Visitor Satisfaction Survey 2021

Methods Report

Prepared for Parks Canada

Supplier name: Advanis Inc.
Contract number: 5P047-210123-001-CY
Contract value: $44,815.80 (including HST)
Award date: May 26, 2021
Delivery date: December 16, 2021

Registration Number: POR 008-21

For more information on this report, please contact Parks Canada at: information@pc.gc.ca

Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français

Visitor Satisfaction Survey 2021

Methods Report

Prepared for Parks Canada
Supplier name: Advanis Inc.
December 2021

This public opinion research report presents the results of an online/telephone survey conducted by Advanis Inc. on behalf of Parks Canada. The research was conducted with 1,233 adult Canadians between October 27 and November 18, 2021.

This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes only. Prior written permission must be obtained from Parks Canada. For more information on this report, please contact Parks Canada at:

1-888-773-8888 or information@pc.gc.ca or at:

Parks Canada
2nd Floor (PC-02-E)
30 Victoria St.
Gatineau, Québec J8X 0B3

Catalogue Number:
R62-570/2021E-PDF

International Standard Book Number (ISBN):
978-0-660-40801-9

Cette publication est aussi disponible en français sous le titre : Sondage 2021 sur la satisfaction des visiteurs – rapport méthodologique.

Catalogue Number:
R62-570/2021F-PDF

International Standard Book Number (ISBN):
978-0-660-40802-6

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and the Minister responsible for Parks Canada, 2021

1.0 Summary

1.1 Background and objectives

Parks Canada protects and presents nationally significant examples of Canada's natural and cultural heritage on behalf of the people of Canada, and fosters public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure the ecological and commemorative integrity of these places for present and future generations. In a typical year, Parks Canada undertakes self-administered onsite paper surveys (randomly sampled visitor parties from mid-May to mid-October) at select parks/sites annually to acquire feedback and measure performance. Parks Canada receives between 10,000 and 20,000 returned surveys annually depending on participating places in a given year.

Due to COVID-19, onsite intercept surveys, in paper or electronic format, were not feasible during the 2021 season. An alternative approach was sought to acquire feedback and measure performance. Parks Canada does not maintain a contact database of visitors. Therefore, it sourced a third party (Advanis) to find people in the general population that had visited a national park or national historic site during the designated operating season between mid-May and early September 2021.

The Parks Canada Visitor Satisfaction Survey aimed to gather feedback from Canadians about their experiences and satisfaction with operations during their visit to national parks and/or national historic sites or waterways during the 2021 operating season. The survey aimed to collect feedback about:

The probability-based study was conducted, in both English and French, using a two-step approach where respondents were recruited by telephone to participate in an online web survey. To source the sample, questions were added to other studies being conducted by Advanis asking about whether people had visited a national park or national historic site/waterway during the summer of 2021.

Overall, 1,233 people completed the survey between October 27 and November 18, with a response rate of 34.8 %, and a margin of error of 2.8 % (19 times out of 20 at a 95 % confidence interval). The data was weighted based on geographic region, using actual visitation volumes by region provided by Parks Canada.

The total cost of this research was $44,816 (including HST).

1.2 Political Neutrality Requirement

I hereby certify as Senior Officer of Advanis 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.

Chief Research Officer & Partner, Peter MacIntosh signature

Nicolas Toutant
Vice-President
Research and Evaluation