%) or separated/divorced/widowed (61%) compared to those who are single (29%);
• Anglophones (59%) or those who speak another language other than English or French at home (58%) compared to Francophones (39%).

The following table highlights that satisfaction levels with respect to timeliness of resolution have remained steady from 2020 to 2021. There are no significant differences among first-time and long-time recipients on this rating.

Satisfaction with timeliness of resolution

Q11A. And, how satisfied were you with each of the following service aspects? – “How quickly your issue was resolved”.
Base: Those who have contacted the CRA in past 12 months

In terms of other variations across sub-groups, Francophones (84%) and those who tend to speak a language other than English or French at home (82%) offer higher satisfaction ratings on this measure compared to Anglophones (67%).

2. Ratings of CRA’s Online Services

Recipients who had contacted CRA through online services within the last 12 months were asked to rate the information in terms of helpfulness, completeness or thoroughness, accessibility, and ease of comprehension.

Results summarized in the table below indicate that overall, three-quarters or more of recipients rate the helpfulness, completeness, and accessibility of information on CRA’s online services as ‘good’ or ‘very good.’

Similarly to 2020, seven-in-ten recipients (71%) found the information on CRA’s online services easy to understand, which was the lowest ranked aspect overall. Of the four aspects, first-time recipients (69%) are somewhat less likely to rate the ease of comprehension as ‘very good’ or ‘good’ compared to long-time recipients (76%).

Positive ratings of ‘very good’ or ‘good’ across all four aspects of CRA’s online services did not vary significantly between 2020 and 2021.

Ratings of CCB online information

Q12. How would you rate the information on CRA’s online services in terms of each of the following aspects?
Base: Those who contacted the CRA through online services in the past 12 months
c Caution, small base size

Given the relatively small proportion of recipients who indicated they had used CRA’s online services in the last 12 months, the results for these measures have not been analysed further either in terms of breaking out the results from ‘very good’ to ‘poor’ or across demographic sub-groups and regions.

F. Satisfaction with CCB Telephone Services

Those who had contacted CRA by telephone were asked to rate their satisfaction with two key service aspects associated with the professionalism of the CRA agent and the way in which the CRA agent resolved their issue.

Satisfaction with the professionalism the CRA agent remains very high (90%) in 2021, consistent with results from 2020. Strong ratings of satisfaction are displayed across both categories of respondents, first-time recipients (92%) and long-time recipients (86%). In fact, the majority of recipients are ‘very satisfied’ with this aspect, including almost two-thirds of first-time recipients (64%) and over one half of long-time recipients (54%).

Ratings for the professionalism of the CRA agent, whether positive or negative, did not vary significantly over the last year.

Satisfaction with professionalism of agent

Q11D. And, how satisfied were you with each of the following service aspects? – “The professionalism that the CRA agent showed”.
Base: Those who have contacted the CRA by telephone

There are several differences to note on this questions both geographically and among key demographic groups. Those who are more satisfied (either ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’) include:

• Those residing in the Atlantic (100%), compared those in Ontario (89%) and Quebec (90%) - however, caution should be applied given the small sample size in the Atlantic (n=12);
• Men (97%), compared to women (88%); and
• Younger recipients (95%), compared to those who are middle-aged (86%).

In 2021, satisfaction ratings regarding how the CRA agent resolved the issue continue to be lower, by comparison to ratings on the agent’s professional demeanour. Although lower, these ratings are still strong overall (83%) and across both types of recipients. Only one-in ten (9%) are dissatisfied with the way the agent resolved their issue.

The findings below show a slight, 5-point increase, in 2021 (83%) satisfaction levels over 2020 (77%) however, results do not vary significantly by year.

Satisfaction with way agent resolved the issue

Q11E. And, how satisfied were you with each of the following service aspects? – “The way the CRA agent resolved your issue”.
Base: Those who have contacted the CRA by telephone

Significant variations in satisfaction on this measure by region and across key demographic sub-groups are outlined below. Those who are more satisfied with the way the CRA Agent resolved their concern are:

• Those residing in the Atlantic (100%) compared to those in the Prairies (75%), Ontario (82%) and Quebec (85%) - however, caution should be applied given the small sample size in the Atlantic (n=12);
• Younger recipients (90%) versus those who are middle aged (78%);
• Francophone recipients (91%) and those who speak a language other than French or English at home (88%) compared to Anglophones (75%); and
• Recipients who identify as single (90%) or married/in a common-law relationship (86%) compared to those who are divorced, separated or widowed (68%).

G. Awareness of Online Options to Manage CCB

All respondents were asked whether they were aware of three specific features for managing or updating their CCB profile online.

Awareness levels of online options to manage one’s CCB had increased significantly in 2021.

• The vast majority (85%) continue to be aware that they can update their personal information through the My Account portal, increasing by 7 points over the last year.
• Awareness that CCB recipients can pay any CCB balances owed using the CRA online My Payment service or online banking also increased from 60% to 65% in 2021.
• Awareness of the MyBenefits CRA web-based app to obtain a quick view of payment details and eligibility information also remained high with six-in-ten (60%) of respondents saying they were aware of these features, compared to 54% in 2020.

