Executive Summary

Leger Marketing Inc. (Leger) is pleased to present this report to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) on the findings from a qualitative study and the second wave of the National Adaptation Strategy quantitative survey, designed to learn about the vulnerabilities that people living in Canada are facing from climate change.

1.1 Background and objectives

More and more evidence is pointing to the urgency for climate action, underscoring the need for communities to adapt to the changing climate and prepare for the most challenging impacts of climate change. A noticeable increase in extreme weather events across Canada, such as wildfires, extreme heat and floods, have made the importance of adapting to a changing climate top of mind for people living in Canada.

Under the strengthened climate plan, released in December 2020, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, the Government of Canada committed to develop a National Adaptation Strategy to create a more ambitious, strategic, and collaborative approach to climate adaptation. Released in June 2023, the Strategy outlines a shared vision for a more climate-resilient Canada, identifies key priorities for increased collaboration, and establishes a framework for measuring progress at the national level to help communities and residents of Canada better adapt to and prepare for the impacts of climate change.

A crucial part of determining what actions are feasible or would be easily adopted by residents is to first understand their opinions and perspectives on climate change.

A first survey was conducted in 2022. In 2023, a qualitative study was conducted through focus groups with individuals living in at-risk communities and/or who have experienced extreme climate events. The qualitative wave was followed by a second wave of the survey, after the questionnaire was updated in light of the findings of the two studies.

The focus groups and the survey addressed different objectives.

The focus groups were aimed at identifying the public’s perceptions of adaptation terminology and actions, including:

· Determining and evaluating which adaptation terms, examples, and rationales resonate with people living in Canada the most;

· Hearing first-hand from people living in Canada who have experienced a climate-related event (e.g., wildfire, floods, hurricanes, extreme heat) or face the slower onset impacts of climate change every day (e.g., coastal erosion, permafrost thaw, degrading water quality). Hearing their stories, examples, and solutions that they find empowering and/or enabling will help ECCC further determine language that resonates with people living in Canada and develop future communications on climate change adaptation (e.g., toolkits, factsheets).

The survey was designed to provide ECCC with insights on:

· Whether people living in Canada understand the impacts of climate change and its effects on health and safety, the environment, the economy, and society;

· Whether people living in Canada are aware of governmental actions being taken to adapt to the impacts of climate change;

· What adaptation solutions people living in Canada are aware of in their communities and beyond, and whether they would support increased investments for these solutions;

· What language and framing resonates with people living in Canada in terms of adapting and building resilience to the impacts of climate change and increasing literacy on this issue.

This report presents the results of the qualitative study and the second survey wave.

The total estimated value of this contract amounts to CAD $135,734.47 (including HST).

Intended use of the research

The findings of the survey will be used in the development of policies, programs and initiatives, pertaining to the National Adaptation Strategy to improve communications, to gain critical insights on the opinions, issues, and challenges Canadians are facing, and to better prepare communities for the impacts of climate change.

1.2 Qualitative methodology

Leger conducted a series of ten focus group sessions with French-speaking and English-speaking Canadians. Conducting the groups online offered the opportunity to regroup people from all the regions in Canada. All groups were conducted with individuals who have experienced climate-related events and/or live in a community most affected by climate change impacts. Five groups were conducted with Canadians living in urban areas, and the remaining five were conducted with Canadians living in rural areas. Overall, two focus groups were conducted in French (one of each demographic), and the remaining eight were conducted in English.

For each online discussion session, ten participants were recruited by Leger with the help of CRC Research professional recruiters. A total of 91 recruits participated in the online discussion sessions. All participants in each discussion session received an honorarium of $125. All groups were held on August 8th, 9th, 16th and 17th, 2023.

Groups were held in the following regions on the dates specified in Table 1.

Table 1.1. Detailed recruitment

GR	Region	Recruits	Participants	Target	Language	Date	Time
1	Quebec + Atlantic	10	9	People living in an urban area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster (general population, including Indigenous representation)	English	August 8^th	5pm EST
2	Alberta + Manitoba + Saskatchewan+ NWT + Nunavut	10	9	People living in an urban area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster (general population, including Indigenous representation)	English	August 8^th	7pm EST
3	Ontario	10	9	People living in an urban area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster (general population, including Indigenous representation)	English	August 9^th	5pm EST
4	British Columbia + Yukon	10	8	People living in an urban area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster (general population, including Indigenous representation)	English	August 9^th	7pm EST
5	Quebec + Atlantic	10	9	People living in an urban area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster (general population, including Indigenous representation)	French	August 8^th	5pm EST
6	Quebec + Atlantic	10	9	People living in a rural area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster general population, including Indigenous representation).	English	August 16^th	5pm EST
7	Alberta + Manitoba + Saskatchewan+ NWT + Nunavut	10	10	People living in a rural area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster general population, including Indigenous representation).	English	August 16^th	7pm EST
8	Ontario	10	9	People living in a rural area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster general population, including Indigenous representation).	English	August 17^th	5pm EST
9	British Columbia + Yukon	10	9	People living in a rural area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster general population, including Indigenous representation).	English	August 17^th	7pm EST
10	Quebec + Atlantic	10	10	People living in a rural area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster general population, including Indigenous representation).	French	August 8^th	7pm EST
Total		100	91

1.3 Overview of the qualitative findings

Attitudes towards climate change and level of worry

· A large majority of the participants said that they are currently worried about climate change. Most participants were concerned since heat records have been broken around the world recently. They were also worried because wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and other extreme events related to climate change are happening more and more, and the weather patterns seem to be changing as well (not the same amount of snow in winter, hotter and longer summers, less-defined seasons). Some participants also mentioned they were worried because more areas in Canada started to flood, even if they were not prone to flooding.

· A lot of participants mentioned that they are very concerned with governments who are continuing to prioritize the economy and are not doing enough to fight climate change. They also expressed their concerns about big producers and other countries that continue to damage the environment through actively harmful practices.

· Participants were also worried about the consequences of climate-related events on their daily lives. Moreover, older participants mentioned that they were more worried for the well-being and the sustainability of future generations than theirs.

· A few participants said that they were not concerned about climate change because they believe that the planet has been experiencing these natural courses of changes for centuries.

· A vast majority of the participants agreed that climate-related events were more frequent nowadays. Most of the participants stated that they have seen much more news on environmental disasters happening in Canada and around the world. Besides, some of them reported being significantly more affected by heatwaves, floods, wildfires, tornadoes, or thunderstorms lately.

· Older participants mentioned that they have seen drastic changes in the weather (unusual summer temperatures and precipitations, hotter temperatures overall) and noted that the tornadoes or the heatwaves that are currently taking place in their areas never occurred in the past.

· Some participants were not convinced that climate-related events are more frequent because they believed that the climate-related events are over-mediatized on the Internet and on social media, which can influence how people perceive the frequency of these events.

Terminology testing

[…] means planning for and acting on the anticipated impacts of climate change. It involves making changes to how we live and what we do before climate change impacts happen in order to reduce their impact, as well as being more ready to respond to increasingly likely and frequent extreme events. It includes adjusting our decisions to account for the changes to the climate that we know are still to come.

· During the second part of the discussion, participants were invited to evaluate different phrases and terminologies pertaining to the subject in order to determine those that are the most evocative. Participants were shown the definition presented above and were asked about their opinion.

· Across all groups, a vast majority of participants mentioned that this definition refers to the needs for preparation, adjustments, or adaptations to cope with the inevitable extreme events related to climate change. A lot of participants also see this definition as an urge to change their consumer habits and lifestyle to try to stop climate change or, at least, to minimize its impacts.

· Most of the participants also agreed that environmental responsibility does not only apply to individuals. Some participants expressed their frustration as they felt they were doing their part but felt helpless when seeing the negative impacts of big companies and governments on the environment. According to them, governments and businesses must be held accountable, and be proactive in the support and implementation of the required changes to protect the environment.

· Many participants felt that this definition was only a vague and general statement, as they felt it didn’t provide concrete and specific solutions or explanations on how to be well prepared. While some participants noted that this definition is good and exhaustive, other participants thought that this definition is outdated because changes are needed now, considering how severe the situation is.

· Participants were asked to come up with a term that fits the definition, and the terms “climate preparedness” and “climate change adaptation” were among the most common.

· Participants were also invited to pick the term that fits the most among a pre-determined list. “Climate preparedness” was the term that fit the most with the presented definition according to the English-speaking participants, except in Quebec, British Columbia, and Yukon.

· Among the French-speaking participants, “Climate preparedness” (“Préparation aux changements climatiques” in French) was the least popular term and ‘’Climate change adaptation’’ (“Adaptation aux changements climatiques” in French) was the most popular term.

· Those who preferred “Climate preparedness” felt the term was more active than “adaptation”, which was seen as passive. On the other hand, those who preferred “Climate change adaptation” felt that it was too late to talk about preparation considering the advanced stage of climate change.

· In a second polling exercise, participants had to rate the terms on the feelings they evoked (positive, neutral, or negative). “Climate preparedness” evoked positive feelings for the participants who live in urban areas while “Being climate-ready” evoked positive feelings for the participants who live in rural areas.

· Even though ‘’Climate change adaptation’’ (“Adaptation aux changements climatiques” in French) was the most popular term for the French-speaking participants, it still evoked negative feelings for them.

· All the terms usually evoked neutral feelings to the participants who live in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

· Generally, only a few participants had heard of “Climate change adaptation”, and even fewer were familiar with the National Adaptation Strategy. The participants who live in urban areas had never heard of the two terms before. The participants who live in rural areas, particularly those who live in rural areas of Quebec, were more likely to have heard about “Climate change adaptation” or the National Adaptation Strategy before.

