Parks Canada Awareness Tracking Study 2017-2018

POR Number: 004-17
Contract Number: 5P0004-170084/001/CY
Contract Award Date: May 18, 2017
Date of Delivery: March 29, 2018
Contract Value: $129,770.56

Final Report

Quantitative Research Report

Prepared for Parks Canada Agency
30 Victoria Street, Gatineau QC, J8X 0B3
information@pc.gc.ca
1-888-773-8888

Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français.

Any material or information provided by Parks Canada and all data collected by Earnscliffe Strategy Group will be treated as confidential by Earnscliffe Strategy group and will be stored securely while on Earnscliffe Strategy Group’s premise (adhering to industry standards and applicable laws).

Content

• Executive Summary
• Résumé exécutif
• Introduction
• Detailed Findings
• Conclusions
• Appendix A: Survey methodology report
• Appendix B : Questionnaires

Executive Summary

This report presents the results and findings from the 2017-2018 Awareness Tracking Study conducted by Earnscliffe Strategy Group (Earnscliffe) on behalf of Parks Canada Agency.

Telephone interviews were conducted as part of Nielsen’s telephone omnibus in June 2017 (n=2,167, between June ^1st and 13^th, 2017), September 2017 (n=2,173, between September 7^th and 18^th, 2017), December 2017 (n=2,146, between December 7^th and 18^th, 2017), and March 2018 (n=2,163, between March 1st to 12^th, 2018). Interviews were conducted in the respondent’s choice of English or French.

The margin of error for each study wave was ± 2.1%, 19 times out of 20, and the resultant margin of error for the combined tracking period was ± 1.1%, 19 times out of 20.

The study was designed to target a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adult Canadians (aged 18 and over) per study and oversamples (where necessary) to obtain 250 adults each wave from three CMAs – Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.

Parks Canada employs the Awareness Tracking Survey to measure and track on an on-going basis awareness of Parks Canada, as well as to understand Canadians’ opinions and support of the Agency. This executive summary outlines the major findings from the 2017-2018 surveys.

Awareness of Parks Canada

Public awareness of Parks Canada and its agency name remained strong over the 2017-2018 tracking period.

• Unaided awareness has fallen from 25% to 23%. As a constant, roughly a quarter of Canadians can identify Parks Canada as the agency that operates officially designated national parks and historic sites without prompting.
• Total awareness (aided plus unaided) remained very high and relatively stable, rising slightly from 82% to 83% - An ultimate rate of awareness throughout the middle quarters of September 2017 and December 2017 reaching 85%. Aided awareness also rose from 57% to 60%.
• Awareness was higher in the Atlantic Provinces and in the West, and lower in Quebec. This trend was mirrored in the Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) studied – awareness was lower in Montreal than in Vancouver.

Recall of Recent Messaging

Parks Canada aims to promote its work with Canadians through a variety of channels. Key findings for how Canadians learn about the Agency are presented below:

• Television commercials and programing/documentaries remains the most popular source of information about Parks Canada, however that amount is dwindling, starting in June 2017 with an average of 29% and finishing March 2018 with an average of 23% for commercials, and dropping from 23% to 20% for programs. Social media has also fell, from 17% to 11% over the tracking period.
• The percentage of Canadians who, when asked, had heard, read, or watched something about Parks Canada declined. In June 2017, 56% reported having heard, read or seen something about Parks Canada. By March 2018, aided recall had fallen to 36%.
• Canadians remembered a broad range of topics relating to Parks Canada. Understandably, topics concerning free admission as part of Canada’s 150 celebrations have fell from 40% to 13% as the sesquicentennial celebrations across the country wrapped up in December. Travel and Tourism remains stable rising from 8% to 11% in the final 2 quarters.

• Canadians are strong supporters of Parks Canada’s mandate – it continues to fluctuate between 83% and 80% of people who completely support or support it. Opposition remained low (between 2% and 3%) over the 2017-2018 period studied.

Specifics Themes

Parks Canada Places Planned to Visit

Summer 2017

• Well over half of Canadians (67%) in June 2017 reported that they were very likely or somewhat likely to visit a national park, national historic site, or waterway, an increase from the previous wave (56% in March 2017).
• Among those who were likely to visit a national park, national historic site or waterway, the most frequently mentioned single location was Banff National Park (11%).

Fall 2017

• An average of 40% of people were interested in visiting a national park, national historic site, and/or national waterway in fall 2017. Atlantic regions showed significantly less interest than the rest of Canada with 29% saying very likely or somewhat likely, the average of the remaining regions was at 42% stating very likely or somewhat likely to visit a notional park/historic site/waterway in fall 2017.

Canada’s 150^th Birthday Celebration

• Nationally, 70% of Canadians reported very likely or likely to participate in Canada 150 celebrations in their community, and 45% outside their community. 53% of Canadians said they would watch the event on television.

Knowledge of the term Biodiversity

• Almost half of Canadians (41%) rated their knowledge of the term Biodiversity as very high or high. Ages 18-34 rated themselves significantly higher than 35+ with an average of 46% as opposed to 39% from the later.