There were no significant differences to note regarding awareness of these online features between first-time and long-time recipients.

Awareness of managing CCB profile online

Q18. I’m going to read you a list of features related to managing your CCB online and updating your profile. Please tell me whether or not you are aware of each?
Base: Total sample

Awareness varied minimally across the country as follows:

• Awareness that CCB recipients can pay any CCB balances owed using the CRA online My Payment service or online banking is highest among those residing in Ontario (69%) and BC/North (68%) compared to Quebec residents (57%) where awareness is lower.
• Recipients who reside in Ontario (63%) have higher awareness regarding using the MyBenefits CRA web-based app to get a quick view of their benefit and credit payment details, and eligibility information than those in Quebec (55%).

In line with regional awareness levels, awareness that CCB recipients could pay any CCB balances owed using the CRA online My Payment service or online banking is higher among Anglophones (69%) compared to those who spoke languages at home other than English or French (63%) and Francophones (56%). Income also played a role in awareness, with those earning between $60,000-$100,000 in annual household income (69%) being more aware than high income earners (60%) earning over $100,000. Finally, younger recipients (68%) are also more aware of this online feature than middle-aged recipients (62%).

Looking across key demographics, awareness that CCB recipients could use the MyBenefits CRA web-based app to get a quick view of their benefit and credit payment details, and eligibility information was significantly higher among:

• Recipients who identified as single (68%), compared to those who were married or had common-law partners (58%);
• Those with lower levels of education attainment – including high school or less (65%) or college/trade school (63%) – compared to those with a university degree (55%);
• Recipients with household income under $60,000 (64%), compared to those with household incomes of $100,000 or more (54%);
• Anglophones (62%) versus Francophones (54%) – evident from the regional breaks mentioned above; and
• Women (61%), compared to men (52%).

H. Awareness of the Requirement to File a Tax Return

Consistent with 2020 findings, the vast majority (88%) of recipients are aware that they must file their annual tax returns in order to continue receiving CCB payments. Awareness continues to be higher among long-time recipients (91% saying ‘yes’), compared to first-time recipients (83%). The fact that 17% of first-time recipients were unaware of this requirement may suggest an opportunity for the CRA to improve its communication on this aspect of the CCB with new recipients.

Awareness of requirement to file tax return

Q17. Did you know that you, and if applicable, your spouse or common-law partner, must file a tax return every year to continue receiving CCB payments? Base: Total sample

Awareness levels on this requirement did not vary significantly across the regions in Canada, however there were some key differences by demographic subgroups.

In line with differences by type of recipient, it is not surprising that older (94%) and middle-aged (89%) recipients have a greater awareness of the requirement to file their annual tax returns in order to continue receiving CCB payments than younger (85%) recipients do. Those with a college/trades education (92%) report a higher awareness compared to those with a university degree (85%). And, those with lower household income levels (under $60,000 per year) (90%) are also more aware than higher income recipients (83%) earning over $100,000 annually.

I. Referrals to CCB and Future Method of Application

1. Referral Source for the CCB

To better assess how recipients first become aware of the CCB, respondents were provided a list of choices and were asked to select how they initially heard about the program.

Results for this question were largely consistent across waves. Equal numbers continue to report first hearing about the CCB from the hospital or birthing centre (31%) or from a friend or family member (31%). Long-time recipients were more likely (37%) than their first-time counterparts (24%) to have heard about the CCB from the hospital. Whereas first-time recipients were much more likely to hear about the CCB from a friend or a family member (42% vs. 23% of long-time recipients).

While no other referral source came close to either the hospital/birthing centre or through friends/family, smaller proportions of respondents attributed their introduction to the CCB to the CRA website (7%) – higher for first-time recipients (10%) - or to another professional, like an accountant (5%) – higher for long-time recipients (6%). One-in-ten heard about the CCB through other means not listed.

Referral source for the CCB (multi-mention)

Q4. How did you first hear about the CCB? Base: Total sample

Those living in the Atlantic region (40%) and in the Prairies (39%) are most likely to recall hearing about the CCB from a hospital/birthing centre compared to those in Ontario (28%) and Quebec (27%). Quebec residents, on the other hand, are most likely to recall a friend/ family member as their referral source (41%) than those residing in any other region.

Referral sources vary across key demographics as follows:

• Younger recipients (40%) were most likely cite their friends/family members as their primary referral source. While not a common source, younger (9%) and middle-aged (7%) recipients were more likely to visit the CRA website to learn about the CCB than older recipients (1%).
• Those with both mid-range (40%) and lower incomes (32%) were more likely to cite a friend/ family member as their referral source than those earning over $100,000 annually (24%).
• In line with the regional differences noted above, Anglophones (35%) were most likely to recall hearing about the CCB from a hospital/birthing centre compared to Francophones (27%) and those who did not speak either English nor French at home (22%). In the same vein, Francophones (39%) were more likely than to reference friend/family member as their referral source.
• Given how the CCB is referred to individuals at a hospital/birthing centre it is not surprising that women (33%), were most likely to learn about the CCB through this method than men (21%). Men, on the other hand, noted ‘other means’ as a key CCB referral method (17%).