Experiences with climate change impacts

· Across all groups, a vast majority of participants have lived through a climate-related event directly, and all of them have faced some sort of climate-related impact, whether they lived through the event or not. Participants living in rural areas were significantly more impacted by climate change and its impacts.

· Types of climate-related events varied among provinces: in British Columbia and Yukon, participants were more likely to have lived through wildfires, those in the Atlantic provinces were more likely to mention floods and sea-level rise, while those in Quebec and Ontario were more likely to have lived through tornadoes, snow, ice and hailstorms, and high winds. Participants from the Prairies and Central Canada reported a variety of climate events, namely droughts, floods, hailstorms, and wildfires.

· Participants suffered different types of consequences in varying levels of severity: property losses (personal vehicle or house), material damages to the property (mainly due to floods and high winds), lost access to key infrastructure (road closures, damaged roads, power outages lasting several days, cell service outages, compromised water access), physical health impacts (asthma and respiratory complications from poor air quality due to wildfires), mental health impacts (feelings of helplessness, anxiety and stress over the observed losses and uncertainty of the future).

· Some participants mentioned the economic impacts of the different climate-related events in their industry: drowned or dried up crops, transportation and shipping delays, delayed flights, decreasing levels of tourism in the affected areas, etc.

· Participants highlighted the importance of the community coming together and peers helping each other in these difficult times. The importance of solidarity in the community was two-fold: to help those affected materially through food, shelter, and manpower to repair the damages caused by the event, and to provide emotional and mental support in these difficult times.

· Participants reiterated and insisted on the importance of sticking together and having people to talk to and help each other. They also mentioned monitoring social media usage as the content was often deemed anxiety-inducing.

· Preparation-wise, participants mentioned the crucial aspect of having emergency kits and stocking up on non-perishable goods and essential products for the events (floods, wildfires, high winds…) that could cause them to be stranded or lose access to necessities.

· Some participants stated they installed air conditioning units recently to face the frequent heatwaves, and air purifiers to help with indoor air quality when wildfire smoke is polluting the air in their area. Setting up the conditions to be alerted when an event is about to occur, and making reinforcements to the house when possible were also mentioned as key measures.

· A few participants also mentioned the work done by their municipality to better prepare for upcoming floods, like dike systems and floodwater retention systems.

· Some participants mentioned their feeling of helplessness and felt like there was not much they could do besides basic preparation.

· In terms of information, participants stated that their main source for alerts was The Weather Network and the Government of Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada warnings (through the same system as Amber alerts).

· A few participants stated the alerts were inefficient in some cases as they only received them after the event started, but most appreciated the heads up as knowing even a few minutes ahead can make a huge difference.

· During and after the event, participants used Facebook and other social media to stay in touch with their community, organize, plan, and share resources.

· Participants had varying levels of expectations towards the government and how they could help, with rural participants having the highest expectations overall and exhibiting the highest levels of disappointment towards the government. But several participants (across all provinces) were somewhat unsure as to what the government could do to help them prepare.

· Participants often mentioned they had no idea what the government was doing in terms of climate preparedness and wished they had easier access to that information.

· Some participants had a perception that the different levels of government were “passing the buck” and not being accountable for their own responsibility in the situation. Participants felt that governments used the lack of funding as an excuse for their perceived lack of action.

· Some participants felt that provincial and federal governments should play a role of support by providing the necessary funds and resources to municipalities and let them manage their preparedness.

· Some participants believed that a majority of the solutions came from the municipal level of government, as cities had to manage the problems that they were facing in terms of infrastructure resilience and climate event impacts. Several participants shared municipal initiatives in their cities that helped climate preparedness efforts (municipally managed information-sharing smartphone application, dike systems, tree planting, etc.).

Detailed qualitative results are provided in section 2.1.

1.4 Quantitative methodology

This public opinion research was conducted via a hybrid approach, using Computer Aided Telephone Interviewing (CATI) technology and Computer Aided Web Interviewing (CAWI) technology. Fieldwork for the survey was carried out from November 30, 2023, to January 24, 2024. A total of 2,024 Canadians aged 18 or older were surveyed, with a focus on those who have been most affected by climate change impacts. Detailed information on the communities that were included in the sampling procedure is presented in Appendix A.2.5. The survey targeted the general population and individuals who have been most affected by climate change impacts, who were originally supposed to be targeted via telephone. However, considering the response rate and the numbers available, data collection maximized web respondents to help reach the objectives. Ultimately, the sample included 877 respondents living in a community that is impacted by climate change, making up 43% of the overall unweighted sample. The average length of interview was 12 minutes and 48 seconds on the web, and 19 minutes on the phone.

Leger used their panel to target randomized people for the general population and for the web portion and used their phone lists for the telephone interviews for the populations most impacted by climate change. The response rates for the web and phone portions of the survey were 9% and 13% respectively, meaning for every 100 web survey invites, 9 people completed the survey, and for every 100 phone calls, 13 completed the survey. Since panel-based samples are not probabilistic in nature, no margin of error can be calculated. However, for analysis purposes, statistically significant differences are included in the report as a reference, comparable to those obtained from a similar probability sample.

Weighting was done according to age, gender, province, education, spoken language, presence of children in the household, and belonging to a community that is most affected by climate change or not, to help readjust the sample for minor imbalances.

Leger adheres to the most stringent guidelines for quantitative research. The survey instrument was compliant with the Standards of Conduct of Government of Canada Public Opinion Research.

A complete methodological description is provided in the Appendices section of this document (please see Appendix A).

1.5 Overview of the quantitative findings

Attitudes towards climate change

· Climate change is perceived as an important issue by a vast majority of respondents (84%), with around half of Canadians considering it very important (47%). And out of four Canadians, three stated being concerned about its impacts on Canada (77%).

· Two thirds of Canadians agreed that climate change impacts have become more severe over the past year (65%) and that they will become more severe in the next 5 to 10 years (68%).

· Future generations (63%), protecting agriculture and food production (62%), and conserving nature and biodiversity (52%) were deemed the three most important reasons to adapt to climate change.

· While respondents were afraid of climate change impacts on themselves, their friends, family and community (68%), they remained motivated to do what they can to protect themselves (83%) and confident that there will be solutions (62%).

· Around a third of respondents felt hopeless (36%), and a similar proportion felt they did not have enough knowledge about it to form an opinion (37%).

· Respondents from Quebec, the Territories, and British Columbia were more pessimistic and had overall more negative attitudes towards climate change, but Quebec residents were more likely to stay motivated (89%) and be confident about solutions (68%).

· Half of respondents said that they are part of a community (48%), but one in five noted that they are not close enough to people in their community to ask for a favour (20%).

Preparation measures

· Around a fifth of respondents felt like they did enough already to help themselves and their family adapt to the future impacts of climate change (21%).

· A third of respondents (38%) have taken measures such as making their homes more resilient or adapting their activities to counter climate change effects, with a significantly higher proportion of Territories residents (65%) stating so.

· When asked about the level of familiarity they have with preparation and safety measures in case of climate-related event, six out of ten respondents (59%) report being familiar with how to prepare for climate change.

· Rated on a 0-10 scale, having an emergency kit (8.0), planting trees, gardens, vegetable gardens or rain gardens (7.8), and installing a generator, solar panels, or power storage (7.5) were the three measures considered the most helpful in reducing an individual's risk to climate change impacts.

· Regarding reducing a community's risk to climate change impacts, wildfire management (7.8), general emergency management planning (7.7), and stormwater, flood, or erosion management (7.6) were deemed the most helpful.

Climate change impacts and extreme climate-related event experiences

· Heatwaves were the most commonly experienced climate-related event (54%), followed by high winds/hurricanes/tornadoes (36%) and flooding (34%). Around 23% of Canadians experienced drought, and 22% experienced wildfire.

· Those who experienced climate-related events were impacted through physical health problems (18%), losing access to a critical utility or essential supplies (14%), having house or property damage (14%), having to spend money to address the impacts (13%), and having mental health problems (12%).

· For almost two-thirds of those who experienced a climate-related event, it took less than a year for their life to return to normal (62%)

· Six-in-ten of them considered that their municipality took sufficient action (59%), and little over half of respondents agreed their community took sufficient action (56%). This number fell to 49% for provincial or territorial governments, and to 42% for the federal government.

· Around a fifth of respondents who have been most affected by climate change and experienced an extreme climate event expected more support from their provincial or territorial government (22%), their local government (20%), and the federal government (20%).

Expectations towards governments and National Adaptation Strategy

· A little less than three-in-ten respondents agreed that enough is being done by all orders of government to minimize climate risks (29%) and to help Canadians prepare for climate change (28%).

· According to respondents, the most helpful information to know in order to better prepare for climate-related events are what to do when the event occurs (56%), where to go if utilities are not available (47%), and how to protect property ahead of time (46%).

· The federal government (29%) and the provincial or territorial governments (26%) were the main levels of government held responsible for communicating this information.

· Respondents were torn about their communication preferences, but SMS alerts (20%), television (18%), weather forecast app/website (16%), and the weather network website (15%) were the most popular.

· Awareness of the National Adaptation Strategy increased to 8% in 2023 (from 5% in 2022), but understanding remains low, as over two thirds could not provide an answer (68%).

· When talking about climate change and impacts, English-speaking respondents generally preferred the term “climate preparedness and adaptation” (31%), while French-speaking ones favored the term "Se préparer aux changements climatiques" ("Preparing for climate change") (35%).

Focus on those who live in an at-risk community

· Respondents who live in an at-risk community were more likely to think that climate change issues have become worse (73%), but they were more motivated to protect themselves (87%).

· They were more likely to have taken measures to prepare their household for climate change (47%), but still feel like they could do more.

· They were more likely to report having experienced climate-related events, mainly high winds/hurricanes/tornadoes (51%), flooding (33%) and coastal erosion (12%) and to have experienced impacts due to these events, namely: losing access to a critical utility or essential supplies (22%), house/property damage (20%), and being physically stuck in a specific area for more than an hour (13%).

