Appendix 2: Survey Questionnaire – Public Opinion Research Study on Electoral Matters - Wave 4

Tracking Survey on Electoral Matters – W4

Please select the language in which you wish to complete the survey.

English/Anglais
French/Français

Thank you for agreeing to take part in this short survey being conducted on behalf of Elections Canada by Léger. The survey aims to understand your honest opinions about trust in elections and other institutions in Canada. The survey should take no more than 8 minutes to complete, is voluntary, and completely confidential.

Any personal information collected is subject to the federal Privacy Act and will be held in strict confidence. By taking part in this survey, you consent to the use of your answers for research and statistical purposes. None of your opinions will be attributed to you personally in any way. The anonymous database of all responses may be shared with external researchers under the strict condition that no personal information is ever distributed or made public.

Click here if you wish to contact Elections Canada to verify the authenticity of this survey.

To view Léger's privacy policy, click here.

1. Citizen

Are you a Canadian citizen?

01. Yes
02. No [TERMINATE]

2. YOB

In what year were you born?

Record year: [NUMBER]
99. Prefer not to say [TERMINATE]

[IF YOB>=2007, terminate]

[Show if YOB=2006]

3. Eighteen

Are you currently 18 years of age?

01. Yes
02. No [TERMINATE]

4. ProvTerr

In which province or territory do you live?

01. Alberta
02. British Columbia
03. Manitoba
04. New Brunswick
05. Newfoundland and Labrador
06. Northwest Territories
07. Nova Scotia
08. Nunavut
09. Ontario
10. Prince Edward Island
11. Quebec
12. Saskatchewan
13. Yukon
14. I live outside Canada [TERMINATE]

5. Gender

For the purposes of this survey, could you please provide your gender?

01. Female
02. Male
96. Or please specify. [TEXT]
99. Prefer not to say

6. MainNews

In general, which of these would you say is your main source of news?

[RANDOMIZE 01-06]

01. Print newspapers or magazine
02. Online news websites or apps
03. Television
04. Radio
05. Social media: mostly posts by friends or family
06. Social media: mostly posts by news organizations or journalists
07. Other online news content (videos, podcasts, influencers)
96. Other. Please specify: [TEXT]
97. I don't follow the news
98. Don't know/Refused

7. NewsOrigin

Thinking about your main source of news, how often do you see stories covering Canadian politics, US politics, or politics from the rest of the world?

[Grid]

[Rows]

a. Canadian politics
b. U.S. politics
c. World politics

[COLUMNS]

01. Very often
02. Somewhat often
03. Somewhat rarely
04. Very rarely
98. Don't know

8. Polinterest

In general, how interested are you in politics?

01. Very interested
02. Somewhat interested
03. Not very interested
04. Not at all interested
98. Don't know

[Rotate KnowProvPowers and KnowFedPowers]

9. KnowProvPowers

To the best of your knowledge, which level of government has primary responsibility for education?

01. Federal government
02. Provincial government
03. Municipal government
98. Don't know

10. KnowFedPowers

To the best of your knowledge, which level of government has primary responsibility for defence?

01. Federal government
02. Provincial government
03. Municipal government
98. Don't know

11. Confidence

How much confidence, if any, do you have in the following institutions in Canada?

[GRID]

[ROWS; RANDOMIZE ITEMS]

a. The provincial government
b. The federal government
c. The police
d. Big business/corporations
e. Elections Canada
f. Mainstream media
g. Social media platforms

[COLUMNS]

01. A great deal of confidence
02. A fair amount of confidence
03. Not much confidence
04. No confidence
98. Don't know

12. GEfairness

Thinking about federal elections in general, how fairly or unfairly would you say Elections Canada runs the elections?

01. Very fairly
02. Somewhat fairly
03. Somewhat unfairly
04. Very unfairly
98. Don't know

[IF GEfairness = 03, 04]

13. ReasonUnfair

Is there a specific reason you think Elections Canada runs elections unfairly?

[OPEN-ENDED]

97. No particular reason
98. Don't know
99. Prefer not to say

14. TrustElectionsChanges

[Split sample A and B]

A. How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
If the government proposes changes to how federal elections are run, they are probably trying to make voting easier or fairer for all Canadians.

01. Strongly agree
02. Somewhat agree
03. Somewhat disagree
04. Strongly disagree
98. Don't know

B. How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
If Elections Canada proposes changes to how federal elections are run, they are probably trying to make voting easier or fairer for all Canadians.

01. Strongly agree
02. Somewhat agree
03. Somewhat disagree
04. Strongly disagree
98. Don't know

15. InterferenceImpact

Based on what you have seen or heard recently, what impact, if any, do you think the following could have on the outcome of the next federal election in Canada?

[GRID]

[ROWS; RANDOMIZE a to d]

a. Hacking by foreign countries or groups into the computer systems that support the election.
b. Foreign countries or groups using social media and other means to influence the political opinions of Canadians.
c. The spread of false information online.
d. Foreign money being used to influence politics in Canada.