2. Method of Applying for CCB in the Future

There are several ways in which individuals may apply for the CCB including through the CRA ‘My Account’ secure online portal, at the hospital when registering the birth of a newborn with the province or by completing a paper application (Form RC66, the Canada Child Benefits Application).

While only seven percent of recipients became aware of the CCB through the CRA website (as per findings to the previous question), a slim-majority (53%) say that they will go online to the secure ‘My Account’ portal to apply for the CCB in the future, an increase from 2020 (49%). This method of application was particularly popular with first-time recipients (60%). Although only significant at the 90% confidence level, long-term recipients (38%) are slightly more likely than first-time recipients (33%) to apply at the hospital in the future.

Applying for the CCB using the paper Form RC66 is still the least cited method (3%) and trends suggest this method is declining (down 4 points from 2020).

Method of applying for CCB in the future

Q19. In the future, if you were to apply for the CCB for another child, how would you apply? Base: Total sample

Applying online in the future is the preferred method for BC/North (67%) and Ontario residents (64%), and also somewhat popular among Quebec residents (51%). Those residing in Atlantic Canada and the Prairies are the most likely to opt for applying at the hospital for the CCB in the future (62% and 50% respectively).

In terms of age, younger recipients (58%) cite their intent to reapply online in the future more so than those aged 35 and older. Older recipients (aged 50+) are the least likely to note any future application method, as ‘not applicable’ is a more popular answer (18%) for this age group.

Those with a college/trade (55%) or university level education (55%) were also more likely to opt for an online method of reapplication compared those with an attainment high school of less (45%).

J. Evaluation of the Child Custody Arrangement Questionnaire

CRA may, from time to time, send a questionnaire to CCB recipients to confirm the Agency has the most correct and up-to-date information with regards to the child’s custody arrangements. This is to ensure each CCB recipient is receiving the correct amount of benefits and credits.

In the survey, respondents were asked if they received a questionnaire from CRA in the last twelve months, asking to prove their custody arrangement. Overall recall was lower in 2021 with only three percent (3%) reporting having received the questionnaire, compared to six percent (6%) in 2020. Still, the vast majority (95%) of respondents had not received the questionnaire and a very small proportion (2%) ‘didn’t remember’.

There were no significant differences to note by type of recipient in terms of their recall of receiving a questionnaire.

Recall receiving child custody questionnaire in last 12 months

Q13. In the past 12 months, have you received a questionnaire from the CRA asking you to prove your child’s custody arrangement? Base: Total sample

1. Ease of Completing Questionnaire

Those respondents who reported having received a questionnaire (n=34) were then asked a follow-up question regarding how easy or difficult it was to complete.

Over two-thirds (68%) of recipients who had received the custody questionnaire found it easy to complete, with almost half (47%) stating that it was ‘very easy’ and just over one-in-five (21%) stating it was at least ‘somewhat easy.’ The percentage of those who found the survey ‘difficult’ to complete, dropped significantly by 24 percentage points from 2020 and 2021.

The table below shows the breakout by type of recipient. However, as the sample sizes for this and other regional/demographic breaks are quite small this data should be considered directional only.

Ease of completing questionnaire

Q14. How easy or difficult was it to complete the questionnaire you received?
Base: Those who have received the questionnaire
c Caution, small base size

2. Suggestions for Improving Questionnaire

Those who responded anything other than ‘very easy’ to the previous question (n=16) were asked to provide suggestions as to what could be improved on the custody questionnaire.

Recipients recommendations centered on two specific areas:

• Rewriting the information or instruction included in the questionnaire (44%), which rose to the top of the list in 2021; and
• Reducing the length of the survey and the number of questions (38%).

A quarter (25%) also suggested changing the format of the questionnaire, while just under one-third (31%) offered other miscellaneous suggestions.

Note that due to the small base size of respondents answering this question, the above results should be interpreted with caution. Similarly, this precludes any further sub-level analysis of regional or demographic variations.

Suggestions for improving questionnaire (multi-mention)

Q15. Which aspects of the questionnaire could be improved?
Base: Those who said it was ‘very difficult’, ‘somewhat difficult’, ‘neither’, or ‘somewhat easy’ to complete the questionnaire
c Caution, small base size

Appendix: Research Instruments

A. Response Rate Calculation

The response rate for the telephone survey was 6 percent. Details are shown below.