· Regarding the handling of the event, they were more likely to feel like their community took sufficient action (62%), but that the federal government did not (42%). On the same note, they were also more likely to disagree that enough is being done by all orders of government to help Canadians prepare for climate change (67%).

· In terms of communication preferences, those living in at-risk communities were more likely to prefer staying informed through the television (23%), The Weather Network website (21%) and the radio (11%).

· While they were not more likely to know of the National Adaptation Strategy, those who did were more likely to mention it includes solutions to reduce the environmental pollution (19%).

· Finally, they were more likely to consider they were part of a community (45%).

Tracking evolution of survey results

Overall, results from the study remained stable since 2022. When interpreting these evolutions, it is important to keep in mind the difference in data collection questions and periods between the two waves that might impact respondents’ attitudes and their recall of climate-related events. The main tracking differences include:

· A small decrease in the proportion of respondents considering that climate change is a very important issue for all Canadians (47% compared to 53%), and who are very concerned about its impacts on Canada (35% compared to 40%).

· A slight decrease in the proportion of those who feel that climate change impacts have become more severe (65% compared to 70% in 2022), and slight increase in the proportion of those who feel that climate change impacts will stay the same in the next 5 to 10 years (22% compared to 18%).

· An increase of the proportion of those who consider they don’t have enough knowledge to form an opinion (37% compared to 32%).

· In terms of extreme climate events experiences, there was a strong uptick in the proportion of those who experienced wildfires or their impacts (36% compared to 19%), and a decrease in the proportion of those who experienced heatwaves (54% compared to 59%), flooding (23% compared to 34%), and coastal erosion (6% compared to 11%).

· Regarding expectations towards governments for support, there was a decrease in support expectations from the provincial or territorial government (22% compared to 30% in 2022) and the federal government (20% compared to 31%), and an increase in expectations from the local government (20% compared to 15% in 2022).

· A small increase in awareness of the National Adaptation Strategy is also to be noted (8% compared to 5% in 2022).

Detailed quantitative results can be found in section 2.2.

1.6 Notes on interpretation of the research findings

The views and observations expressed in this document do not reflect those of Environment and Climate Change Canada. This report was compiled by Leger, based on the research conducted specifically for this project.

1.7 Political neutrality certification

I hereby certify as Senior Researcher at Leger Marketing 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: A close-up of a logo

Description automatically generated

Christian Bourque

Senior Researcher, Léger

Date: March 28, 2024

2.1 Detailed qualitative results

2.1.1 Familiarity and Opinion on Climate Change Adaptation and Rationales

Concerns about Climate Change

Most of the participants said that they were worried about climate change. Most participants were worried because they believed extreme events related to climate change were happening more and more often in Canada and around the world. Many of them were concerned by the series of wildfires in British Columbia, in Alberta and in Quebec, or the historic floods in Nova Scotia in July 2023. Some participants expressed their concerns about the worsening events related to climate change (heatwaves, hurricanes, sea level rise) in several provinces across the country. Concerns were raised both on the frequency but also on the severity of these climate change-related events.

A lot of respondents, particularly among the older age cohorts and those living in rural areas, were worried about the massive changes they have seen in the weather patterns in the country. They emphasized that the temperatures and humidity during the hot seasons were at the highest they have ever seen in their lives. They also pointed out that the summers were longer than before: “The hot months used to be in July and August. Now, it’s hot in September and it was really hot in May and June” (participant from rural Manitoba). Because of climate change, they stressed that there were less defined seasons and less snow in winter than they were used to. Some participants were worried because more areas in Canada that were not prone to flooding or tornadoes were starting to experience these events. For rural Canadians, concerns over crops and agriculture were mentioned spontaneously.

Participants who come from other countries or those who have traveled frequently in the last few years underlined the overwhelming heat, dysregulated seasons as well as deteriorating air and water quality occurring in the world. They also pointed out the heat records that have been broken recently around the world as a source of concern.

Across all provinces, participants were worried about the consequences of climate-related events on their daily lives. Besides the harmful impacts that they had to deal with (e.g., evacuation, destruction of their homes, material losses, loss of key infrastructures, flight delays), many participants, especially those living in rural areas and that have already been hit by floods or wildfires, said they were anxious about the uncertainties surrounding the extreme events: “The biggest concern with the fires or tornadoes is that we don’t know when it’s coming. It can happen at any time” (participant in rural Manitoba).

A couple of participants believed that due to the massive damage that humanity has done to the planet, it was too late to reverse some of the worst effects of climate change. Witnessing all the extreme climate events, they shared that they were worried about the existence and the future of human beings: “Are we going to be like the dinosaurs? Are we going to die out any day now?” (participant from urban Quebec). A participant living in a rural area expressed that she was anxious about potential wildfires in her sector due to reduced mobility: “If a fire breaks out in the forest behind my house, what do I do? What can I do to save my life?“ (participant from rural Quebec).

Participants were concerned that the well-being and the sustainability of future generations were being threatened by climate change. Older participants were not worried about themselves, considering that any disaster related to climate change would not happen in their lifetime. However, whether they have children or not, they mentioned that they were scared for today’s children and future generations who were more likely to be exposed and vulnerable to the extreme events related to climate change. Some younger participants, who initially wanted to have children later, were questioning this desire due to the extreme events that were not only happening more and more, but also getting worse.

A few participants said that they were not concerned about climate change because they believed that the planet has been experiencing these natural courses of changes for centuries. One participant raised some doubts about the validity and temporality of certain statistics: “I saw something the other day where it said that temperatures are up like the highest they’ve ever been in 100,000 years. But how do we know we’ve never seen things like this before? I don’t even understand how. We weren’t collecting that data that long ago” (participant from urban Quebec). Some participants talked about the ability of human beings to adapt or to find solutions to minimize the impacts of the disasters related to climate change.

Opinion on the Frequency of Climate-related Events

A vast majority of the participants agreed that climate-related events were more frequent. In addition to the disasters occurring in Canada, many participants talked about the environmental disasters happening more and more around the world. For instance, they mentioned the fires and intense heatwaves in Africa and Europe, or the tropical storms that battered the Dominican Republic. Many participants underlined that the environmental disasters were not only a more common topic of discussion in their daily lives but were also more frequent on social media and in the news. A participant pointed out that climate-related events were now part of the trending news: “In 2013 or 2014, if you turned on the news, the first five events would be national or international issues. Now, if you turn on the news in 2023, the two or three out the first five events are going to be weather or climate change related” (participant from rural Ontario).

Most of the participants across the country, especially those living in rural areas, reported being more affected by climate-related events lately. They mentioned that heatwaves, floods, wildfires, tornadoes, or thunderstorms were happening a lot more in their areas than in the previous years. They also pointed out that the impacts of those extreme events were increasingly noticeable: evacuations, damaged infrastructure, deaths, etc. In rural areas, the impacts of those events were obvious according to the participants: “You don’t have to watch the news. You just go out the door and you are seeing it” (participant living in rural Ontario).

Across the country, older participants mentioned that they saw drastic changes in the weather. They reported that the scorching heat, which was quite rare or unusual in the past, became recurrent in their area. A lot of participants talked about the inconsistency of the weather. Most of them agreed that the summers were hotter than before: “I grew up down on the coast and when the temperatures hit 25, that was the hottest day ever. Now, they're hitting 35" (participant living in rural British Columbia). Some participants expressed that the winter tends to start later and that there were tremendous changes in the amount of snow that some regions receive (much more snow in some places, much less in others). Participants living in urban areas were more likely to note that certain extreme events that were currently taking place in their areas never occurred in the past. They mentioned that intense heat over long periods or violent tornadoes they experienced recently were a new phenomenon in their area. Some of the participants felt that the weather patterns and phenomena, that were more common in the west, were moving east.

Several participants were not convinced that climate-related events were more frequent than before. Many of them reminded that there was no internet, no social media to view the weather issues around the world back in the days. They also reminded everyone that no alerts or messages were available on their phone from weather networks as a warning of an upcoming extreme event before. With constant alerts on the phone, numerous people on social media and on the internet, participants were convinced that climate-related events were over-mediatized, which could influence how people perceive the frequency of these events.

2.1.2 Terminology testing

Meaning and Opinion on the Definition

During the second part of the discussion, participants were invited to evaluate different sentences and terminologies pertaining to the subject in order to determine those that were the most evocative. Participants were shown the definition presented below and were asked about their opinion.

Across all groups, many participants mentioned that this definition refers to the need for preparation. Many participants were convinced that the effects of climate change were happening and that extreme events related to climate change were going to happen more frequently at this point. To cope with them, they believed that the best people can do is to be prepared. For the participants, preparation could refer to measures such as having a generator in case of power loss, supplies of water and non-perishable food, spare batteries, or charger. Certain participants living in rural areas often talked about emergency preparedness, which refers to having an emergency kit ready and being able to evacuate when natural disasters occur.

A lot of participants, particularly those living in urban areas of Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, saw this definition as a call to action and an urge to change their consumer habits and lifestyle to try to stop climate change or, at least, to minimize its impacts. French-speaking participants mentioned that this definition means that people need to be environmentally aware, to hold themselves accountable and become actors of change.

Several participants, mostly those living in Quebec or in the Atlantic provinces, had the impression that this definition implied that the responsibility to make changes solely fell on the population. Although many of them started composting or recycling and changed their consumption and eating habits, participants mentioned that they had the impression that more efforts and changes were expected from them: “We are being asked to be more Catholic than the pope” (participant from rural Quebec). They agreed that they needed to do their part, but they added that environmental responsibility doesn’t only apply to individuals. They expressed their frustration and felt helpless when seeing the negative impacts of big companies and governments on the environment. Overall, participants frequently mentioned that big companies caused more damage to the planet with their harmful practices. Therefore, in terms of making changes and accountability, they would put the focus on the big companies. They also said that the governments were not doing enough to fight climate change and must be more proactive in the support and the implementation of the required changes to protect the environment.

