2020 Canada Day Satisfaction Survey

Research Purpose and Objectives

The Department of Canadian Heritage’s Major Events, Commemorations and Capital Experience Branch, plays a vital role in ensuring yearly Canadian celebrations build trust, pride and a sense of national purpose. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department wanted to conduct public opinion research to gauge Canadians’ satisfaction with all Canada Day programming, limited exclusively to broadcast, online and social media channels.

In 2020, it is expected that many Canadians experienced a shift in how they chose to celebrate Canada Day given the restrictions on large gatherings. Ultimately, this research sought to learn what Canadians did to celebrate and gauge the satisfaction of any respondents who had watched Canada Day programming. With the goal of improving future Canada Day engagement, it is important to continue conducting surveys evaluating Canadian attitudes towards Canada Day programming. This research will compliment additional projects conducted by the Department, including website visitation and social media analysis.

The key objectives of the research included:

• Exploring unique opportunity to gain insights into Canadian celebrations, taking place outside of large, organized events;

• Understanding Canadians’ attitudes surrounding their preferred means of celebrating Canada Day;

• Gauging the effectiveness and satisfaction of Canadian Heritage’s or partners’ Canada Day programming;

• Continuing to survey the public to assist in the development of future Canada Day programming.

Summary of Findings

Methodology

Report findings are based on a non-probability sample, as respondents had volunteered to participate in Government of Canada online surveys using an online panel. The data have been weighted to reflect the demographic composition of the Canadian general population. As the sample is based on those who initially self-selected for participation in the online panel, no estimates of sampling error can be calculated.

All research work was conducted in accordance with the professional standards established by the Government of Canada Public Opinion Research Standards.

The survey consisted of a national online survey with Canadians, 16 years of age and older. Respondents were invited to participate through an online panel of Canadians.

Quorus collaborated with the client team to design the survey instrument in English and translated the client-approved English version of the survey into French. The approved final questionnaires were programmed for online data collection.

Respondents had the choice to complete the interview in English or French and were informed of their rights under the Privacy and Access to Information Acts.

The survey took on average 10 minutes to complete and consisted of mostly closed-ended questions. Data collection occurred between July 2 and July 16, 2020, including a pretest of the questionnaire.

A total of 5,173 surveys were completed using a stratified random sampling approach within the online panel of Canadian households. For this study, quotas by province were established to generate sufficient data regionally for robust analysis. Data was monitored to aim for a 50/50 gender split in each province, and that no specific age cohort was under-represented. The equivalent margin of error for a probability study would be +/- 1.36%.

Data was weighted by region, gender, and age to ensure that the final distributions within the final sample mirror those of the Canadian population according to the latest Census data.

Awareness of Virtual Canada Day Celebration

Respondents were asked to specify whether they had been made aware of the Government of Canada virtual Canada Day celebrations through advertising during the weeks preceding the event. Respondents who answered that they had been made aware were then asked to identify the sources of their exposure to virtual celebration advertising.

More than half of surveyed Canadians (54%) were aware of Government of Canada advertising for the 2020 virtual Canada Day celebrations.

Sources of awareness of virtual celebration advertising include the following:

• The primary source of awareness for virtual celebration advertising was television, reported by over half of those aware (55%). Online sources were prevalent, including Facebook (29%), internet websites (19%), YouTube (10%), and Instagram (10%).

• Traditional media sources such as radio (21%) and a daily newspaper (11%) were commonly referenced among aware Canadians.

• More than a quarter of respondents who were aware of virtual celebration advertising did not provide a source for the weeks preceding the virtual event.

Charts depict the awareness percent and sources of awareness of GoC Virtual Celebration advertising.

A pie chart depicts the percent of awareness of advertising for 2020 Virtual Canada Day Celebrations. Out of the total people surveyed, 54 percent were aware of the advertising for the 2020 virtual Canada Day celebration. The remaining 46 percent were not aware of the advertisement. A horizontal bar chart shows different sources of awareness of GoC virtual celebration advertising. The different sources and the corresponding percent are as follows: Television - 55 percent; Facebook - 29 percent; Radio - 21 percent; Internet website - 19 percent; a daily newspaper - 11 percent; YouTube - 10 percent; Instagram - 10 percent; a community or weekly newspaper - 7 percent; Twitter - 6 percent; a general Google search - 6 percent; on the GoC website specifically - 6 percent; outdoor billboards - 3 percent; magazines - 2 percent; word of mouth - 1 percent; other - 1 percent; can’t remember - 3 percent; don’t know or prefer not to answer - 25 percent.