1. Call Dispositions – Total Sample

The response rate was calculated according to the standard Empirical Method, as follows:

• The number of in scope responding participants (completed, disqualified, and over-quota respondents) = 1,171
  DIVIDED BY
• The sum of the unresolved (U) numbers (14,800), the in scope non-responding participants (2,795) + the in scope responding (R) participants (1,171) = 18,766

2. Call Dispositions – First-Time Recipients

The response rate was calculated according to the standard Empirical Method, as follows:

• The number of in scope responding participants (completed, disqualified, and over-quota respondents) = 514
  DIVIDED BY
• The sum of the unresolved numbers (5613), the in scope non-responding participants (1092) + the in scope responding participants (514) = 7,219

3. Call Dispositions – Long-Time Recipients

The response rate was calculated according to the standard Empirical Method, as follows:

• The number of in scope responding participants (completed, disqualified, and over-quota respondents) = 657
  DIVIDED BY
• The sum of the unresolved numbers (9187), the in scope non-responding participants (1945) + the in scope responding participants (657) = 11,789

B. English Questionnaires

1. English Questionnaire for Telephone

Benefit Programs Telephone Survey

[DO NOT READ] Introduction

Hello/Bonjour, my name is _______ from the Strategic Counsel, a professional public opinion research company. Would you prefer that I continue in English or French? Préférez-vous continuer en français ou en Anglais?

IF FRENCH, CONTINUE IN FRENCH OR ARRANGE A CALL BACK WITH A FRENCH INTERVIEWER:
Nous vous rappellerons pour mener cette entrevue de recherche en français. Merci. Au revoir.

[RECORD LANGUAGE]

IF ENGLISH, CONTINUE:
On behalf of the Government of Canada, we are conducting a voluntary and confidential survey about the Canada child benefit, the tax-free monthly payment made to eligible families to help them with the cost of raising children under 18 years of age. It will take about 10 minutes to complete and your answers will remain anonymous. May I continue? IF UNABLE TO READ ENTIRE INTRODUCTION, INTERVIEWER MUST PROVIDE LENGTH OF INTERVIEW TO EVERY RESPONDENT.

IF NO, NOTE REASON. IF REASON IS DISABILITY, OFFER ALTERNATE FORMAT (ONLINE QUESTIONNAIRE OR PDF VIA EMAIL), WHERE APPROPRIATE. IF ACCEPTED, TAKE RESPONDENT EMAIL ADDRESS

IF YES, QUALIFY AND CONTINUE:
I would like to speak with the person who receives or has received the Canada child benefit. Would that be you or someone else in your household?

IF IT IS THE RECIPIENT:
Before I begin, please note this call may be monitored or recorded for quality control purposes. Also, throughout this survey I will be referring to the Canada child benefit as the CCB. [PROCEED TO Q1].

IF IT IS NOT THE RECIPIENT, BUT SOMEONE ELSE AT THIS NUMBER, ASK:
May I speak with that person, please?

IF YOU ARE REFERRED TO ANOTHER PERSON, START FROM THE TOP.

IF THAT PERSON IS NOT AVAILABLE, END THE CALL.

IF THE ANSWER IS DON’T KNOW, END THE CALL.

[Do not read] General

1. [RECORD FROM CRA DATABASE] Respondent has been receiving CRA payments for …
   • Less than 12 months
   • More than 12 months


2. In which province/territory do you live? [READ LIST. STOP ONCE RESPONDENT CONFIRMS CATEGORY. ACCEPT ONE RESPONSE ONLY]
   • Alberta
   • British Columbia
   • Manitoba
   • New Brunswick
   • Newfoundland and Labrador
   • Northwest Territories
   • Nova Scotia
   • Nunavut
   • Ontario
   • Prince Edward Island
   • Quebec
   • Saskatchewan
   • Yukon


3. May I have the first 3 letters of your postal code? [RECORD]


4. How did you first hear about the CCB? [READ LIST. STOP ONCE RESPONDENT CONFIRMS CATEGORY. ACCEPT ONE RESPONSE ONLY]
   • from hospital or birthing centre staff
   • by visiting the CRA web site
   • by mail from the CRA
   • from a free tax clinic hosted by the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program
   • from your provincial social services office
   • from a professional, like an Accountant
   • by visiting another federal government office
   • from a friend or a family member
   • from social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter)
   • by other means
   • [DO NOT READ] Don’t remember

[Do not read] Satisfaction with timeliness and accuracy

5. How satisfied are you with each of the following aspects of the CCB? [READ AND ROTATE Q.5a-b. ACCEPT ONE RESPONSE ONLY] Are you …
   • Very satisfied
   • Somewhat satisfied
   • Neither satisfied nor
   • Somewhat dissatisfied
   • Very dissatisfied
   • [DO NOT READ] Don’t know
   a. The time it took to get your first CCB payment. [ONLY ASK IF Q1 IS LESS THAN 12 MONTHS]
   b. The accuracy of the information on the last CCB notice which was used to calculate your benefit.