Attitudes Toward Parks Canada

• An almost overwhelming 93% of Canadians regarded Parks Canada as an important legacy established by Canadians for current and future generations; 90% also stating that National Parks are a source of pride as Canadians.
• The highest level of awareness concerning Parks Canada Conservation Initiatives was efforts to protect species at risk in national parks, this number went from 58% in December 2017 to 52% in March 2018. Followed by 52% being aware of the tracking of the health of plants and animals in national parks, which also lowered in March 2018 to 43%.

Interest in Science and Conservation Activities

• 46% of participants stated they were either very interested or somewhat interested in learning more about what science and conservation activities Parks Canada does. A high of 51% in Montreal specifically showed interest.

Research Firm: Earnscliffe Strategy Group Inc.
Contract Number: 5P0004-170084/001/CY
Contract Award Date: May 18, 2017
Contract Value: $129,770.56 (including HST)

Political Neutrality Statement

I hereby certify as a Representative of Earnscliffe Strategy Group that the final deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the Policy on Communications and Federal Identity 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:

Doug Anderson
Principal, Earnscliffe
Date: March 29, 2018

Résumé exécutif

Ce rapport présente les résultats et les conclusions qui découlent de l’Enquête de suivi de la notoriété de l’Agence Parcs Canada en 2017-2018 menée par Earnscliffe Strategy Group (Earnscliffe) pour le compte de l’Agence Parcs Canada.

Les entrevues ont été menées à l’aide d’un omnibus téléphonique de Nielsen en juin 2017 (n=2 167 entre le 1^er et le 13 juin 2017), en septembre 2017 (n=2 173, entre le 7 et le 18 septembre 2017), en décembre 2017 (n=2 146, entre le 7 et le 18 décembre 2017) et en mars 2018 (n=2 163, entre le 1^er et le 12 mars 2018). Les répondants ont été interrogés dans la langue de leur choix, soit en anglais ou en français.

La marge d’erreur pour chaque vague d’étude était de ± 2,1 %, 19 fois sur 20, et la marge d’erreur résultante pour l’ensemble de la période de suivi était de ± 1.1 %, 19 fois sur 20.

L’étude a été conçue pour cibler un échantillon représentatif de 2 000 adultes canadiens (âgés de 18 ans et plus) par enquête et des échantillons supplémentaires (au besoin) afin que chaque vague comprenne 250 adultes provenant de trois RMR – Montréal, Toronto et Vancouver.

Pour Parcs Canada, l’Enquête de suivi de la notoriété sert à mesurer et à suivre la notoriété de l’Agence sur une base continue, et à comprendre les points de vue des Canadiens à son égard de même que l’appui qu’ils lui accordent.

Ce compte rendu sommaire présente les grandes lignes des conclusions tirées des sondages menés en 2017-2018.

Notoriété de Parcs Canada

La notoriété publique de Parcs Canada et du nom de son Agence est restée forte durant la période de suivi de 2017-2018.

• La notoriété spontanée a chuté de 25 % à 23 %. Règle générale, environ le quart des Canadiens peuvent reconnaître, sans assistance, que Parcs Canada est l’organisme qui administre les parcs nationaux et les lieux historiques officiellement désignés ainsi.
• La notoriété totale (assistée et spontanée) est demeurée très élevée et relativement stable, avec une légère hausse de 82 % à 83 % – de même qu’un taux ultime de notoriété tout au long des trimestres de septembre et de décembre 2017 atteignant 85 %. Il y a aussi eu une remontée de la notoriété assistée de 57 % à 60 %.
• La notoriété était plus forte dans les provinces de l’Atlantique ainsi que dans l’Ouest, et plus basse au Québec. Cette tendance s’est reflétée dans les régions métropolitaines de recensement (RMR) observées – la notoriété était plus basse à Montréal qu’à Vancouver.

Rappel des messages récents

Parcs Canada vise à promouvoir son travail auprès des Canadiens par l’entremise de divers canaux. Les principales conclusions précisant comment les Canadiens apprennent à connaître l’Agence sont présentées ci-dessous :

• Les publicités télévisées et la diffusion de programmes ou de documentaires demeurent les sources d’information les plus populaires sur Parcs Canada. Toutefois, cette popularité diminue alors que les publicités recueillent une moyenne de 29 % à partir de juin 2017, pour fléchir à 23 % en mars 2018 pendant que les moyennes pour les programmes baissent de 23 % à 20 %. On assiste aussi à une diminution pour les médias sociaux, qui passent de 17 % à 11 % durant la période examinée.
• Il y a un déclin du pourcentage de Canadiens qui ont affirmé, lorsqu’interrogés, avoir entendu, lu, ou vu quoi que ce soit sur Parcs Canada. En juin 2017, 56 % ont rapporté avoir entendu, lu ou vu quelque chose au sujet de Parcs Canada. Dans la période jusqu’au mois de mars 2018, le rappel assisté est tombé à 36 %.
• Les Canadiens se sont souvenus d’une vaste gamme de sujets liés à Parcs Canada. Pour les sujets liés à la gratuité d’accès aux parcs nationaux dans le cadre des célébrations du 150e anniversaire du Canada, on a observé, à juste titre, une baisse de 40 % à 13 % alors qu’au pays les commémorations du 150e anniversaire prenaient fin en décembre. Les voyages et le tourisme sont restés stables, en hausse de 8 % à 11 % dans les deux derniers trimestres.