Subgroup differences observed related to the awareness of Canada Day advertising include:

• Canadians aged 55 and older were more likely to be aware of advertising for the 2020 virtual Canada Day celebrations when compared with respondents under the age of 55 (59% vs. 51%).

• Women were more aware (55%) compared to men (52%), with Facebook reported as an advertising source more among women (32%) than men (26%).

Age differences among the different types of sources recalled include:

• In general, older respondents recalled the advertising in more traditional media sources, while younger respondents were more likely to recall online sources.

• Respondents aged 16 to 24 were the least aware of the virtual celebration advertising, as less than half (48%) were aware.

• Television was the primary source of exposure to virtual celebration advertising among respondents over the age of 45 (69% vs. 36%).

When comparing regions, the following differences are identified:

• Awareness of the advertising for the virtual Canada Day celebration was highest in Ontario (59%) and Atlantic Canada (56%). These findings are higher than both Quebec (50%) and the Prairies (46%).

• In Quebec, television (67%) was reported as a primary source to a greater extent, when compared to all other regions (52%).

A variety of differences among ethnic groups emerged from the findings, including the following:

• Six in ten surveyed racialized Canadians (60%) were more likely to have remembered seeing advertising about the 2020 Canada Day celebration when compared to non-racialized Canadians (52%).

• Non-racialized surveyed Canadians were more likely to mention television among the sources of awareness for Canada Day celebration advertising (60%) when compared to racialized Canadians (43%).

• Racialized Canadians were more likely to report seeing celebration advertising through several online sources when compared to non-racialized Canadians, including an Internet website (27% vs. 17%), Instagram (19% vs. 8%), YouTube (20% vs. 6%), GoC Website (12% vs. 5%), and Twitter (9% vs. 5%).

• Indigenous respondents were more likely to report observing 2020 Canada Day celebration advertising on YouTube (25%) when compared to non-racialized Canadians (6%).

Interest in Canada Day Celebrations

Respondents were asked whether or not they had actively searched for information related to 2020 Canada Day celebrations in the weeks preceding the event. Those that had searched for information were then asked to identify which sources they had searched.

More than one in five surveyed Canadians (22%) actively searched for information regarding the details for 2020 Canada Day celebrations.

The primary sources searched for information surrounding Canada Day celebrations were internet searches through websites (40%), Google (39%), Facebook (33%) and the GoC website specifically (20%). Traditional streams such as television were used by a quarter (25%) of active searching participants.

Percent of Canadians who searched, and the sources searched for Canada Day Celebration information.

A pie chart presents the percentage of Canadians who searched for information regarding details for 2020 Canada day celebrations. Out of the total Canadians surveyed, 22 percent actively searched for 2020 Canada Day celebration information while 78 percent did not search for the information. A horizontal bar chart presents the percent distribution of the different sources searched for Canada day celebration information. The sources searched for Canada day celebration and the corresponding percent are as follows: Internet website - 40 percent; a general Google search - 39 percent; Facebook - 33 percent; television - 25 percent; on the GoC website specifically - 20 percent; radio - 15 percent; Instagram - 15 percent; a daily newspaper - 14 percent; a community or weekly newspaper - 13 percent; YouTube - 12 percent; twitter - 7 percent; outdoor billboards - 4 percent; TikTok - 4 percent; magazines - 3 percent; word of mouth - less than 1 percent; other - nil; can’t remember - 1 percent; don’t know or prefer not to answer - 1 percent.

Demographic differences among active searching respondents include:

• When comparing regions, respondents living in Quebec (10%) were less likely than the rest of Canada (25%) to actively search for Canada Day celebration information.

• Respondents in the 16 to 44 age segments were more likely to actively search for information than segments 45 and older (29% vs. 16%).

Subgroup differences among the different types of sources used include:

• Individuals over the age of 65 were the least likely to actively search for information (12%), particularly through websites (26%), Google (26%) and all social media searches.

• Comparing men and women who actively searched for information on social media, Facebook was more commonly used among women, while YouTube and Twitter were used more among men.