[COLUMNS]

01. Major impact
02. Moderate impact
03. Minor impact
04. No impact at all
98. Don't know

16. FraudPerception

[Split sample A and B]

A. Which statement is closest to your opinion about the voting system in Canada?

[ROTATE 01 AND 02]

01. Voting is prone to fraud
02. Voting is safe and reliable
98. Don't know

B. Which statement is closest to your opinion about voting by mail in Canada?

[ROTATE 01 AND 02]

01. Voting by mail is prone to fraud
02. Voting by mail is safe and reliable
98. Don't know

17. FraudFrequency

Overall, how often do you think the following types of voter fraud happen in Canadian federal elections?

[GRID]

[ROWS; ROTATE]

a. Someone voting who is not a Canadian citizen
b. Someone voting more than once
c. Someone stealing or tampering with ballots after they have been cast
d. Someone impersonating someone else

[COLUMNS]

01. Often
02. Sometimes
03. Rarely
04. Almost never
98. Not sure

18. PoliticalEfficacy

Thinking about government and politics in Canada, how strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

[GRID]

[RANDOMIZE rows]

a. All federal political parties are basically the same, there is not really a choice.
b. I do not think government cares much about what people like me think.
c. Sometimes politics and government seem so complicated that someone like me can't really understand what's going on.

[COLUMNS]

01. Strongly agree
02. Somewhat agree
03. Somewhat disagree
04. Strongly disagree
98. Don't know

19. AffectivePolarization

Thinking about Canadians you might agree or disagree with politically, to what extent do you agree with the following statements?

[Grid]

[RANDOMIZE rows]

a. I find it easier to relate to people if I agree with them politically.
b. I find it harder to relate to people if I disagree with them politically.

[COLUMNS]

03. To a large extent
02. To a moderate extent
01. To a small extent
00. Not at all
98. Don't know

20. TrustPeople

Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted, or that you need to be very careful when dealing with people?

01. Most people can be trusted
02. You need to be very careful when dealing with people
98. Don't know

21. ConspiracyBeliefs

There is often debate about whether or not the public is told the whole truth about various important issues. Please indicate the degree to which you believe each statement is true or false.

[GRID]

[ROWS; RANDOMIZE]

a. Certain significant events have been the result of the activity of a small group who secretly manipulate world events.
b. Experiments involving new drugs or technologies are routinely carried out on the public without their knowledge or consent.
c. The government is trying to cover up the link between vaccines and autism.

[COLUMNS]

01. Definitely true
02. Probably true
03. Probably false
04. Definitely false
98. Don't know

22. Area

Which of the following best describes the area where you live?

01. Urban or suburban area
02. Rural area or small town
99. Prefer not to answer

23. Education

What is the highest level of education that you have reached?

01. Some elementary
02. Completed elementary
03. Some high school
04. Completed high school
05. Some college/vocational/trade school/commercial/CEGEP
06. Completed college/vocational/trade school/ commercial/CEGEP
07. Some university (No degree or diploma obtained)
08. Completed university (Diploma or bachelor degree)
09. Post-graduate university/professional school (Master's, PhD, or any professional degree)
96. Other (specify)
98. Don't know
99. Prefer not to answer

24. Employment

What best describes your current employment status?

01. Working full-time (35 or more hours per week)
02. Working part-time (less than 35 hours per week)
03. Self-employed
04. DELETED ITEM
05. Unemployed, and looking for work
06. A student attending school
07. Training for a trade (e.g. apprenticeship)
08. Retired
09. A caregiver or homemaker
10. Not working due to illness/disability, or not looking for work
11. Temporarily not working (e.g. parental leave, seasonal worker, in the process of changing jobs)
96. Other, please specify: [TEXT]
99. Prefer not to answer

25. Indigenous

Are you First Nation, Métis, or Inuk (Inuit)?

01. No, not First Nations, Métis or Inuk (Inuit)
02. Yes, First Nations
03. Yes, Métis
04. Yes, Inuit
99. Prefer not to answer

[Hide if Indigenous=02-04]

26. Immigrant

Are you an immigrant to Canada?

01. No, I was born a Canadian citizen
02. Yes, I was born abroad and I became a citizen before 2016
03. Yes, I was born abroad and I became a citizen in or after 2016
99. Prefer not to answer

27. Disability

Do you have a disability?

01. Yes
02. No
99. Prefer not to say

28. PastVoting

In each election, many people don't or can't vote for a variety of reasons. Thinking about all elections (municipal, provincial and federal) since you have been eligible to vote, have you voted in none of them, some, most, or all of them?

01. None of them
02. Some of them
03. Most of them
04. All of them
98. Don't know/don't remember

[Hide if YOB>2003 or PastVoting=01]

29. VotedLastGE

The most recent federal election was held on September 20, 2021. Which of the following statements describes you?

01. I did not vote in the 2021 federal election
02. I thought about voting this time but didn't vote
03. I usually vote but didn't this time
04. I am sure I voted in the 2021 federal election
98. Don't know/don't remember
99. I was not eligible to vote in September 2021

ONLINE CLOSING PAGE

That concludes the survey. This survey was conducted on behalf of Elections Canada. Thank you very much for your thoughtful feedback. It is much appreciated.

If you have any questions about this survey, you can contact Elections Canada: Contact Elections Canada.

If you have any reason to believe that your personal information is not being handled in accordance with the Privacy Act, you have a right to complain to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada:

Toll-free: 1-800-282-1376

TTY: (819) 994-6591

Web: Go to www.priv.gc.ca, "Report a concern"