• Les Canadiens sont de fervents défenseurs du mandat de Parcs Canada – le nombre de personnes qui l’appuient ou l’appuient complètement continue de fluctuer entre 83 % et 80 %. L’opposition est restée faible (entre 2 % et 3 %) durant la période de l’enquête en 2017-2018.

Thèmes particuliers

Parcs Canada : lieux de visite prévus

Été 2017

• En juin 2017, nettement plus de la moitié des Canadiens (67 %) ont indiqué qu’il était très probable ou assez probable qu’ils visitent un parc national, un lieu historique national ou une voie navigable, une augmentation par rapport à la vague précédente (56 % en mars 2017).
• Parmi ceux qui ont affirmé qu’une visite à un parc national, un lieu historique national ou une voie navigable était probable, le lieu le plus fréquemment cité était le Parc national de Banff (11 %).

Automne 2017

• À l’automne 2017, une moyenne de 40 % des répondants ont affirmé vouloir visiter un parc national, une voie navigable, ou un lieu historique national. Dans les régions de l’Atlantique, l’intérêt était nettement moins prononcé que dans le reste du pays; 29 % ont indiqué qu’une visite d’un parc national, d’un lieu historique ou d’une voie navigable était très probable ou assez probable, tandis que dans les régions restantes, ils étaient 42 % à choisir ces mêmes réponses à l’automne 2017.

Célébrations du 150e anniversaire du Canada

• À l’échelle nationale, le pourcentage de Canadiens à envisager leur participation aux célébrations du 150e anniversaire du Canada dans leur collectivité était très probable ou probable à 70 %, et à 45 % pour celles à l’extérieur de leur collectivité. Le pourcentage de Canadiens à affirmer qu’ils regarderaient les festivités à la télévision s’élevait à 53 %.

Connaissance du terme biodiversité

• Près de la moitié des Canadiens (41 %) ont jugé leur connaissance du terme biodiversité comme étant très élevée ou élevée. Elle était légèrement plus élevée pour la tranche d’âge de 18 à 34 ans que pour celle des 35 ans et plus, avec une moyenne de 46 % comparativement à 39 % pour le second groupe.

Attitudes à l’égard de Parcs Canada

• Presque unanimement, 93 % des Canadiens considèrent Parcs Canada comme un legs important établi par les Canadiens pour les générations actuelles et futures; 90 % affirment aussi que les parcs nationaux sont une source de fierté pour les Canadiens.
• Parmi les initiatives de Parcs Canada en matière de conservation, celle qui était la plus connue est la protection des espèces en péril dans les parcs nationaux. Son pourcentage est passé de 58 % en décembre 2017 à 52 % en mars 2018. Le suivi de la santé des plantes et des animaux dans les parcs nationaux vient ensuite, avec 52 %, une proportion qui a aussi chuté en mars 2018 pour se situer à 43 %.

Intérêt envers les activités liées à la conservation et la science

• 46 % des participants ont affirmé qu’ils étaient soit très intéressés ou plutôt intéressés à en connaître davantage au sujet des activités de Parcs Canada ayant trait à la conservation et à la science. Montréal représente un sommet avec 51 % à avoir expressément démontré leur intérêt.

Société responsable de la recherche : Earnscliffe Strategy Group Inc. (Earnscliffe)
Numéro de contrat : 5P0004-170084/001/CY
Date d’octroi du contrat : 18 mai 2017
Valeur du contrat : 129 770,56 $ (TVH comprise)

Énoncé de neutralité politique

Par la présente, j’atteste, en ma qualité de représentant pour la société Earnscliffe, que les produits livrables définitifs sont entièrement conformes aux exigences du gouvernement du Canada en matière de neutralité politique, telles que définies dans la politique de communication du gouvernement du Canada et dans la procédure de planification et d’attribution de marchés de services de recherche sur l’opinion publique. Plus particulièrement, les produits livrables ne font aucune mention des intentions de vote électoral, des préférences quant aux partis politiques, des positions des partis ou de l’évaluation de la performance d’un parti politique ou de son chef.

Signature:

Doug Anderson
Partenaire, Earnscliffe
Date : 29 mars 2018

INTRODUCTION

Earnscliffe Strategy Group (Earnscliffe) is pleased to present this report to Parks Canada Agency (PCA) highlighting the results of 2017-2018 Awareness Tracking Study.