A variety of differences among ethnic groups emerged from the findings, including the following:

• Respondents identifying as racialized Canadians were more likely to actively seek out information related to how and where they could celebrate Canada Day in 2020 (38%) when compared to Indigenous Canadians (25%) and non-racialized Canadians (17%).

• Indigenous respondents were less likely to seek out information on the GoC website (6%) when compared to both racialized (20%) and non-racialized (19%) Canadians.

• Comparatively, nearly one in three surveyed Indigenous Canadians actively searched for celebration information in a community newspaper (30%).

• Racialized respondents were more likely to actively search for information using social media platforms including Instagram (19%) and YouTube (20%) when compared to non-racialized Canadians (12% and 7% respectively).

Celebrating Canada Day in 2020

In the days immediately following the event, respondents were asked to specify whether or not they had celebrated Canada in any way in 2020. Those that did not participate in Canada Day celebrations were then asked to list the main reason they did not celebrate.

A total of three in five surveyed Canadians (60%) reported that they did not celebrate Canada Day in any way in 2020.

A variety of demographic differences emerged from the findings, including the following:

• Men were more likely to have celebrated Canada Day (43%) when compared to women (37%).

• Surveyed Canadians between the ages of 16 to 34 were more likely to celebrate than all older age segments (50% vs. 36%).

• Respondents living in Quebec were less likely to celebrate Canada Day in any way when compared to respondents in the rest of the country (16% vs. 47%).

A pie chart depicts the percent distribution of Canadians who celebrated Canada day.

A pie chart presents the percent of Canadians who celebrated Canada day in any way in 2020. Out of the total Canadians surveyed, 40 percent celebrated Canada day, whereas 60 percent did not celebrate Canada day.

Overall respondents were primarily concerned with safety surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, likely accounting for atypical celebration figures. Many respondents felt that Canada Day was just like any other and would not have participated regardless of the conditions surrounding the pandemic. The most directly attributable dip in participation due to a reduced experience came in the form of the cancellation of fireworks.

A bar chart depicts the main reasons for not celebrating Canada day in 2020.

A horizontal bar chart presents the percent distribution of various reasons for not celebrating Canada day in 2020. The main reasons and the corresponding percent are as follows: Covid-19 concerns or stayed at home or stayed safe - 18 percent; don’t normally celebrate Canada day or just another day - 14 percent; cancelled or no events or fireworks: 10 percent; lack of interest or didn’t want to or didn’t feel like it - 7 percent; oneself or one’s spouse were working - 7 percent; Covid-19 restrictions or social restrictions or social distancing or no crowds - 6 percent; busy doing something else (gardening, yard work, renovations, moving, et cetera) - 4 percent; issue with celebrating Canada (indigenous issues, inequities, poverty, racism, colonialism, et cetera) - 4 percent; not interested in virtual celebrations or not the same as being there - 3 percent; poor weather (too hot, rainy) - 2 percent; alone or friends or family away - 1 percent; health issues or not feeling well - 1 percent; spent time with family - 1 percent; mid week - 1 percent; away camping or cottage or travelling - 1 percent; just wanted to relax - 1 percent; other - 2 percent; none or nothing or no reason or forgot or nothing to celebrate - 3 percent; and don’t know or refused - 14 percent.

Various reasoning for a lack of celebration emerged from the findings, including the following:

• Among respondents who did not celebrate Canada Day in 2020, nearly one in five (18%) chose to stay home surrounding COVID-19 safety concerns.

• Comparatively, one in ten Canadians who did not celebrate, felt that Canada Day was cancelled due to no events being held, particularly a lack of fireworks.

• More than one in ten respondents (14%) who did not celebrate would not normally celebrate Canada Day regardless of circumstances surrounding COVID-19.

• Less than one in ten (6%) of surveyed Canadians who did not celebrate Canada Day, felt they could not celebrate adequately based on the social restrictions in place.

• Respondents over the age of 44 were more likely to have stayed home than younger respondents (20% vs. 15%).

Differences among ethnic groups emerged from the findings, including the following:

• More than half of respondents identifying as racialized Canadians (51%) reported celebrating Canada Day in any way in 2020, higher than non-racialized Canadians (36%).

• Among surveyed non-racialized Canadians who did not celebrate Canada Day in 2020, nearly two in five (15%) did not normally celebrate, higher when compared to racialized Canadians (7%) and Indigenous Canadians (4%).