6. How easy or difficult was it to understand the information on your last CCB notice? Was it ... [READ LIST. ONE RESPONSE ONLY]
   • Very easy
   • Somewhat easy
   • Neither easy nor difficult
   • Somewhat difficult
   • Very difficult
   • [DO NOT READ] Don’t know

[Do not read] Satisfaction with service quality

7. In the past 12 months did you have to contact the CRA regarding the CCB?
   • Yes
   • No [GO TO Q.13]


8. Why did you contact the CRA? Was it regarding … [READ LIST. ACCEPT MORE THAN ONE RESPONSE]
   • Your application
   • An update to your file (i.e. change of address, marital status, custody arrangement)
   • Issuance of payment
   • Service complaint
   • Appeal
   • Policy, ruling and interpretation
   • General information. Please specify ________________
   • [VOLUNTEERED] Other: Please specify ______________________


9. How did you contact the CRA? Was it through ... [READ LIST. ACCEPT MORE THAN ONE RESPONSE]
   • Online services, such as:
     • secure portals (i.e. My Account, My Benefits)
     • general web
     • social media
     • mobile apps
   • Telephone
   • Mail
   • [VOLUNTEERED] Other: Please specify ______________________
   
   According to you, your last interaction was mainly through [INSERT RESPONSE FROM Q.9].
   It was regarding [INSERT RESPONSE FROM Q.8].

[Do not read] Satisfaction with service quality

10. Thinking about your last experience with the CRA/CCB service, how easy or difficult was it to access CCB services? Was it … [READ LIST. ACCEPT ONE RESPONSE ONLY]
    • Very easy
    • Somewhat easy
    • Neither easy nor difficult
    • Somewhat difficult
    • Very difficult
    • [DO NOT READ] Don’t know


11. And, how satisfied were you with each of the following service aspects? [READ AND ROTATE Q.11a-e. ACCEPT ONE RESPONSE ONLY. REPEAT SCALE AS NECESSARY] Are you …
    • Very satisfied
    • Somewhat satisfied
    • Neither satisfied nor
    • Somewhat dissatisfied
    • Very dissatisfied
    • [DO NOT READ] Don’t know
    a. How quickly your issue was resolved
    b. The safeguards that were in place to protect your personal and business information

    [Do not read] Information quality

    c. The accuracy of the response you received

    [Do not read] Inter-personal quality

    [ONLY ASK Q.11D AND E, IF Q.9 = TELEPHONE]

    d. The professionalism that the CRA agent showed
    e. The way the CRA agent resolved your issue

[ONLY ASK Q.12, IF Q.9 = ONLINE]

12. How would you rate the information on CRA’s online services in terms of each of the following aspects? The first one is [READ AND ROTATE ITEMS A-D]. Would you say it was very poor, poor, fair, good or very good?
    • How easy it was to understand
    • Completeness or thoroughness
    • Accessibility
    • Helpfulness

[Do not read] Fairness

13. In the past 12 months, have you received a questionnaire from the CRA asking you to prove your child’s custody arrangement?
    • Yes
    • No [GO TO Q.16]
    • [VOLUNTEERED] Don’t remember [GO TO Q.16]


14. [ONLY ASK IF Q.13 = YES] How easy or difficult was it to complete the questionnaire you received?
    • Very easy
    • Somewhat easy
    • Neither easy nor difficult
    • Somewhat difficult
    • Very difficult
    • [DO NOT READ] Don’t know


15. [ONLY ASK IF Q.14 = SOMEWHAT EASY, NEITHER, SOMEWHAT DIFFICULT OR VERY DIFFICULT] Which aspects of the questionnaire could be improved? Should … [READ LIST. ACCEPT AS MANY RESPONSES AS APPLY]
    • The information or instructions be rewritten
    • The number of questions be reduced
    • The format of the notice or the size of the print be adjusted
    • Other: Please specify ______________________
    • [DO NOT READ] Don’t know

[Do not read] Overall satisfaction with the experience

16. Thinking about all of your interactions with the CRA regarding the CCB, including the application, notices, receipt of payments, for example, how satisfied are you with the overall experience? Are you …
    • Very satisfied
    • Somewhat satisfied
    • Neither satisfied nor
    • Somewhat dissatisfied
    • Very dissatisfied
    • [DO NOT READ] Don’t know

[Do not read]General information/Enquiry

17. Did you know that you, and if applicable, your spouse or common-law partner, must file a tax return every year to continue receiving CCB payments?
    • Yes
    • No


18. I’m going to read you a list of features related to managing your CCB online and updating your profile. Please tell me whether or not you are aware of each. The first is … [READ AND ROTATE STATEMENTS 18.A-C]
    • Yes
    • No
    • [DO NOT READ] Not sure
    a. That you can update your personal information for benefit and credit purposes online through My Account. This includes changes to your address, marital status, caregiver status and direct deposit information.
    b. That you can use the MyBenefits CRA web-based app to get a quick view of your benefit and credit payment details, and your eligibility information.
    c. That you can pay any CCB balances owed using the CRA online My Payment service or online banking.