PCA is the federal Agency in the Government of Canada responsible for protecting nationally significant examples of Canada’s national and cultural heritage and fostering opportunities for Canadians to learn about and to enjoy Canada’s National Parks, National Historic Sites and National Marine Conservation Areas in ways that leave them unimpaired for current and future generations. Canada’s National Parks, National Historic Sites, and National Marine Conservation Areas attract over 20 million Canadian and international visitors annually.

PCA employs the Awareness Tracking Survey to measure and track, on an on-going basis, awareness of Parks Canada, as well as to understand Canadians’ opinions and support of the Agency.

To meet these objectives, Earnscliffe conducted telephone interviews as part of Nielsen’s omnibus surveys in June 2017 (n=2,167, between June 1^st and 13^th, 2017), September 2017 (n=2,173, between September 7^th and 18^th, 2017), December 2017 (n=2,146, between December 7^th and 18^th, 2017), and March 2018 (n=2,163, between March 1^st to 12^th, 2018). Interviews were conducted in the respondent’s choice of English or French.

The margin of error for each study wave was ±2.1%, 19 times out of 20, and the resultant margin of error for the combined tracking period was ±1.1%, 19 times out of 20.

The report begins with an executive summary highlighting the key findings from the research. This is followed by a detailed analysis of the results. Appended to this report are a detailed project methodology (Appendix A), and the English and French questionnaires (Appendix B).

The total cost of the research was $129,770.56 (including HST).

DETAILED FINDINGS

This report is divided into four sections. Section A discusses the awareness results, including agency name. Recall of messaging about Parks Canada, National Parks and National Historic Sites are detailed in section B. Section C explores Canadians’ overall support for Parks Canada’s mandate. Lastly, Section D outlines other specific themes, including Canada’s 150^th celebrations, intention to visit Parks Canada places in summer and fall 2017, and more specifically national parks, attitudes towards Parks Canada, knowledge of term of biodiversity, interest in science and conservation activities Parks Canada does. Where appropriate, results were compared across study waves, regions and select CMAs.

A – Awareness of Parks Canada

The first section of this report focuses on Canadians’ awareness of Parks Canada, including the agency name. National and regional results are examined in detail within the chapter.

As shown in Exhibit A1, national unaided awareness of Parks Canada was 23% in March, which is a slight decline and the continuation of a consistent trend measured throughout the year.

Exhibit A1 – Unaided Awareness of Agency Name – National Results

To the best of your knowledge, what is the name of the organization or government department that operates officially designated national parks and national historic sites of Canada?*
Base: All respondents

*Questions numbers were not included as they varied by wave.

Looking across regions, unaided awareness was higher over the course of the year than the national average in Atlantic Canada, Alberta and B.C. Yearly trends also show that awareness tends to be slightly lower than the national average in Quebec (see Exhibit A2).

Exhibit A2 – Unaided Awareness of Parks Canada – Regional Results

To the best of your knowledge, what is the name of the organization or government department that operates officially designated national parks and national historic sites of Canada?
Base: All respondents

Compared to the beginning of the year, unaided awareness of Parks Canada decreased slightly in Toronto and Vancouver, but in Montreal, it ended at the same level it began the year. Compared to the national average, unaided awareness of Parks Canada remains higher in Vancouver and lower in Montreal and Toronto.

Exhibit A3 – Unaided Awareness of Parks Canada – Results by CMA

To the best of your knowledge, what is the name of the organization or government department that operates officially designated national parks and national historic sites of Canada?
Base: All respondents

To capture total awareness of Parks Canada, respondents who did not correctly identify the Agency in the first unaided question were asked directly whether they had ever heard of Parks Canada. Total awareness is calculated by adding unaided awareness (question 1) and aided awareness (question 2).

The results shown in Exhibit A4 reveal that overall awareness has evolved slightly for the 2017-18 tracking period, although total awareness measured in March 2018 is identical to what was measured in June 2017. In each wave, between 23% and 25% of Canadians were aware of Parks Canada on an unaided basis, while roughly six in ten were aware when prompted (between 57% and 61%). In total, 84% of Canadians were aware of Parks Canada over the tracking period, with the peaks measured at 85% during both the September 2017 and December 2017 waves.

Exhibit A4 – Total Awareness of Parks Canada – National Results

To the best of your knowledge, what is the name of the organization or government department that operates officially designated national parks and national historic sites of Canada?
Have you ever heard of Parks Canada, which is a federal government agency?
Base: All respondents

Canadians in Atlantic Canada and the West reported higher awareness, aided or unaided, of Parks Canada. Ontario’s awareness followed the national average closely, while awareness in Quebec was lower over the tracking period (see Exhibit A5). Every region saw some fluctuation during the course of the year and the peak quarters were not common across the regions.

Exhibit A5 – Total Awareness of Parks Canada – Results by Region

To the best of your knowledge, what is the name of the organization or government department that operates officially designated national parks and national historic sites of Canada?
Have you ever heard of Parks Canada, which is a federal government agency?
Base: All respondents

Mirroring the unaided awareness results, Vancouver continues to have the highest total awareness among CMAs, but awareness in Toronto ended higher than it started the year (see Exhibit A6). The total awareness fluctuated in Montreal and despite peaking in September 2017, it ended the year lower than it began.