Outside of any virtual programs, respondents were asked to describe any alternative forms of celebration they had undertaken for Canada Day 2020.

Nearly three in five survey participants (61%) did not celebrate Canada Day this year, while nearly two in five participants (39%) celebrated Canada Day in alternative ways.

Among the most popular alternatives to the virtual Canada Day celebration, having a BBQ with family and friends was the preferred alternative (6%), followed closely by watching fireworks (6%), putting up decorations or wearing Canadian attire (5%), spending time with family in the backyard (5%), and staying at home for a family dinner (5%).

A bar chart presents the alternative ways in which the respondents celebrated Canada day.

A horizontal bar graph depicts the percent distribution of the alternative ways in which the survey participants celebrated Canada day. The data inferred from the bar graph are as follows: had a barbecue or had a barbecue with family or friends - 6 percent; had or watched fireworks - 6 percent; put up decorations or fly Canadian flag or wore Canadian attire or colors or gave thanks to be Canadian or live in - 5 percent; with family or friends or with family or friends in the yard or backyard (unspecified) - 5 percent; at home with family or family dinner - 5 percent; drank or toasted Canada with beer or wine or champagne with friends or family - 2 percent; watched some television or movies or virtual presentations - 2 percent; went camping or cottage - 2 percent; did not celebrate this year - 59 percent; other - 2 percent; none or nothing - 2 percent; don’t know or refused - 1 percent. Answers given by 1 percent of respondents are as follows: relaxed or enjoyed day off, virtual get together with family or friends, went swimming or pool party, went out for dinner or supper or ordered in, outdoor activities, had a bonfire or backyard fire or campfire, Canada day cake or dessert, went for a drive or ride, went to the park or provincial park, listened to music or Canadian music, went for a walk or nature walk, party or house party or block party, watched local parade, sang the national anthem, played games or board games, and had a picnic or had a picnic with family or friends. Answers given by less than 1 percent of respondents are as follows: went for a hike or hiking, dinner or supper with friends, went to the beach, was working or had to work, and took a moment to reflect on Canada.

Various demographic differences emerged from the findings, including the following:

• Racialized Canadians who celebrated Canada Day in alternative ways were more likely to report being at home with family or having a family dinner (7%) when compared to non-racialized Canadians (4%).

• Survey participants living in Quebec were less likely to participate in any of the top 5 most popular activities when compared to multiple regions across Canada.

• As the household income increases, so does the likelihood to participate in activities to celebrate Canada Day in other ways.

• Women were more likely to have celebrated Canada Day by watching fireworks (7%), compared to men (4%).

Canada Day Special Programming Experience

Respondents were asked to select which Government of Canada virtual Canada Day programming they had watched or participated in for Canada Day 2020.

One in four surveyed Canadians (25%) watched or participated in at least one of the Government of Canada’s Canada Day celebration special programs.

Viewership figures among the Canada Day special programming revealed the following:

• The most watched of the Canada Day special programs was the virtual fireworks, viewed by one in ten surveyed Canadians (10%).

• Social media and online platforms were generally the least viewed platform for Canada Day special programming.

A chart depicts the percent of respondents who watched or participated in GoC special programming.

A horizontal bar chart presents the percent distribution of Government of Canada special programming watched or participated by Canadians surveyed. The data inferred from the bar graph are as follows: national day time virtual show on CBC platforms - 7 percent; national day time virtual show through social media (example: YouTube, Facebook, Instagram) - 5 percent; national evening virtual show on CBC platforms - 7 percent; national evening virtual show through social media (example: YouTube, Facebook, Instagram) - 3 percent; special Canada day web videos (let’s cook together, let’s get active together, et cetera) - 3 percent; Canada Day virtual fireworks - 10 percent; and none of the above - 75 percent.

Additional demographic differences emerged from the findings, including the following:

• Canadians under the age of 35 were more likely to watch or participate in at least one Canada Day celebration special program.

• Participation in both the National Day Time and Evening Virtual Show, was higher through social media among respondents aged 16-34 when compared to those over the age of 34 (National Day Time Show 8% vs. 5%, Evening Virtual Show 6% vs. 3%).

• Respondents 65 years or older were more likely to watch the evening show on CBC and Radio-Canada platforms when compared to all other age groups (12% vs. 6%).

• Men were more likely than women to participate in the day time programming regardless of platform, while women were more likely to have not watched any special Canada Day programming (77% vs 73%).