However, a greater number of participants, mostly from Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, were not satisfied with the definition. In their opinion, the suggested definition seemed to insinuate that climate change impacts haven’t happened yet. Considering how severe the situation is, they all agreed that climate change impacts were already being felt and that it’s too late to anticipate them. Their feeling was that this definition is outdated and that changes were needed: “This definition is completely outdated. The anticipated changes are already here. The point of no return is already here. It would have been good ten years ago, but it’s outdated today” (French-speaking participant from rural Quebec).

A few participants noted that this definition was the most common, complete, and exhaustive because it applies to everybody in every level: to individuals, communities, territories, and cities. Other participants thought that the definition proves the government’s intentions to be proactive, to take accountability and to make the appropriate adjustments.

However, some participants felt that this definition was only a vague and general statement, and it didn’t provide concrete and specific solutions or explanations on how to be well prepared: “The way it is formulated shows a lack of standard procedure of what are the solutions. It is very vague and doesn’t go into the specifics. Here, it is just words” (participant from rural Quebec). The way that this definition was formulated did not give, to certain participants, the impression that the government intends to make concrete changes to mitigate the consequences of climate change. They also wanted more than just a definition, they would have liked a plan that explains to them properly what changes to do and how do to them.

Most-fitting Term with the Definition

Participants were also invited to pick the term that fits the definition best among a pre-determined list. For participants living in Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories, “Climate preparedness” was the term that fits the most with the presented definition. Among the French-speaking participants living in Quebec or in the Atlantic provinces, “Climate preparedness” (“Préparation aux changements climatiques” in French) was the least popular term.

Except in Ontario, the term “Preparing for climate change” was the least popular for the English-speaking participants living in rural areas. Among the French-speaking participants, the opinion about the term “Preparing for climate change” (“Se préparer aux changements climatiques” in French) varies according to the area. For the French-speaking participants living in the urban areas of Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, the term was among the least popular ones. As opposed to the French-speaking participants living in the urban areas of Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, the ones living in the rural areas of the same provinces agreed that “Preparing for climate change” (“Se préparer aux changements climatiques” in French) was the term that fits the most with the definition presented.

Participants who picked “Climate preparedness” or “Preparing for climate change” felt those terms were more proactive than “adaptation”, which was seen as too passive. Others chose one of those terms because they believed that preparedness was the only way to deal with the extreme events that we can’t avoid anymore. On the other hand, a couple of participants were convinced that we can still prevent the climate-related events from happening. Therefore, there was still room for preparedness according to them. Moreover, a participant believed that the younger generations were more conscious and aware of the dangers of climate change and that’s why they were more inclined to prepare for climate change. For the participants, especially the French-speaking ones, what tipped the scale between “Climate preparedness” or “Preparing for climate change” was a matter of syntax or wording.

The participants who did not choose the terms “Climate preparedness” or “Preparing for climate change” believed that preparedness would have been possible ten or twenty years ago. However, knowing that climate change impacts were already being felt, it’s too late for preparedness. Others mentioned that these terms were not specific enough. When it came to preparedness, they expected a concrete plan that details the measures to take and how to implement them.

“Climate change adaptation” was very divisive among the participants. English-speaking participants living in the urban areas, except those living in British Columbia and Yukon, did not pick it as the term that fits the most with the definition. In contrast, French-speaking participants, regardless of the area, agreed that “Climate change adaptation” (“Adaptation aux changements climatiques” in French) was the term that fits the most with the definition. English-speaking participants living in the rural and urban areas of British Columbia and Yukon also agreed that it’s the term that fits the most.

“Adapting to climate change” was also very divisive among the participants. English-speaking participants living in all areas of British Columbia and Yukon did not pick “Adapting to climate change” as the term that fits the most with the definition. Participants living in the urban areas of Quebec and the Atlantic provinces also indicated that it’s not the most-fitting term with the definition. On the other hand, participants living in the rural areas of Quebec and the Atlantic provinces agreed that “Adapting to climate change” (“S’adapter aux changements climatiques” in French) fitted the most with the definition.

Many participants who picked “Climate change adaptation” or “Adapting to climate change” believed that adaptation was the only alternative given that the effects of climate change were irreversible. Participants who did not pick the terms related to adaptation thought that adaptation was too passive and doesn’t convey the sense of urgency. Furthermore, they considered that adaptation sounded like rolling with the punches. A lot of them mentioned that they would rather stop climate change than adapt to it. For other participants, the terms related to adaptation were not familiar terms or were too wordy. One participant also expressed his confusion and did not see a difference between “Climate change adaptation” or “Adapting to climate change”.

“Being-climate ready” (“Être prêt aux changements climatiques” in French) was not the term that fits the most with the definition. Only the English-speaking participants living in urban Quebec and the Atlantic provinces agreed that it fits the most with the definition. Most of the participants who did not choose “Being-climate ready” mentioned that they did not feel the urgency in the phrase.

Feelings Evoked by the Terms

In a second polling exercise, participants had to rate the terms on the feelings they evoked (positive, neutral, or negative). Even though “Climate change adaptation” (“Adaptation aux changements climatiques” in French) was the term that fit the definition best for the French-speaking participants, it still evoked negative feelings for them. The term also brought up negative feelings for the participants living in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, whether they lived in a rural or urban area. In the other provinces of the country, “Climate change adaptation” mostly evoked neutral feelings to the participants.

Among the English-speaking participants, “Adapting to climate change” (“S’adapter aux changements climatiques” in French) evoked neutral feelings among the urban areas, except for the ones living in the urban areas of Ontario, for whom the term mostly brought up positive feelings. In the rural areas, the term conjured neutral feelings among the English-speaking participants living in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, and evoked negative feelings in the rural areas of Ontario, British Columbia and Yukon.

“Climate preparedness” (“Préparation aux changements climatiques” in French) also brought up neutral feelings in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, regardless of the areas. While, in other urban areas, it mainly evoked positive feelings, the term was not associated with positive feelings in the first place. It mostly conjured neutral feelings for the English-speaking participants living in the rural areas and mainly evoked negative feelings to the French-speaking participants living in the rural areas of Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.

“Preparing for climate change” (“Se préparer aux changements climatiques” in French) was not mainly associated with negative feelings. It brought up positive feelings for the participants living in the urban areas of Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. In the rural areas, it only evoked positive feelings for the English-speaking participants living in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. The term always recalled neutral feelings for the participants living in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories, regardless of the areas.

“Being climate ready” (“Être prêt aux changements climatiques” in French) was generally more associated with positive feelings. Except for those living in the urban areas of British Columbia and Yukon, it mostly evoked positive feelings to the participants living in urban areas of the country. The term brought up neutral feelings to the participants living in the rural areas of Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories. In the rural areas of Quebec, the Atlantic provinces, Ontario, British Columbia, and Yukon, it generally evoked positive feelings to the English-speaking participants. It was also the only term that mainly recalled positive feelings in the urban areas of Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories. In these provinces, the other terms mainly evoked neutral feelings to the participants.

Knowledge of the Terms “Climate Change Adaptation” and “National Adaptation Strategy”

Generally, only a few participants had heard of “Climate change adaptation”, and even fewer were familiar with the National Adaptation Strategy. The participants who live in urban areas had never heard of the two terms before. The participants who live in rural areas, particularly those who live in rural areas of Quebec, were more likely to have heard about “Climate change adaptation” or the National Adaptation Strategy before. Those who had heard of the terms mainly did so through their work. Only one person mentioned having seen the terms on the Government of Canada website. Even those who had heard of either of the two terms had very limited knowledge on the topic.

2.1.3 Experiences with Climate Change Impacts

Climate-related Events and Description

Almost all participants stated they have lived through an extreme climate-related event, and all of them were impacted by some sort of climate-event consequence. Participants mentioned different climate events depending on their location in Canada. Respondents from the Atlantic provinces, as well as those in British Columbia and Yukon, reported more floods and wildfires, while those in Quebec and Ontario reported more heatwaves and tornadoes. Those in Quebec also often mentioned harsher winters and more frequent, more violent, freezing rain events that disrupt daily life. Those in the Prairies were more prone to mention a variety of events (hailstorms, droughts, wildfires, extreme cold and snowfalls, floods). Mentions of specific events include:

· The 1998 ice storm in Quebec

· 2011 flood in Brandon, Manitoba

· December 2013 ice storm

· 2013 Calgary flood

· Summer 2021 Heat Dome in British Columbia

· Derecho-related tornadoes in May 2022

· Hurricane Fiona in September 2022

· December 2022 storm

· June 2023 forest fires impacting air quality of a huge portion of North America

In addition to sporadic extreme weather events, participants also noted substantial changes in terms of weather throughout the years. For most of them, the multiplication of extreme climate events, along with a perceived weather deregulation that manifests through less defined seasons, colder/warmer temperatures than average throughout the year were a clear sign of climate change. Some participants, mainly from Ontario, deplored the milder winters compared to a few years ago, with less snowfall overall but more intense climate events, while others considered winters to be colder on average than they were used to. A few participants also felt that climate change in Canada seemed worse than in other parts of the world, as they noticed more extreme climate events and irregularities in terms of weather. The following citations provide verbatim extracts of participants talking about their experiences with climate change:

· “We’ve been experiencing a lot of concerning events. Now I’m thinking about it every year. Are we ready for the next disaster?” (Participant from urban British Columbia)

· “We had a hailstorm a couple of years ago, it damaged our car and our house. It was chaos, there were people coming to fix everything, it was a lot to happen all at once.” (Participant from urban Alberta)

· “I’ve seen huge differences in terms of weather. We used to have more snow; the seasons were more defined. We didn’t have extreme events except some snowstorms that weren’t that extreme. Now, the weather is cold without snow, sometimes unseasonably warm temperatures, floods…” (participant from rural Ontario).