19. In the future, if you were to apply for the CCB for another child, how would you apply? [READ LIST. ACCEPT ONE RESPONSE ONLY]
    • At the hospital: giving consent on the provincial birth registration [NOTE TO ANALYSTS: ABA]
    • Online: using the secure portal ‘My Account’ [NOTE TO ANALYSTS: BOA]
    • By paper: Form RC66
    • Other: Please specify ______________________
    • [DO NOT READ] Don’t know
    • [DO NOT READ] Not applicable

[Do not read]GBA+ analysis

These final few questions are for statistical purposes only and will help us to classify your responses. Please be assured that all of your responses are confidential.
[DO NOT READ] Socio-demographic factors

20. In what year were you born?
    INTERVIEWER: RECORD YEAR [DO NOT READ] Refused/ Prefer not to answer [ASK Q.21]


21. [ONLY ASK IF PREFER NOT TO ANSWER AT Q.20] Would you be willing to tell me in which of the following age categories you belong?
    • 18 to 34
    • 35 to 49
    • 50 to 54
    • 55 to 64
    • 65 or older?
    • [DO NOT READ] Prefer not to answer


22. What is the highest level of formal education that you have completed? [DO NOT READ. ACCEPT ONE RESPONSE ONLY]
    • Grade 8 or less
    • Some high school
    • High school diploma or equivalent
    • Registered Apprenticeship or other trades certificate or diploma
    • College, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma
    • University certificate or diploma below bachelor's level
    • Bachelor's degree
    • Post graduate degree above bachelor's level
    • [DO NOT READ] Prefer not to answer


23. Which of the following best describes your total household income? That is, the total income of all persons in your household combined, before taxes? Please stop me when I have reached the correct response. [READ LIST. STOP ONCE RESPONDENT CONFIRMS CATEGORY. ACCEPT ONLY ONE RESPONSE]
    • Under $20,000
    • $20,000 to under $40,000
    • $40,000 to under $60,000
    • $60,000 to under $80,000
    • $80,000 to under $100,000
    • $100,000 to under $150,000
    • $150,000 and over
    • [DO NOT READ] Prefer not to answer


24. What is your marital status? [READ LIST. ACCEPT ONE RESPONSE ONLY]
    • Married
    • Common-law
    • Separated / divorced
    • Widowed
    • Single
    • [DO NOT READ] Prefer not to answer

[Do not read] Socio-cultural factors

25. [ONLY ASK IF Q.1 = ALBERTA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, MANITOBA, NOVA SCOTIA, ONTARIO, QUEBEC OR SASKATCHEWAN] Do you live in a prescribed northern zone?
    • Yes
    • No
    • [DO NOT READ] Don't know


26. What language do you speak most often at home? [READ LIST. ACCEPT ALL THAT APPLY]
    • English
    • French
    • Other
    • [DO NOT READ] Prefer not to answer
    
    
27. Are you
    • Yes
    • No
    • [DO NOT READ] Prefer not to answer
    a. An Indigenous person
    b. A member of a visible minority
    c. A person with a disability [READ ONLY IF RESPONDENT UNCERTAIN] for example, vision, hearing, mobility, flexibility, dexterity, pain, learning, developmental, memory or mental-related impairment issues]
28. What is your gender [READ LIST. ACCEPT ONE RESPONSE ONLY]
    • Male
    • Female
    • Other
    • [DO NOT READ] Prefer not to answer


29. RECORD LANGUAGE OF INTERVIEW [NOT ASKED]
    • English
    • French

Thank you for your time. These are all the questions that I have for you.

PRETEST EVALUATION

PQ.1 We’d like to get your feedback on your experience completing this survey. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements.

PQ.2 Do you have any other comments about this survey or your experience completing the survey? [PN: OPEN-END]
No other comments

2. Accessible PDF English Questionnaire – First-time Recipients

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)

Canada Child Benefit (CCB) Satisfaction Survey

INTRODUCTION

This survey is being conducted by The Strategic Counsel, a professional public opinion research company, on behalf of the Government of Canada.

The questionnaire is about the Canada child benefit (CCB), a tax-free monthly payment made to eligible families to help them with the cost of raising children under 18 years of age. The purpose is to obtain your feedback on the CCB.

Your participation is completely voluntary. It will take about 10 minutes to complete and your answers will be kept confidential and anonymous. The information you provide will be administered according to the requirements of the Privacy Act, the Access to Information Act, and any other pertinent legislation.

Should you have any questions about the survey you may contact Angela Muma, Public Opinion Research Officer, Canada Revenue Agency at 613-407-6202, or visit www.canada.ca/por-cra to verify the legitimacy of this survey.

Please complete the survey on an individual basis.

PART A

1. In which province/territory do you live? (Please select only one response)

1. Alberta
2. British Columbia
3. Manitoba
4. New Brunswick
5. Newfoundland and Labrador
6. Northwest Territories
7. Nova Scotia
8. Nunavut
9. Ontario
10. Prince Edward Island
11. Quebec
12. Saskatchewan
13. Yukon

2. Please record the first three (3) characters of your postal code.

__ __ __

3. How did you first hear about the CCB? (Please select one response only)

1. From hospital or birthing centre staff
2. By visiting the CRA web site
3. By mail from the CRA
4. From a free tax clinic hosted by the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program
5. From your provincial social services office
6. From a professional, like an Accountant
7. By visiting another federal government office
8. From a friend or a family member
9. From social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter)
10. By other means
11. Don’t remember

PART B

4. How satisfied are you with each of the following aspects of the CCB?

5. How easy or difficult was it to understand the information on your last CCB notice?

1. Very easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Neither easy nor difficult
4. Somewhat difficult
5. Very difficult