Exhibit A6 – Total Awareness of Parks Canada – Results by CMA

To the best of your knowledge, what is the name of the organization or government department that operates officially designated national parks and national historic sites of Canada?
Have you ever heard of Parks Canada, which is a federal government agency?
Base: All respondents

B - Recent Messaging

Recall of recent messaging about Parks Canada, National Parks and National Historic Sites has dramatically increased to the highest levels since tracking began in February 2012. There is a seasonal pattern – typically, the highest awareness levels are in September and June, while awareness is lowest in March. The greatest increases are with recall of advertising about Parks Canada and National Parks in June and September (see Exhibit B1).

Exhibit B1 – Aided Recall of Recent Messaging – National Results

In the past three months, have you heard, read, or watched anything about the following…?
Base: All respondents

More than half of Canadians (53%) had heard, read or watched something about Parks Canada, National Parks or National Historic Sites in the past three months. As was found last year, Alberta residents are most likely to have recalled anything from any of the three brands and now Atlantic Canadians have an equally high proportion (66%) with some recall. As was the case last year, all other regions are close to the national average (see Exhibit B2).

Exhibit B2 – Aided Recall of Recent Messaging – Results by Region

Undoubtedly related changes in PCA advertising activity, among the increased proportion who recall seeing or hearing something related to PCA in the past three months, the total proportion mentioning having seen a TV commercial about PCA or a park or site was relatively stable most of the year, but fell off in March 2018, to end at 23%.

The data in Exhibit B3 also shows that recall from social media declined from a peak of 17% in June 2017 to 11% in December and March 2018 respectively, but this nevertheless represents a much higher figure than the 5% measured in June 2016, suggesting social media now plays a more significant role in communicating the PCA brand. Recall from most other platforms, including newspapers, magazines, and radio followed a pattern of peaking in September 2017 and ending the year at a low-point.

Exhibit B3 – Sources of Information – National Results

Where specifically do you recall hearing, watching or reading something about Parks Canada, National Parks or National Historic Sites?
Base: Those who recalled hearing/reading/watching something in past three months

Throughout most of the year, recall of free park admission as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary was, by far, the most frequently recalled message, but that recall steadily declined from quarter to quarter, returning to the level measured in December 2016 (see Exhibit B4).

Exhibit B4 – Information About Parks Canada

Q7. And can you tell me what subjects or topics concerning Parks Canada, National Parks or National Historic Sites you recall hearing, reading or watching something about?
Base: Those who recalled hearing/reading/watching something

C – Opinions and Support of Parks Canada

The proportion who completely support Parks Canada’s mandate varied slightly over the tracking period, peaking in September 2017 at 69%, and falling to 64% at the end of the tracking period in March 2018. There was also some shifting between support and neutral response. There is no notable change in opposition, which remains miniscule (see Exhibit C1)

Exhibit C1 – Support for Parks Canada’s Mandate – National Results

Parks Canada aims to protect and present Canada's national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas, and also to promote public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of these places for present and future generations. On a 5 point scale, where 1 means completely oppose, 3 means neither support nor oppose and 5 means completely support, please tell me how much you oppose or support this mandate.
Base: All respondents

Support for Parks Canada’s mandate fluctuated slightly throughout the year, but remains fairly high in all regions and CMAs (see Exhibit C2).

Exhibit C2 – Support for Parks Canada’s Mandate – Regional and CMA Results

Parks Canada aims to protect and present Canada's national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas, and also to promote public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of these places for present and future generations. On a 5 point scale, where 1 means completely oppose, 3 means neither support nor oppose and 5 means completely support, please tell me how much you oppose or support this mandate.
Base: All respondents

D – Specific Themes

In June 2017, a total of 70% of Canadians indicated they were likely to participate in a Canada 150 event or activity in the summer in their local community and almost as many (67%) likely to take advantage of the free admission to a national park or national historic site or national waterway. (see Exhibit D1).

Exhibit D1 – Likelihood of Participating in Canada 150 Celebrations in Summer 2017

How likely are you to take part in the following activities this summer as part of Canada's 150^th birthday? For each, please indicate if you are very likely, somewhat likely, neither likely nor unlikely, somewhat unlikely, or very unlikely to take part.
Base: All respondents (n=2,167)

For those who are likely to visit a Parks Canada places, they were asked what location they are planning to visit, 38% offered a response relating to Parks Canada. At 11%, Banff was the most popular location. The next most popular choices – Jasper and La Mauricie National Parks – were mentioned by 3% (see Exhibit D2).