· Personally, I've seen a lot since I arrived in Canada 9 years ago. On the first year, there was a freezing rainstorm that brought practically the whole province of New Brunswick to a standstill, poles fell down, and I personally lost electricity for 3 days. The following year was a heat wave, and with the humidity it was practically 38-40 degrees every day. We didn't have a single drop of rain, so we had a lot of fires. The following year, in October, we had violent winds, and we lost electricity then too [...] We went outside, and we thought we were going to blow away. We had another heatwave 2 years ago. This year we have a landslide in the north of the province, people have died." (Participant from urban New Brunswick).

Person-level and Community-level Impacts and Consequences

Overall, participants living in rural areas, regardless of the province, seemed to be significantly more impacted by climate-related events than those living in urban areas, as they suffered through more consequences. While most participants did not suffer direct consequences, most of them mentioned their neighbours or peers’ experiences and the damages that the various climate events had caused. Most of the consequences that these events caused were material. Several participants reported damage to their personal vehicle for various reasons, mainly hailstorms, water damage from floods (cars being washed away), and damage from fallen tree branches or other infrastructure during or after high wind events and/or freezing rain. Some participants also mentioned damage to their houses: water damage from flash floods due to high precipitations or rising river levels, torn roof tiles or doors because of high winds/tornadoes, and decimated houses due to forest fires. A few participants mentioned some people in their community lost their houses due to these events. These material impacts also led to financial consequences, as participants had to repair their cars/houses/belongings that were affected, with varying degrees of severity: “I lost vehicles and property in 2011 during the great big flood here in Brandon, Manitoba, and I never actually recovered from it financially” (participant from urban Manitoba). Other participants also mentioned human victims of these climate-related events, as some of them lost neighbours or acquaintances in their community.

Access to key infrastructure was also compromised in some cases: wildfires caused some roadblocks, storms caused power outages that could last for days, and access to water was also compromised during droughts or outages. Some participants even mentioned having lost cell service, rendering them unable to contact any of their peers to check in on them.

A few participants also mentioned the psychological impacts of said events, mainly anxiety and stress (“I had a total, like, total meltdown panic attack because you don't know what's going to happen.” – British Columbian participant describing her mental state after losing her home and living in a trailer following destructive floods in 2021). Participants also mentioned having a feeling of helplessness as they could not do much to help their peers who lost homes or suffered other types of severe consequences from extreme climate-related events. Poor air quality also had a negative impact on mental health as participants were hindered in their daily activities and had to limit their time outside. This point was brought up mainly by participants with kids or pets at home, as their kids were restless and needed to get out, and daily obligations were delayed, adding to the stress.

In terms of physical health consequences, participants mentioned the poor air quality resulting from wildfire smoke that led to respiratory complications in some cases, especially among those who reported having preexisting conditions (e.g., asthma).

Participants also reported economic consequences to the climate-related events: some of them mentioned that floods and droughts had a significant impact on the region’s agriculture as crops were drowned or severely lacked irrigation. Another participant mentioned the transportation and shipping delays in his line of work, and another mentioned the negative impact of climate events on the tourism industry. One participant also touched upon on the increased number of patients needing medical attention due climate-related events, causing a strain on the healthcare system and having a negative impact on healthcare workers’ mental health.

Reactive and Preventive Measures Taken

Participants mentioned several measures that they have put in place in the context of an extreme climate event. These measures are categorized into reactive and preventive measures. Reactive measures are those taken during or after the climate event to manage its consequences on the community and the individuals. Preventive measures are those taken in a climate preparedness perspective and aim at ensuring readiness to face an extreme climate event.

In terms of reactive measures, participants focused heavily on the community aspect of climate crisis management, as they highlighted the importance of the community coming together and organizing to find ways to help and improve the situation: “After the storm, we come together, we come up with an action plan, and we clean up the debris. That’s what feels good, communities coming together for a common goal” (Participant from rural Quebec). Some participants mentioned hosting their peers in the community that had to evacuate their homes, others gave the example of removing fallen trees from the roads, helping people evacuate, collaborating with neighbours to plan wellness checks and make sure everyone in their community is safe and taken care of. A few participants also mentioned their community created a Facebook group to make communications easier and centralize information shared by community members in order to better organize.

Aside from the aforementioned measures aimed at dealing directly with material consequences of extreme climate events, several participants highlighted the importance of the community and socializing in general in such situations. Some participants mentioned the importance of talking to your family, friends, and peers to get some emotional and mental health support. Some other participants also recommended not spending too much time on social media and following the news as it can be emotionally draining and can take a toll on one’s mental health.

Regarding preventive measures, some participants felt powerless and helpless as they felt they could not do much to prepare for extreme climate events. However, several other participants touched on measures that could help them prepare. A few participants mentioned they had air conditioning units installed to face the more frequent heatwaves their communities face. One participant mentioned purchasing an air purifier to improve indoor air quality when the area is covered by wildfire smoke. Another participant purchased flooding insurance and did some renovations to her house to make it more resilient to floods. Among the most common measures, a few participants mentioned the necessity to stock up on essentials (backup energy, candles, canned food and non-perishables, water, toilet paper, essential medicine). Another participant also mentioned the importance of knowing beforehand what skills and information you need to have. Most participants also stressed the value of staying informed by downloading apps or following the main news and information outlets, including The Weather Network and the Government of Canada.

Information Access

Sources of information that participants turned to vary depending on the moment they needed it. Prior to the event and in terms of warning, most of the participants stated they had received the information through weather alerts on their phone. Participants also relied on The Weather Network app and website, as well as Environment Canada warnings. Some participants criticized the accuracy of some of the predictions as the situation sometimes ends up being worse than expected, or because warnings don’t come when needed.

Furthermore, a few participants stated they had alert fatigue as they constantly receive them, which hinders their efficiency. Participants were also torn regarding the issue of letting people know early of a potential event that might not happen while not being too alarmist and not wanting to make the population panic. Other participants also expressed their shock as they faced severe floods or other extreme climate events and were never notified or warned. A few participants in rural areas mentioned they had large areas that did not get any cell service, making them unable to receive any alerts on their phone. One participant also considered reliance on technology to be a double-edged sword as while it is an efficient way to disseminate the information, people would be lost if there was no access to service or to technology. Finally, some participants thought that the information provided by the alerts was incomplete as they would have liked more details about when the event would end and what to do to stay safe.

Some participants also mentioned turning to traditional media like television and radio to get reliable information. During the event, most participants admitted they relied heavily on community-based communication: their main source was word-of-mouth information shared either in-person between neighbours and peers or through social media, either in private groups or through publications. Participants specifically mentioned Facebook as the social media they turned to the most. This type of communication was mainly used for sharing information and community-organizing during crises. A few participants, however, recognized it may not be the best way to stay informed as the information is not easily verifiable. To stay informed about the developments of long-lasting climate-events (e.g., distant wildfires that impact air quality), they stayed informed through the continuous coverage of the event in traditional media, mainly television. A few participants also mentioned getting information through Twitter.

Communications originating directly from the Government of Canada were deemed the most reliable type of information, and some participants deplored lacking official communications during some of the events they faced. Those in British Columbia specifically mentioned they received no instructions or advice on what to do or what to expect during the wildfires.

However, all participants said they trust information coming from the Government of Canada. One participant mentioned their main source of information was a municipally managed smartphone application aimed at disseminating the information across the local population in a fast and efficient manner. She stated the example of drinking water alerts, as the droughts impacted the water quality. Participants living in Quebec who went through power outages commended Hydro-Quebec’s website for the live updates on the situation, while others criticized the lack of estimates for power to come back.

Expectations Towards Government

When asked about their expectations towards the government, participants were torn, and different issues and areas of action came to mind. While some participants answered the questions in terms of climate change adaptation, others tackled several measures that aimed at carbon neutrality or at reducing Canadians’ impact on the environment in general. Examples include composting, recycling, tree planting, developing public transit and reducing car usage in favour of active mobility, and all measures aiming at carbon neutrality at large.

Regarding climate preparedness specifically, some participants spoke out about what they perceived to be government inaction, as they lacked knowledge of specific measures that have been put in place to build more resilient communities, even if they had heard of climate change adaptation before. Participants in rural areas had higher expectations and a higher degree of dissatisfaction with the government, and most of them felt like governments were “passing the buck” to each other and not taking accountability. Some participants felt like the government was reactive at best, but not proactive in the matter. A few participants brought up their experience in their area with the provincial government to justify their opinion. One participant deplored the lack of damage prevention in terms of floods (“Governments know that some areas will flood almost every year, but they let people rebuild over the same spots that were flooded […] A lot more prevention could be done.” – participant from rural Alberta), and another one criticized the removal of community-built dike systems (“When communities identified the issue and knew they would lose land, they weren’t allowed to build dikes. Some still did but the dikes got removed by the government. Governments are prosecuting people for protecting their own community which is ridiculous.” – Participant in the rural Northwest Territories). Another participant mentioned the poor network coverage in his area even though the government promised to build cell service towers in remote areas.

On the other hand, some participants managed to recall government help initiatives, such as provincial and federal financial help after the Calgary floods in 2013. Some participants agreed, however, that most of the measures and solutions they have seen or heard of came from the municipal level. Several initiatives aiming at improving climate preparedness were brought up, including dike systems in Brandon, Calgary, and Winnipeg, water retention basins, extended hours in some buildings for people to have access to air conditioning, planting trees to reduce deforestation risks, forest thinning to fight wildfire risks… Some participants, however, wish that more was done, and mentioned examples such as growing deciduous trees as a natural barrier against fires, opening more cooling centres during heatwaves, reforming building code rules and increasing the distance between houses and at-risk forests, etc. However, participants agreed that climate change was a global issue that requires collaboration between countries.