PART C

6. In the past 12 months, did you have to contact the CRA regarding the CCB?

1. Yes
2. No = Please skip to Q.12

7. Why did you contact the CRA? Was it regarding … (Please select all that apply)

1. Your application
2. An update to your file (i.e. change of address, marital status, custody arrangement)
3. Issuance of payment
4. Service complaint
5. Appeal
6. Policy, ruling, and interpretation
7. General information, please specify:
8. Other, please specify:

8. How did you contact the CRA? (Please select all that apply)

1. Online services, such as secure portals (i.e. My Account, My Benefits), general web, social media or mobile apps
2. Telephone
3. Mail
4. Other, please specify:

9. Thinking about your last experience with the CRA/CCB service, how easy or difficult was it to access CCB services?

1. Very easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Neither easy nor difficult
4. Somewhat difficult
5. Very difficult

10. And, how satisfied were you with each of the following service aspects?

If you answered ‘TELEPHONE’ at Q.8, please answer the following:

If you answered ‘ONLINE’ at Q.8 please answer Q.11, otherwise skip to Q.12.

11. How would you rate the information on CRA’s online services in terms of each of the following aspects?

PART D

12. In the past 12 months, have you received a questionnaire from the CRA asking you to prove your child’s custody arrangement?

1. Yes
2. No = Please skip to Q.15
3. Don’t remember = Please skip to Q.15

13. How easy or difficult was it to complete the questionnaire you received?

1. Very easy = Please skip to Q.15
2. Somewhat easy
3. Neither easy nor difficult
4. Somewhat difficult
5. Very difficult

14. Which aspects of the questionnaire could be improved? Should … (Please select all that apply)

1. The information or instructions be rewritten
2. The number of questions be reduced
3. The format of the notice or the size of the print be adjusted
4. Other, please specify:

PART E

15. Thinking about all of your interactions with the CRA regarding the CCB, including the application, notices, receipt of payments, for example, how satisfied are you with the overall experience?

1. Very satisfied
2. Somewhat satisfied
3. Neither satisfied nor
4. Somewhat dissatisfied
5. Very dissatisfied

PART F

16. Did you know that you, and if applicable, your spouse or common-law partner, must file a tax return every year to continue receiving CCB payments?

1. Yes
2. No

17. The following are a list of features related to managing your CCB online and updating your profile. Please record whether or not you are aware of each.

18. In the future, if you were to apply for the CCB for another child, how would you apply? (Please select one response only)

1. At the hospital: giving consent on the provincial birth registration
2. Online: using the secure portal ‘My Account’
3. By paper: Form RC66
4. Other, please specify:

PART G

These final few questions are for statistical purposes only and will help us to classify your responses. Please be assured that all of your responses are confidential.

19. In what year were you born?

• ______________
• Prefer not to answer

20. What is the highest level of formal education that you have completed? (Please select one response only)

1. Grade 8 or less
2. Some high school
3. High school diploma or equivalent
4. Registered Apprenticeship or other trades certificate or diploma
5. University certificate or diploma below bachelor’s level
6. Bachelor’s degree
7. Post graduate degree above bachelor’s level
8. Prefer not to answer

21. Which of the following best describes your total household income? That is, the total income of all persons in your household combined, before taxes? (Please select one response only)

1. Under $20,000
2. $20,000 to under $40,000
3. $40,000 to under $60,000
4. $60,000 to under $80,000
5. $80,000 to under $100,000
6. $100,000 to under $150,000
7. $150,000 and over
8. Prefer not to answer

22. What is your marital status?

1. Married
2. Common-law
3. Separated/Divorced
4. Widowed
5. Single
6. Prefer not to answer

If you live in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec or Saskatchewan please answer Q.23. Otherwise, please skip to Q.24.

23. Do you live in a prescribed northern zone?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Don’t know

24. What language do you speak most often at home? (Please select all that apply)

1. English
2. French
3. Other
4. Prefer not to answer

25. Do you identify as …

26. What is your gender? (Please select one response only)

1. Male
2. Female
3. Other
4. Prefer not to answer

Thank you for your participation

3. Accessible PDF English Questionnaire – Long-time Recipients

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)

Canada Child Benefit (CCB) Satisfaction Survey

INTRODUCTION

This survey is being conducted by The Strategic Counsel, a professional public opinion research company, on behalf of the Government of Canada.

The questionnaire is about the Canada child benefit (CCB), a tax-free monthly payment made to eligible families to help them with the cost of raising children under 18 years of age. The purpose is to obtain your feedback on the CCB.

Your participation is completely voluntary. It will take about 10 minutes to complete and your answers will be kept confidential and anonymous. The information you provide will be administered according to the requirements of the Privacy Act, the Access to Information Act, and any other pertinent legislation.

Should you have any questions about the survey you may contact Angela Muma, Public Opinion Research Officer, Canada Revenue Agency at 613-407-6202, or visit www.canada.ca/por-cra to verify the legitimacy of this survey.

Please complete the survey on an individual basis.