Exhibit D2 – Parks Canada Places Planned to Visit

What national park, national historic site or national waterway are you planning to visit this summer?
Base: Those who are likely to visit a national park, national historic site or national waterway this year (n=1,377)

In September 2017, fully 41% said they were likely to visit a Parks Canada park and/or site in the fall. Regionally, residents of Quebec and Manitoba/Saskatchewan were the most likely to visit. Among the CMAs, Montrealers were most likely to visit (see Exhibit D3).

Exhibit D3 – Visit to PCA places in fall 2017– Results by Region and CMA

Q28. How likely are you to visit a Parks Canada national park, national historic site and/or national waterway this fall?
Base: All respondents

While just 15% of Canadians rated their knowledge of the term biodiversity as very high in September 2017, a total of 41% gave it a top-two box rating. Knowledge was higher than the national rate across all three CMAs and all regions, excluding Quebec and Manitoba/Saskatchewan (See Exhibit D4).

Exhibit D4 – Knowledge of Biodivesity – Results by Region and CMA

How would you rate your level of knowledge of the term biodiversity?
Base: All respondents

In December 2017, Canadians said they feel very strongly that national parks are an important part of our country’s legacy, and strongly agree that parks are a source of pride for them. Well over half also strongly agreed that Parks Canada encourages Canadians to care about the protection of parks. Canadians were less likely to strongly agree that Parks Canada inspires youth to participate in conservation, though overall agreement was over 70% (See Exhibit D5).

Exhibit D5 – Attitudes Towards Parks Canada

Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements. Do you strongly disagree, somewhat disagree, neither disagree nor agree, somewhat agree or strongly agree that:
Base: All respondents (n=2,146)

The December 2017 and March 2018 waves demonstrated that there are encouraging levels of awareness of PCA’s conservation initiatives. At least half of Canadians are aware of efforts to protect species at risk in national parks, making this initiative the most broadly known. As of March 2018, each of the other seven conservation initiatives tested found between 33% and 43% claimed awareness (See Exhibit D6).

Exhibit D6 – Awareness of Conservation Initiatives

Conservation of Canada’s national parks and national marine conservation areas involves a number of activities to ensure these places remain healthy. On a 5 point scale, where 1 means very low and 5 means very high, how would you rate your level of awareness of the following activities that occur in these places?
Base: All respondents

Perhaps even more encouragingly, the March 2018 wave discovered that roughly half of Canadians are interested in learning more about the science and conservation activities Parks Canada does (See Exhibit D7).

Exhibit D7 – Interest in Learning about Science and Conservation Initiatives

How interested are you in learning more about these science and conservation activities Parks Canada does?
Base: All respondents

CONCLUSIONS

• Parks Canada’s outreach efforts are helping to maintain its presence among Canadians, in terms of overall awareness of the Parks Canada brand. Awareness in the last wave of this study (March 2018) was 83%, which lowered slightly from the 85% of the middle quarters, however rising from the initial rate of 82% in the first quarter.
• Through part of the 2017-18 tracking, Canadians were continuing the trend measured in the previous year, proving to be much more likely to have heard, read or watched anything about Parks Canada than since tracking began in 2012. After peaking at the outset of the year, even in the final wave of study, 53% percent of Canadians could recall seeing something about at least one of Parks Canada, National Parks of Canada, and National Historic Sites of Canada.
  

  ― TV continues to be the primary source of information, and the percentage of Canadians who report seeing something about Parks Canada on social media has declined, but represents a much higher figure than the 5% measured in June 2016.

• Following a trend observed previously throughout the 2016-17 tracking, there are notable regional variations in awareness and recall of messaging from Parks Canada. Canadians in western provinces and Atlantic Canada tend to be more engaged with Parks Canada, and residents in Quebec tend to be the least engaged.
• There remains widespread support for Parks Canada’s mandate. Nationally, the vast majority of Canadians support Parks Canada’s mandate, and the Agency has very few detractors. If anything, for the early quarters of tracking, the intensity of support was stable, although this tapered somewhat by the close of the year.
• Canadians were clearly quite broadly interested in participating in Canada’s 150th celebrations in summer 2017, including taking advantage of the free admission to national parks, historic sites and heritage places. Regionally, Quebeckers were the least likely to participate, but proportions in that region were still fairly high.

  ― Among those who intended to participate, attending an event in the community or visiting a national park, taking advantage of free admission, were the most likely types of activities.<

• Roughly half of Canadians are aware of Parks Canada’s conservation initiatives and about the same proportion say they are interested in learning more about the science and conservation being done by Parks Canada.

APPENDIX A: SURVEY METHODOLOGY REPORT

Survey Methodology

Nielsen conducted telephone interviews as part of omnibus surveys in June 2017 (n=2,167, between June 1st and 13^th, 2017), September 2017 (n=2,173, between September 7^th and 18^th, 2017), December 2017 (n=2,146, between December 7^th and 18^th, 2017), and March 2018 (n=2,163, between March 1st to 12^th, 2018). The study was designed to target a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adult Canadians (aged 18 and over) per study and oversamples (where necessary) to obtain 250 adults each wave from three CMAs – Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.

Details of the methodology are outlined below.