Differences among ethnic groups emerged from the findings, including the following:

• Racialized Canadian respondents were more likely to watch or participate in the day time programming on CBC and Radio-Canada platforms (12%), through social media (12%), and the Canada Day 2020 fireworks (17%) when compared to both non-racialized and Indigenous Canadians.

• Both non-racialized Canadians and Indigenous Canadians were more likely to have not watched or participated in any of the Canada Day 2020 special programming (79%) when compared to racialized Canadians (62%).

Respondents who participated in each of the respective Canada Day programs were asked to indicate whether or not the special program had any influence on their level of Canadian pride.

Nearly half of respondents who observed any of the virtual Canada Day celebrations (at least 48%) reported an increase in their level of Canadian pride.

The Special Canada Day Web Videos scored the greatest positive impact on pride in Canada among participating respondents (66%), followed by the National Day Time Virtual Show (58%), the National Evening Virtual Show (48%) and the Canada Day virtual fireworks (48%).

A bar chart depicts the impact of Canada day programming on the level of national pride.

A horizontal bar chart presents the impact of Canada day programming on the level of national pride of Canadians. The different levels of impact on national pride mentioned are as follows: increased a lot, increased moderately, increased a little, no change or did not make me feel more or less proud, decreased a little, decreased moderately, and decreased a lot. The data inferred in the mentioned order are as follows: Special Canada Day Web Videos, such as Let’s Cook Together, Let’s Get Active Together, et cetera (n equals 126): increased a lot - 20 percent, increased moderately - 22 percent, increased a little - 24 percent, no change or did not make me feel more or less proud - 27 percent, and decreased a little -2 percent; National Day Time Virtual Show, on CBC television or online, (n equals 519): increased a lot - 15 percent, increased moderately - 23 percent, increased a little - 20 percent, no change or did not make me feel more or less proud - 35 percent, and decreased a little - 3 percent; Canada Day Virtual Fireworks (n equals 483): increased a lot - 16 percent, increased moderately - 15 percent, increased a little - 17 percent, no change or did not make me feel more or less proud - 43 percent, and decreased a little - 6 percent; National Evening Virtual Show, on CBC television or online (n equals 478): increased a lot - 14 percent, increased moderately - 18 percent, Increased a little - 17 percent, no change or did not make me feel more or less proud - 43 percent, and decreased a little - 4 percent. The impact levels (such as, decreased moderately and decreased a lot) with lesser values are not mentioned.

General Satisfaction and How the Programming Made People Feel

Respondents who participated in each of the respective Canada Day programs were then asked to indicate their level of satisfaction with the virtual programming.

At least two in three respondents who watched any of the virtual Canada Day celebrations (67% or more) reported being at least somewhat satisfied with the programming they had seen.

The Special Canada Day Web Videos scored the highest level of satisfaction among participating respondents (72%), followed by the National Day Time Virtual Show (71%), the Canada Day Virtual Fireworks (68%) and the National Evening Virtual Show (67%).

A bar chart depicts the satisfaction of Canadians with Canada day programming.

A horizontal bar chart presents the different levels of satisfaction of Canadians with Canada day programming. The different levels of satisfaction mentioned are as follows: very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, neither satisfied, nor dissatisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, very dissatisfied, and don’t know. The data inferred from the chart are as follows: Special Canada Day Web Videos, such as, Let’s cook together, Let’s Get Active Together, et cetera (n equals 126): very satisfied - 35 percent, somewhat satisfied - 37 percent, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied - 23 percent, and somewhat dissatisfied - 3 percent; National Day Time Virtual Show, on CBC television or online (n equals 519): very satisfied - 28 percent, somewhat satisfied - 43 percent, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied - 17 percent, and somewhat dissatisfied - 8 percent; Canada Day Virtual Fireworks (n equals 483): very satisfied - 32 percent, somewhat satisfied - 36 percent, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied - 17 percent, somewhat dissatisfied - 10 percent, and very dissatisfied - 3 percent; National evening virtual show on CBC television or online (n equals 478): very satisfied - 27 percent, somewhat satisfied - 40 percent, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied - 21 percent, somewhat dissatisfied - 9 percent, and very dissatisfied - 3 percent. The percentage for the satisfaction levels (such as very dissatisfied and don’t know) are not mentioned above in some cases, as the percentages are very less.