While most participants expressed their discontent towards the government, a few participants shared the opinion that citizens now expect too much from their governments, and that considering the limited resources and the number of issues that they have to face, the responsibility for improving preparedness falls on the community itself. These participants agreed that the government should play a role of assistance and support community efforts to be more resilient through financial support, providing resources, training and education, and other types of initiatives: “The government should not need to be involved in a person’s daily life but provide resources, provide services and infrastructure, like cleaning roads, functioning public transit, make sure that people aren’t missing heaters…” (participant from urban Ontario). The importance of financial help, at least, was highlighted: “The municipalities are funded by the provinces and the federal government. So, while the solutions are often local, there has to be some trickle-down financial support from the provinces and there has to be some federal standards” (participant from rural Ontario). One participant also brought forward the specific challenges faced by individuals living with disabilities, as they were particularly vulnerable and should be considered so that they don’t end up being the first victims of extreme climate events.

2.1.4 Conclusion and Recommendations

EXPLORING NEW TERMINOLOGY

The terms used to refer to the concept of climate change adaptation that were tested were somewhat divisive among the participants. While "climate preparedness" was preferred by most English speakers for calling to action, "climate change adaptation" felt too passive. On the other hand, the term was preferred by French-speaking Canadians. There was no consensus between English and French-speaking participants.

For the next steps of the study, we recommend testing terminologies that combine both aspects, along with new terms altogether. New terminology testing might help uncover more efficient, less divisive phrasings. In the meantime, "climate preparedness" had fewer negative evocations and was preferred.

SUPPORTING THE PREPARATION OF EXTREME EVENTS

Many participants mentioned they were powerless and helpless regarding preventive measures and felt that the federal government was not proactive in the matter. More than definitions or weather alerts, they mentioned several times that they need a concrete plan that details the measures to take and how to implement them. We recommend that Environment and Climate Change Canada focuses on informing the population on the measures that should be taken to prepare for the upcoming extreme events.

CONSOLIDATING WEATHER ALERTS

Feeling helpless or lost as to how to handle extreme climate events was a shared experience among participants. Some participants mentioned their surprise at not receiving weather alerts prior to some major events that they lived through, and most of them justified their sense of helplessness by their lack of knowledge of measures and practices to put in place before, during, or after the event.

Strengthening the weather alert system is key to ensuring optimal preparation before climate disasters. In addition to information about when and where the event will happen, alerts should include (or direct to) relevant, exhaustive information about next steps, how to protect yourself and stay safe. Adding information about local points of interest and a helpline would also be helpful.

REINFORCING COMMUNICATION EFFORTS

Very few participants had heard of climate change adaptation or of the National Adaptation Strategy prior to the focus groups. Participants were unaware of concrete government measures aiming at building resilient communities and preparing for extreme climate events. We recommend that Environment and Climate Change Canada adopts a more aggressive communication strategy and launches campaigns about how the government is involved in climate preparedness, as it could help raise awareness among the public and shift the negative perceptions towards the government. Communicating about real initiatives, no matter how small, on a local, provincial, and federal scale will help reduce asymmetry. Furthermore, publicizing some key specific measures that are part of the National Adaptation Strategy, including financial support to municipalities, could help improve awareness around the initiative, provide a deeper understanding of the Strategy, and positively change perceptions.

COLLABORATION AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR MUNICIPALITIES

Government inaction is a comment that came up several times during the discussions and the participants had the impression that the measures and the solutions came from the municipal level. The federal government needs to make the measures that have been put in place as well as the climate change targets met better known. The governments also have a bad reputation of “passing the buck” to each other and not taking accountability. Collaboration should be strengthened with municipalities and provincial governments to better identify the population’s needs. Plus, the federal government should also provide more financial support to municipalities, considering the limited resources and the number of issues that the municipalities face.

ENCOURAGING COMMUNITY ORGANIZING

The main facilitator of crisis management after an extreme climate event was community organizing. Many participants were vocal about how their community came together, planned, and shared responsibilities to ensure everyone was safe and taken care of and assist in any task necessary. A few participants mentioned Facebook was their main source of communication during such events, and one participant mentioned their municipality released an app aimed at sharing relevant information during climate-related events.

For these reasons, we recommend centralizing information in a single government-supported app. Releasing a government-owned smartphone application that is location-based and allows users to chat, post, share helpful information, and that includes climate-specific and government-verified information, would help centralize communications and provide a reliable source of information for people in the same community, increasing their resilience. Such an app could include various information that could help during events, be it preventive measures or reactive ones: who to call to report infrastructure damage, how to stock up on supplies and which ones, what tools to have ready, how to plan and perform safety check-ins, how to safely remove roadblocks, etc.

2.2 Detailed quantitative results

Environment and Climate Change Canada conducted a survey in Canada on preparedness for the impacts of climate change in light of Canada’s first National Adaptation Strategy. The survey was designed to provide insight into the views of Canadians and those who have been most affected by climate change impacts on how they are being impacted by climate change and the efforts they have put in place to adapt. This survey was based on a pilot conducted in 2022. The questionnaire was modified in light of the pilot wave findings and the qualitative findings of the focus groups to better answer research objectives. Whenever possible, results are compared to those observed in 2022.

This public opinion research was conducted via a hybrid approach, using both web and telephone survey technologies, through Computer Aided Web Interviewing (CAWI) and Computer Aided Telephone Interviewing (CATI) technology. The fieldwork for the survey was carried out from November 30^th, 2023 to January 24^th, 2024. A total of 2,024 Canadians aged 18 or older were surveyed, with a focus on those who have been most affected by climate change impacts.

Z-Tests at a 95% confidence level have been used to uncover significant differences between subgroups.

Note 1: Numbers were rounded to the nearest percentage, as such, totals may not always equal 100%.

Note 2: In graphs, statements starting with “Net…” correspond to variables calculated from the original response modalities. For example, if the question asked respondents if something was “very important” or “somewhat important”, the “Net important” statement combines the value of both options (e.g., if 20% of respondents voted “very important”, while 15% voted “somewhat important”, the “net important” value would be 35%).

Note 3: Caution must be exercised when interpreting the tracked evolution of indicators presented in this report as data collection periods differed between the two years. 2022 data was collected in the summer, while 2023 data was collected in winter. While extreme climate events were more prevalent in 2023 than in 2022 (specifically in the summer period), recency bias and other cognitive biases could impact respondents’ attitudes and beliefs about climate change.

2.2.1 Attitudes towards climate change

Importance of the climate change issue

A vast majority of respondents consider that climate change is an important issue for all Canadians (84%), with a little less than half considering it a very important issue (47%), and a third considering it somewhat important (36%). More than one in ten (15%) did not consider climate change to be an important issue (somewhat not important: 9%; not important at all: 7%).

Results remained stable overall since 2022, except for the fact that a lower proportion of respondents (47%) considered that climate change is very important compared to last year (53%).

Figure 1: Importance of the climate change issue This graph shows the level of importance of the issue of climate change in Canada. The breakdown is as follows:
2023; 2022
Net important: 84%; 86%
Very important: 47%; 53%
Somewhat important: 36%; 33%
Net unimportant: 15%; 13%
Somewhat not important: 9%; 6%
Not important at all: 7%; 7%
I prefer not to answer: 1%; 0% Q1. To what extent do you feel climate change is an important issue for all Canadians? Base: All respondents (n=2,024)

The following subgroups were significantly more likely to consider that climate change is an important issue for all Canadians:

· Women (88%) compared to men (79%).

· Respondents aged 55 and older (53%) compared to those who are 35-54 (42%).

· Respondents from Quebec (89%) and the Territories (93%).

· Respondents with a university education (88%) compared to those with a high school or less education (80%).

· Respondents who experienced a climate-related event (90%) compared to those who did not (63%).

Level of concern about climate change and its impacts

A little more than three quarters of respondents said they were personally concerned about climate change and its impacts on Canada (77%), as around a third were very concerned (35%) and around four-in-ten were somewhat concerned (42%) Only around one in ten (22%) not being concerned (not very concerned: 14%; not concerned at all: 9%).

Most results remained stable since 2022, aside from the fact that a smaller proportion of respondents stated being very concerned in 2023 (35% compared to 40%).

Figure 2: Level of concern about climate change and its impacts This graph shows Canadians' level of concern about climate change and its impacts. The breakdown is as follows:
2023; 2022
Net concerned: 77%; 79%
Very concerned: 35%; 40%
Somewhat concerned: 42%; 39%
Net not concerned: 22%; 20%
Not very concerned: 14%; 12%
Not concerned at all: 9%; 8%
I prefer not to answer: 1%; 1% Q2. How concerned are you personally about climate change and its impacts on Canada? Base: All respondents (n=2,024)

The following subgroups were significantly more likely to be concerned about climate change and its impacts on Canada:

· Women (81%) compared to men (73%).

· Respondents from Quebec (83%) and the Territories (91%) compared to those from the Prairies (65%).

· Respondents who experienced a climate-related event recently (83%) compared to those who did not (56%).

Perceived past evolution of climate change impacts

Nearly two thirds of respondents (65%) felt that climate change impacts have become more severe over the past year, while around one in four (26%) felt they stayed the same. A very small minority (3%) felt they had become less severe.

It is possible to observe a decrease in the proportion of respondents that felt that climate change impacts have become more severe over the past year compared to 2022 (65% versus 70% in 2022). On the other hand, a greater proportion of respondents answered that they did not know if climate change impacts have become more severe over the past year (5% versus 0% in 2022).