Questionnaire Design

The study used a survey of eight core questions. On occasion, specific questions were not included in each wave, however, the final questionnaire maintained a consistent measurement of key performance indicators to ensure comparability with previous results.

Sample Design and Selection

The study was designed to target a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adult Canadians (aged 18 and over) per study and oversamples (where necessary) to obtain 250 adults each wave from three CMAs – Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.

Both the main sample and the oversample were stratified by gender within each region to allow for meaningful sub-group analysis and to ensure that weighting factors stayed within the acceptable research standards. Additionally, quotas were set to reach Canadians by landline and cell phone, at a ratio of 75% landline interviews to 25% cell phone interviews.

The final sample size was 8,649, distributed fairly evening across the four study waves. The final sample is outlined in detail in the following tables:

The sample was drawn using SurveySampler technology, which ensures that all residential listings in Canada have an opportunity to be selected for inclusion in the survey. Within the households selected, respondents 18 years or older were screened.

Sample Distribution

A sample of 8,649 drawn from the Canadian population would be expected to provide results accurate to within plus or minus 1.1% percent in 95 out of 100 samples. A complete breakdown of the margin of error can be seen in the sample tables above.

Sample Disposition and Response Rate

A total of 960,107 Canadian households were dialed for this study, of which 9,293 qualified as eligible and completed the survey (adults 18 years and older). The overall response rate achieved for the 2017-2018 study was 1.7%. The following reports on sample disposition and response rate follows MRIA guidelines, which are set up to establish consistency in reporting across the market research industry.

Survey Administration

The telephone survey was conducted with 8,649 respondents in English or French using computer-assisted-telephone-interviewing (CATI) technology, from Nielsen's facilities in Ottawa and Montreal. All interviewing was conducted by fully trained and supervised interviewers, and a minimum of 10% of all completed interviews were independently monitored and validated in real time.

Nielsen informed all survey participants of the general purpose of the research, identified the research supplier, informed participants that their participation in the study was voluntary, and that all information provided would remain confidential. Furthermore, the survey was registered with the National Survey Registration System.

Nielsen used Confirmit’s “Horizon” CATI program for data collection. The software provided complete control over entry flow, including skips, valid ranges, and logical error-trapping. The “Horizon” system imported sample directly from databases – no need for re-entry and no entry errors. Moreover, the system automated all scheduling and call-back tasks, ensuring that every appointment was set within project time limitations and that an interviewer was available for every call-back.

Data Analysis

Upon completion of data collection, Nielsen cleaned, coded, and weighted the data. The data was then tabulated according to the analysis plan provided by PCA. Our data analysis procedures are outlined below:

Data Cleaning : Nielsen analysts have considerable experience in cleaning data files, conducting statistical routines, producing tabular output, and weighting data to provide an accurate measure of the population as a whole.

The following are the basic steps taken when cleaning data files:

• Ensure that all coded questions have updated codes and multiple mentions do not have duplicate codes;
• Create all new variables as a result of programming;
• Confirm that all relevant variables are included in the data file;
• Final frequency check (for out-of-range values) and recodes created, including those for outliers;
• Verify that variable names and question numbers match the final version of the questionnaire; and
• Create and verify new variable creations (against source variables) as outlined in the analysis plan and perform spell check on all variables.

In addition to these generic rules, project specific requirements are also taken into account. It is also noteworthy that because the CATI software controls the questionnaire flow and data entry, data are typically quite clean from the outset.

Coding Procedures: The coding department takes the verbatim responses and creates a numeric code list of common answers. For any open-end answers that are do not fall into pre-coded categories, our head coder, in close conjunction with the consulting team, collapses lists of responses to open-ended variables into categories. A single coder is used to maximize consistency on this task. The rough frequencies obtained from this exercise are used to develop a code list. Once final approval is granted, the code list is annotated with specific examples so that accurate coding is assured.

The annotated code list is provided to our coding team, which attaches codes directly to the electronic coding file. This exercise can also be performed in a two-pass format, by two different coders. The head coder reconciles inconsistencies, guaranteeing consistent and accurate reporting of open-ended responses. In general, Nielsen aims for less than 10% of responses remaining under a ‘other specify’ code category, creating codes for any mentions that add up to 1% or more of total responses. The resulting data file is exported to the statistical package to quantify the responses for statistical analysis. The generated code lists are submitted to the client for approval and subsequently we use our internal quality assurance lists to verify that all approved codes have been coded correctly.

For the purposes of this project, the coding team was provided with lists of National Parks and National Historic Sites administered by Parks Canada. The destination coding scheme was designed to differentiate between these places, and other mentions. The coding team also referred to the coding scheme for PCA’s tracking study in order to ensure consistency where relevant.

Weighting: At the conclusion of the data collection and cleaning, Nielsen weighted the data by region, age and gender to reflect the actual proportions found in the population. This ensured the findings from the research could be extrapolated to the entire population with accuracy. Nielsen uses a standard procedure for calculating weighting factors, based on established methodological standards and extensive experience in sample weighting over hundreds of projects (including many for the Government of Canada).

