Prepared for the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)
For more information on this report, please contact nc-por-rop-gd@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
This public opinion research report presents the methodology for two online surveys conducted by Ekos Research Associates Inc. on behalf of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
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Cette publication est aussi disponible en français sous le titre : 2023-2024 Évaluation de la campagne publicitaire Services pour les aînés : rapport méthodologique de l'OECP.
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, 2024
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) supports the Minister of Seniors and is the Government of Canada's department responsible for developing, managing, and delivering a wide range of social programs and services for seniors. The Services for Seniors campaign was tailored to support ESDC's mission to build a stronger and more competitive Canada, as well as to support Canadians in making choices that help them live productive and rewarding lives. This campaign was a continuation of the 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 campaigns, led by ESDC in collaboration with the Anti-Fraud Centre, Canada Revenue Agency, Competition Bureau, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Health Canada, and Veteran's Affairs Canada.
The Services for Seniors advertising campaign featured the Government of Canada's programs and services that either directly or indirectly benefit seniors, including changes to Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS). Canadians who are 55 years of age or older and preparing for or living in retirement was the primary target audience for the campaign.
Because the advertising exceeded $1 million public opinion research is required by Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's (TBS) Directive on the Management of Communications, using the Advertising Campaign Evaluation Tool (ACET) issued by the Communications and Consultations Secretariat of the Privy Council Office (PCO), with additional validating and benchmarking questions following the ACET instrument. Data collection to evaluate the campaign supports the Government of Canada's goal of effectively gauging Canadians' awareness and knowledge of its initiatives and determining the effectiveness of the campaign.
The research included two components:
Two bilingual, national online surveys were conducted: one as a baseline, in advance of the campaign, and one at the end of the campaign[1] to measure awareness and assess the impact of the campaign. The baseline survey included 2,028 Canadians 55 years or older and was conducted between October 10th and October 22th, 2023. The post-campaign survey included 2,054 Canadians, also 55 years or older and was conducted between December 11th and December 20th, 2023. Each survey instrument used the Advertising Campaign Evaluation Tool (ACET) issued by the Communications and Consultations Secretariat of the Privy Council Office (PCO), along with additional campaign-specific questions testing impact on perceptions and behaviour targeted through the campaign. Each sample included randomly selected respondents from all provinces and territories in Canada.
Each survey sample relied on Ekos' Probit panel, which is assembled using a random digit dial process for sampling from a blended land-line cellphone frame and provides full coverage of Canadians with telephone access. The distribution of the recruitment process is meant to mirror the actual population in Canada (as defined by Statistics Canada). As such, our more than 120,000-member panel can be considered representative of the general public in Canada (meaning that the incidence of a given target population within our panel very closely resembles the public at large) and margins of error can be applied.
Appendix A provides the details of the methodology for the baseline and post-campaign surveys. The baseline and post-campaign questionnaires are found in Appendix B and C.
The value of the contract is $70,314.25 including HST.
I hereby certify as Senior Officer of Ekos Research Associates Inc. that the deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the Policy on Communications and Federal Identity and the Directive on the Management of Communications.
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 by Susan Galley (Vice President)