Figure 3: Perceived evolution of climate change impacts This graph shows Canadians' perception of the evolution of climate change impacts over the past year. The breakdown is as follows:
2023; 2022
More severe: 65%; 70%
Stayed the same: 26%; 27%
Less severe: 3%; 2%
Do not know: 5%; 0%
I prefer not to answer: 1%; 1%

Q4. Over the past year, do you feel climate change impacts (e.g., extreme heat waves, storms, flooding, forest fires, sea level rise, etc.) have become more severe, less severe or stayed the same? Base: All respondents (n=2,024)

The following subgroups were significantly more likely to consider that climate change impacts have become more severe:

· Women (69%) compared to men (59%).

· Respondents who are 55 years old and over (69%).

· Respondents from Quebec (74%) and the Territories (84%) compared to Ontario (60%).

· Respondents who have experienced a climate-related event (71%) compared to those who did not (43%).

· Respondents who are part of an at-risk community (73%) compared to those who are not (63%).

Perceived future evolution of climate change impacts

Over two in three (68%) respondents think these hazards caused by climate change will become more serious in the next five to ten years, and more than one in five (22% versus 18% in 2022) think they will be staying the same.

In 2023, a smaller proportion of respondents considered that climate change impacts would stay the same compared to 2022 (18% compared to 22% in 2022).

Figure 4: Evolution of climate change impacts in the next five to ten years This graph shows the expected evolution of climate change impacts in the next 5 to 10 years according to Canadians. The breakdown is as follows:
2023; 2022
More severe: 68%; 69%
Stay the same: 22%; 18%
Less severe: 3%; 5%
Do not know: 7%; 9%
I prefer not to answer: 1%; 1% Q5. Do you feel climate change impacts (e.g., extreme heat waves, storms, flooding, forest fires, sea level rise) will become more severe, less severe or stay the same in the next 5 to 10 years? Base: All respondents (n=2,024)

Women (71% versus 64%), respondents from Quebec (81%), along with respondents who experienced an extreme climate event (74% versus 43%) were all significantly more likely to consider that these hazards would get more serious within the next five to ten years.

Top three reasons to adapt to and prepare for climate change

Respondents were asked about their topmost important reasons to adapt to climate change. Protecting future generations (63%) and protecting agriculture and food production (62%) were the top two reasons to adapt to climate change, followed by conserving nature and biodiversity (52%), preserving the health of Canadians (33%) and protecting our critical infrastructures (26%). The safety of communities was mentioned by less than one respondent out of five (17%), and the protection of jobs (7%) and identity and culture (5%) were mentioned to a lesser extent.

Some changes can be noted since the 2022 survey. In the 2023 survey, Canadian priorities for adapting and preparing to climate change show a decreased emphasis on protecting agriculture and food production (62% compared to 70% in 2022). There was also a significant decrease in these three reasons since 2022: The importance of preserving Canadians' health (33% compared to 40% in 2022), to protect our critical infrastructure (26% in 2023 compared to 37% in 2022) and for the safety of communities while the safety of communities (17% in 2023, compared to 31% in 2022).

Figure 5: Top three reasons to adapt to and prepare for climate changeQ3. In your opinion, what are the three most important reasons to adapt to and prepare for climate change? Base: All respondents (n=2,024)

Note: The statement marked with a “*” was added in 2023, no comparison available.

Significant differences regarding reasons to adapt to climate change include:

· Women were significantly more likely to mention protecting future generations (67% compared to 58% among men), and conserving nature and biodiversity (58% versus 46% among men).

· Men were significantly more likely to mention for the safety of our community (19% versus 15% among women) and protecting our jobs (8% versus 5% among women).

· Older respondents (55 years or older) were more likely to mention protecting agriculture and food production (67% versus 51% among younger respondents).

· Respondents from the Territories and the Atlantic provinces were more likely to mention the safety of the community (42% and 26% respectively). Those from the Territories were also more likely to mention protecting their identity and culture (17%) as the most important reason to adapt to climate change.

· Respondents from Quebec were more likely to mention for future generations (70%) and conserving nature and biodiversity (65%), while those from British Columbia were more likely to mention critical infrastructure (38%).

· Respondents who experienced a climate-related event were significantly more likely to mention almost all of the reasons but the last two.

Feelings towards climate change

In 2023, a strong majority of respondents (83%) agreed that they are motivated to protect themselves, their families, their communities and their houses from the impacts of climate change. Nearly seven out of ten respondents (68%) were concerned about the impacts on themselves and their friends, their family, and their community. Confidence in finding solutions to climate issues is moderately high, with 62% of participants expressing this sentiment. More than a third (36%) of respondents report feeling hopeless about the situation. However, a similar proportion of respondents (37%) feels that they don’t have enough knowledge to form an opinion on the subject.

Comparing these figures to 2022, the proportion of respondents who do not feel knowledgeable enough to form an opinion about climate change has increased significantly (37% in 2023 versus 32% in 2022). The feeling of hopelessness has seen a significant decrease, dropping from 52% in 2022 to 36% in 2023. This drop could be attributed to a difference in data collection periods, as data for the first wave was collected in June and July in 2022, and 2023 data was collected in December 2023-January 2024.

Figure 6: Feelings towards climate change – Total Agree (Totally + Somewhat Agree)

Q6. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? In general, when it comes to preparing for the impacts of climate change, ... Base: All web respondents (n=1,718)

Note: The statement marked with a “*” was added in 2023, no comparison available.

Figure 7: A breakdown of the feelings towards climate change

Q6. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? In general, when it comes to preparing for the impacts of climate change, ... Base: All web respondents (n=1,718).

Significant differences in terms of attitudes towards climate change include:

· Women were more likely to feel motivated to do what they can to protect themselves, their family, their community, or their house (88% compared to 78% among men), and to feel afraid of its impacts on them, their friends, their family and their community (74% compared to 62% among men).

· Respondents aged 55 and over were more likely to feel motivated about doing what they can (86%) compared to younger respondents (76% among 18–34-year-olds).

· Respondents from Quebec were more likely to be motivated to do what they can do to protect themselves, their family, their community, or their house (89%) and to be confident that there will be solutions for preparing for the impacts of climate change (68%).

· Respondents from British Columbia were significantly more likely to be afraid of the impacts of climate change on their community and on themselves (77%).

· Respondents who experienced an extreme climate related event were more likely to be motivated to do what they can do to protect themselves, their family, their community, or their house (87% compared to 73%), to be afraid of climate change impacts on themselves, their friends, their family, and their community (74% compared to 49%) and to feel helpless (41% compared to 18%).

Belonging to a community

Respondents were asked if they belonged to a community (e.g., a school group, work group, exercise group, large family, faith group, etc.) and if they felt like they could ask members of their community for a favour in times of need (e.g., to sleep at their house, to ask for food, to ask for a ride somewhere, etc.).

Results remained stable since 2022: around half of respondents stated that they belonged to a community, but one in five (20%) considered they weren’t close enough to ask their community for a favour. On the other hand, a little less than half of respondents are not part of a community (48%).

Figure 8: Belonging to a community

This graph shows the proportion of respondents who are part of a community. The breakdown is as follows:
2023; 2022
Yes, I am part of a community: 28%; 30%
I am part of a community, but not close enough to ask them for a favour: 20%; 20%
No, I am not part of a community: 48%; 45%
I prefer not to answer: 3%; 4% Q25: Are you a part of a community (e.g., school group, work group, exercise group, large family, faith group, etc.) that you can rely on in times of need (e.g., people who would offer you somewhere to stay in times of need, people who would deliver you food in times of need, etc.)?

Base: All respondents (n=2,024)

Significant differences regarding belongingness to a community include:

· Men were more likely to state not being part of a community (52% versus 44%), while the opposite held true for women (31% stated being part of a community, compared to 26% among men).

· Quebec respondents were more likely to not be part of a community (59%), while those from the Territories (62%) were more likely to be part of one.

· Respondents living in the targeted at-risk communities were more likely to state being part of a community (45%) than those who are not.

2.2.2 Preparation measures

Doing enough to adapt to climate change

Around a fifth of respondents (21%) believe they do enough already, while 18% think they do a lot but acknowledge they could do more. Meanwhile, a quarter of respondents (25%) feel they do not do enough to adapt to the future impacts of climate change. A slightly smaller proportion, two out of ten respondents (22%), are unsure if their efforts are sufficient. Finally, one out of ten respondents (11%) expresses that they could do a lot more to adapt.

Because the answer options have changed in 2023, no comparison is possible with the 2022 survey.

Figure 9: Doing enough to adapt to climate change This graph shows how Canadians evaluate the amount of work they do to adapt to climate change. The breakdown is as follows:
I do enough already: 21%;
I do a lot, but I could do more: 18%;
I’m not sure if I do enough: 22%;
I don’t do enough: 25%;
I could do a lot more: 11%;
I prefer not to answer: 3%. Q11. Do you think you are doing enough to help you and your family to adapt to the future impacts of climate change, or could you do more? Base: All respondents (n=2,024)

Men (27% compared to 16%) and respondents from Ontario (24%) and the Prairies (32%) were more likely to state they do enough already, while women (32% compared to 26%) and respondents from the Territories (50%) were more likely to state that they could do more. Individuals who experienced a climate-related event were significantly more likely to state that they are not sure if they do enough (24% compared to 15%) and that they do a lot but could do more (20% versus 10%).

Taking preparation measures

More than a third of respondents (38%) have taken measures such as making their homes more resilient or adapting their activities to counter climate change effects. In contrast, a larger proportion, 58%, have not taken such steps.

Because this question has been modified in 2023, no comparison is possible with the 2022 survey.