This procedure involves calculating the actual population within each segment and the true proportion of the sample that would fall into each segment if the survey were conducted on strictly a random basis. Into this number is divided the actual segment sub-sample to produce a weighting factor that is then used to “weight” the data for that segment. While there are various ways of accomplishing this task, this procedure is the most straightforward and effective.

Data Analysis: Nielsen prepared analysis that included key banner breaks outlined by the analysis plan provided by PCA. Once the survey data had been collected and cleaned, Nielsen ran a series of data tables that provided results for all questions in the survey, both overall and broken down by selected “banners.” This permitted the comparison of results from various sub-group segments of interest; statistical significance testing was shown between all banner points in the data tables. The analysis plan included banners for basic segments including age, gender, region, and community. Additional breaks were added for immigrant status and origin, awareness of Parks Canada, and other key segments defined by the PCA analysis plan.

APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRES

Core Questionnaire

Q1. To the best of your knowledge, what is the name of the organization or government department that operates officially designated national parks and national historic sites of Canada?

Q2. Have you ever heard of Parks Canada, which is a federal government agency?

Q3. In the past three months, have you heard, read, or watched anything about the following?

Q4. Where specifically do you recall hearing, watching or reading something about Parks Canada, National Parks or National Historic Sites? [DO NOT READ – CODE ALL THAT APPLY]

Q5. Parks Canada aims to protect and present Canada's national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas, and also to promote public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of these places for present and future generations.

On a 5 point scale, where one means completely oppose, 3 means neither support nor oppose and 5 means completely support, please tell me how much you oppose or support this mandate. [CODE ONE RESPONSE]

Le mandat de Parcs Canada est de protéger et de présenter les parcs nationaux, les lieux historiques et les aires marines de conservation du Canada, ainsi que de favoriser la connaissance, l’appréciation et l’utilisation de ces lieux par le public, qu’il s’agisse des générations actuelles ou des générations futures.

Sur une échelle de 5 points, où 1 signifie que vous vous opposez totalement, 3 signifie que vous n’êtes ni pour ni contre et 5 signifie que vous appuyez totalement, veuillez indiquer dans quelle mesure vous vous opposez à ce mandat ou vous l’appuyez. [NOTER UNE RÉPONSE]

RESPONDENT PROFILE QUESTIONS ASKED IN PREVIOUS AWARENESS TRACKING OMNIBUS SURVEY FOR REFERENCE:

Qa-Gender / Genre

Qb-Postal Codes-origin / Codes postaux-provenance

Qc-Education / Éducation

Qd-Age / Âge

Qe-Marital Status / Statut civique

Qf-Household / Ménage

Qg-Children living in household (<18) / Enfants vivant dans le ménage (<18)

Qh-Employment Status / Statut d’emploi

Qi-Do you have access to the internet at work, at home, at both or neither? / Avez-vous accès à Internet au travail, à la maison, aux deux endroits ou ni l’un ni l’autre?

Qj-What was your total household income for 2015? / Quel était votre total revenu du ménage en 2014?

Qk-Language / Langue

Ql – Which of the following best describes you? [CODE ONLY ONE] / Quel énoncé vous décrit le mieux? [CODER UNE RÉPONSE]

Question Ql is a required close ended question concerning immigration status in the respondent profile questions for the purpose of PCA communications. However, the following categories may change to accommodate needs and analysis.

Additional Questions

June 2017

Q7. How likely are you to take part in the following activities this summer as part of Canada's 150^th birthday? For each, please indicate if you are very likely, somewhat likely, neither likely nor unlikely, somewhat unlikely, or very unlikely to take part.

Dans quelle mesure est-il probable que vous participiez aux items suivants reliés au 150ième anniversaire du Canada cet été? Pour chacun, veuillez indiquer si c’est très probable, plutôt probable, ni probable ni improbable, plutôt improbable, très improbable que vous y participiez. [NOTER UNE RÉPONSE] [AUCUNE ROTATION ALÉATOIRE}

Q8. What national park, national historic site or national waterway are you planning to visit this summer?

September 2017

Q7. How likely are you to visit a Parks Canada national park, national historic site and/or national waterway this Fall?

Q8. The term biodiversity is commonly used to describe the variety of life on earth. For example, it refers to the numbers and variety of plants and animals living on land or in fresh water. On a 5 point scale, where one means very low and 5 means very high, how would you rate your level of knowledge of the term biodiversity?

December 2017

Q8. Conservation of Canada’s national parks and national marine conservation areas involves a number of activities to ensure these places remain healthy.

March 2018

Q7. Conservation of Canada’s national parks and national marine conservation areas involves a number of activities to ensure these places remain healthy.

Q8. On a 5 point scale, where 1 means not at all interested and 5 very interested, how interested are you in learning more about these science and conservation activities Parks Canada does? Would you be…

Appendix – List of PCA places