PART A

1. In which province/territory do you live? (Please select only one response)

1. Alberta
2. British Columbia
3. Manitoba
4. New Brunswick
5. Newfoundland and Labrador
6. Northwest Territories
7. Nova Scotia
8. Nunavut
9. Ontario
10. Prince Edward Island
11. Quebec
12. Saskatchewan
13. Yukon

2. Please record the first three (3) characters of your postal code.

__ __ __

3. How did you first hear about the CCB? (Please select one response only)

1. From hospital or birthing centre staff
2. By visiting the CRA web site
3. By mail from the CRA
4. From a free tax clinic hosted by the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program
5. From your provincial social services office
6. From a professional, like an Accountant
7. By visiting another federal government office
8. From a friend or a family member
9. From social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter)
10. By other means
11. Don’t remember

PART B

4. How satisfied are you with each of the following aspects of the CCB?

5. How easy or difficult was it to understand the information on your last CCB notice?

1. Very easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Neither easy nor difficult
4. Somewhat difficult
5. Very difficult

PART C

6. In the past 12 months, did you have to contact the CRA regarding the CCB?

1. Yes
2. No = Please skip to Q.12

7. Why did you contact the CRA? Was it regarding … (Please select all that apply)

1. Your application
2. An update to your file (i.e. change of address, marital status, custody arrangement)
3. Issuance of payment
4. Service complaint
5. Appeal
6. Policy, ruling, and interpretation
7. General information, please specify:
8. Other, please specify:

8. How did you contact the CRA? (Please select all that apply)

1. Online services, such as secure portals (i.e. My Account, My Benefits), general web, social media or mobile apps
2. Telephone
3. Mail
4. Other, please specify:

9. Thinking about your last experience with the CRA/CCB service, how easy or difficult was it to access CCB services?

1. Very easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Neither easy nor difficult
4. Somewhat difficult
5. Very difficult

10. And, how satisfied were you with each of the following service aspects?

If you answered ‘TELEPHONE’ at Q.8, please answer the following:

If you answered ‘ONLINE’ at Q.8 please answer Q.11, otherwise skip to Q.12.

11. How would you rate the information on CRA’s online services in terms of each of the following aspects?

PART D

12. In the past 12 months, have you received a questionnaire from the CRA asking you to prove your child’s custody arrangement?

1. Yes
2. No = Please skip to Q.15
3. Don’t remember = Please skip to Q.15

13. How easy or difficult was it to complete the questionnaire you received?

1. Very easy = Please skip to Q.15
2. Somewhat easy
3. Neither easy nor difficult
4. Somewhat difficult
5. Very difficult

14. Which aspects of the questionnaire could be improved? Should … (Please select all that apply)

1. The information or instructions be rewritten
2. The number of questions be reduced
3. The format of the notice or the size of the print be adjusted
4. Other, please specify:

PART E

15. Thinking about all of your interactions with the CRA regarding the CCB, including the application, notices, receipt of payments, for example, how satisfied are you with the overall experience?

1. Very satisfied
2. Somewhat satisfied
3. Neither satisfied nor
4. Somewhat dissatisfied
5. Very dissatisfied

PART F

16. Did you know that you, and if applicable, your spouse or common-law partner, must file a tax return every year to continue receiving CCB payments?

1. Yes
2. No

17. The following are a list of features related to managing your CCB online and updating your profile. Please record whether or not you are aware of each.

18. In the future, if you were to apply for the CCB for another child, how would you apply? (Please select one response only)

1. At the hospital: giving consent on the provincial birth registration
2. Online: using the secure portal ‘My Account’
3. By paper: Form RC66
4. Other, please specify:

PART G

These final few questions are for statistical purposes only and will help us to classify your responses. Please be assured that all of your responses are confidential.

19. In what year were you born?

• ______________
• Prefer not to answer

20. What is the highest level of formal education that you have completed? (Please select one response only)

1. Grade 8 or less
2. Some high school
3. High school diploma or equivalent
4. Registered Apprenticeship or other trades certificate or diploma
5. University certificate or diploma below bachelor’s level
6. Bachelor’s degree
7. Post graduate degree above bachelor’s level
8. Prefer not to answer

21. Which of the following best describes your total household income? That is, the total income of all persons in your household combined, before taxes? (Please select one response only)

1. Under $20,000
2. $20,000 to under $40,000
3. $40,000 to under $60,000
4. $60,000 to under $80,000
5. $80,000 to under $100,000
6. $100,000 to under $150,000
7. $150,000 and over
8. Prefer not to answer

22. What is your marital status?

1. Married
2. Common-law
3. Separated/Divorced
4. Widowed
5. Single
6. Prefer not to answer

If you live in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec or Saskatchewan please answer Q.23. Otherwise, please skip to Q.24.

23. Do you live in a prescribed northern zone?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Don’t know

24. What language do you speak most often at home? (Please select all that apply)

1. English
2. French
3. Other
4. Prefer not to answer

25. Do you identify as …

26. What is your gender? (Please select one response only)

1. Male
2. Female
3. Other
4. Prefer not to answer

Thank you for your participation