Figure 10. Taking preparation measures

This graph shows the proportion of Canadians who have taken preparation measures in their household for climate change. The breakdown is as follows:
Yes: 38%;
No: 58%;
I prefer not to answer: 4%. Q10. In the past 12 months, have you or other members of your household taken any measures to prepare your household for climate change, such as making your home more resilient or adapting your activities (e.g., improving rainfall drainage, installing a cooling system, limiting time outside during poor air quality or extreme heat events, seeking information about wildfire risks, new diseases that may affect your family or pets or insurance coverage for climate-related disasters)? Base: All respondents (n=2,024)

Those from the Territories were more likely to have taken any measures (65% versus 32% for respondents from Quebec). Respondents who are part of an at-risk community (47% compared to 36%) and those who have experienced an extreme climate-related event (44% compared to 18%) are also more likely to have taken precautionary measures.

Familiarity with preparation and safety measures

When asked about the level of familiarity they have with preparation and safety measures in case of climate-related event, six out of ten respondents (59%) report being familiar with how to prepare for climate change. The same percentage of respondents also feels familiar with the measures needed to be safe in the face of approaching climate-related events.

Distribution of answers for being familiar with what to do to prepare for climate change and to be safe in the face of approaching climate-related events were quasi-similar: one-in-ten were very familiar (10% and 12% respectively), around half were somewhat familiar (49% and 47% respectively) a third were not very familiar (33% for both statements), and a small proportion were not familiar at all (5% for both statements).

Because this question has changed in 2023, no comparison is possible with the 2022 survey.

Figure 11: Familiarity with preparation and safety measures

Q7. To what extent do you think you are familiar with what you can do to… Base: All respondents (n=2,024)

Men were more likely to be familiar with preparation (63% compared to 55%) and being safe in the face of approaching climate-related events (65% compared to 54%). In addition, respondents from British Columbia (71%) and the Territories (74%) were more likely to be familiar with being safe in the face of approaching climate-related events.

Actions that reduce an individual’s risk to climate change impacts

Respondents were asked to rate each item depending on its contribution to reducing an individual’s risk to climate change impacts on a scale from 0 to 10. Having an emergency kit (8.0), planting trees, gardens, or rain gardens (7.8), and installing a generator, solar panels, or power storage (7.5) were considered to be the most impactful actions in terms of reducing an individual’s risk to climate change impacts as they were rated over 7/10. Several elements were rated between 6 and 7 out of 10, namely:

· Rainwater harvesting (7.0)

· Avoiding living in a location with only one major exit (6.9)

· Having access to a floodplain map (6.7)

· Creating a network within the community (6.7)

· Installing a sump pump (6.6)

· Installing additional shade to one’s home (6.6)

· Installing an air conditioner (6.3)

· Getting involved in the community or apartment building board to raise awareness about climate change impacts (6.0)

· Finally, de-paving property was considered the least helpful action with a rating of 5.5.

Because this question has been modified in 2023, no comparison is possible with the 2022 survey.

Figure 12: Actions that reduce an individual’s risk to climate change impacts (means out of 10)Q12. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means "Does not help at all" and 10 means "Helps a lot", how much do you think the following actions help to reducing an individual's risk to climate change impacts? Please note that if you are unable to undertake some of these actions, that you can rate these actions for someone who can. Base: All web respondents (n=1,718)

Significant differences include:

· Women were more likely to rate most of the actions higher than men.

· Younger respondents (18 to 34 years old) were more likely to give a higher rating to having access to a floodplain map (7.0), getting involved in my community or apartment building board to raise awareness about climate change (6.3) and de-paving property higher (6.1), while those aged 55 and over were more likely to rate higher having an emergency toolkit (8.1)

· Respondents from Ontario were more likely to rate the following actions higher: planting trees, gardens, vegetable gardens, or rain gardens (8.0), installing a generator, solar panels, or power storage (7.7), rainwater harvesting (7.3), having access to a floodplain map (7.0) and creating a network within my community (e.g., buddy system) (7.0).

· Respondents from the Atlantic provinces were more likely to rate the following actions higher: Having an emergency kit (e.g., food, water, candles, batteries) (8.4), Installing a generator, solar panels, or power storage (8.0), having access to a floodplain map (7.3), creating a network within my community (e.g., buddy system) (7.1) or installing a sump pump (7.3).

· Respondents from the Prairies were more likely to give a higher rating to planting trees, gardens, vegetable gardens, or rain gardens (8.3) and rainwater harvesting (7.6)

· All actions were more likely to be rated higher by those who expressed concern about climate change and its impacts on Canada and those who experienced a climate-related event.

Actions that reduce a community’s risk to climate change impacts

Respondents were asked to rate each item on a scale of 0 to 10. Wildfire management (7.8), general emergency management planning (7.7), and stormwater, flood, or erosion management (7.6) were seen as the most effective actions to reduce a community’s risk to climate change impacts. They were closely followed by drought management and heat management, each with a score of 7.4, and protection of housing with a score of 7.2. Installing community gardens to reduce food insecurity was also considered beneficial with a score of 7.1. The action that respondents rated the lowest was invasive species or pest management with a score of 6.9, just below conducting a Community Risk Assessment using future climate projections at 7.0.

Because this question has been modified in 2023, no comparison is possible with the 2022 survey.

Figure 13: Actions that reduce a community’s risk to climate change impacts – MeansQ13. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means "Does not help at all" and 10 means "Helps a lot", how much do you think the following actions help to reducing your community’s risk to climate change impacts? Base: All web respondents (n=1,718)

Significant differences among the subgroups about the actions that contribute to reduce their community’s risk to climate change impacts include:

· Women were generally more likely to rate any of the actions as more helpful compared to men.

· Respondents from Ontario were more likely to rate these actions as more helpful: General Emergency Management Planning (e.g., early warning systems, evacuation orders) (8.0), stormwater, flood, or erosion management (e.g., installation of shoreline mechanisms such as dykes, levees, revetments, wetlands, stormwater ponds, policies of development setbacks and zoning) (7.8), heat management (e.g., cooling centres, urban greening, splash pads) (7.6), installing a community garden to reduce food insecurity (7.5), invasive species or pest management (7.3).

· All actions were more likely to be rated higher by those who expressed concern about climate change and its impacts on Canada and those who experienced a climate-related event.

Community adaptation solutions

Respondents were asked about any adaptation solutions they were aware of that have been implemented in their community. Around half of respondents were unsure about the implemented measures (52%), and over one in ten stated none of the listed measures were implemented (15%).

The most implemented measure was urban greening initiatives for heat and water management (16%), followed by climate risk awareness (12%), established a network for emergencies (10%), flood maps updated within the past 10 years (9%), and subsidies for home retrofits specifically for protection against extreme heat, hail, flood, fires, wind (9%).

Results remained mostly stable since 2022, with the only significant difference being flood maps updated within the past years 10 years being mentioned less than in 2022 (9% compared to 14%).

Figure 14: Implemented adaptation solutionsQ24. To the best of your knowledge, which among the following adaptation solutions have already been implemented by your community? Base: All web respondents (n=1,718)

Significant differences regarding adaptation solutions include:

· Women were more likely to be unsure of the implementation of any adaptation solutions compared to men (56% compared to 47%)

· Respondents from Quebec were more likely to mention urban greening initiatives (26%)

· Respondents from British Columbia were significantly more likely to mention climate risk awareness (21%) and establishing a network for emergencies (20%).

· Respondents who experienced a climate-related event were significantly more likely to mention all the solutions.

2.2.3 Climate change impacts and extreme climate-related event experiences

Climate-related events experienced

Among all respondents, heatwaves were the most experienced climate event, as they were mentioned by over half of respondents (54%). While they remain the most common climate-related event, they were mentioned significantly less compared to 2022 (59%).

Around a third of respondents experienced wildfires or their impacts (36% compared to 19% in 2022), and high winds/hurricanes/tornadoes (34%).

A little over one-fifth of respondents mentioned having experienced flooding in 2023 (23%, down significantly from 34% in 2022) and drought (22%).

Other climate-related events were mentioned to a lesser extent, but there was also a significant decrease in the proportion of those who experienced coastal erosion (6% compared to 11%).

Figure 15: Climate-related events experienced

Q14. Within the past five years, which of the following climate-related events have you experienced in your community? Base: All respondents (n=2,024)

Some notable significant differences regarding experiences with climate-related events include:

· Respondents aged 18-34 were more likely to mention having experienced wildfires (43%) compared to those 55 and over (29%).

· Respondents from Quebec were more likely to mention heatwaves (60%).

· Respondents from British Columbia were more likely to mention heatwaves (72%), wildfires (57%), droughts (44%), and landslides (12%).

· Respondents from Alberta were more likely to mention wildfires (61%) and droughts (37%).

· Respondents from the Prairies were more likely to mention droughts (38%)

· Respondents from the Atlantic region were more likely to mention high winds (57%), hurricanes (44%), coastal erosion (24%), and sea level rise (18%).

· Respondents from the Territories were significantly more likely to mention wildfires (78%), permafrost thaw (49%), flooding (43%), landslide (32%), and coastal erosion (24%).

· Respondents living in at-risk communities were more likely to mention high winds/hurricanes/tornadoes (51%), flooding (33%) and coastal erosion (12%).

Impacts of the climate-related events on communities

Respondents were then asked about the impacts of the climate-related event they experienced on themselves and their household. Over half of respondents mentioned at least one impact (53%). The most mentioned ones were having some physical health problems (18%), losing access to critical utility or essential supplies (14%), house/property damage (14%), having to spend money to address the impacts (13%), and having some mental health problems (12%). Being physically stuck in a specific area for more than an hour (9%), having to leave home temporarily (6%), feeling isolated (6%), and having to leave home permanently (1%) were mentioned to a lesser extent.

In 2023, a lower proportion of respondents mentioned having to leave their home temporarily (6% compared to 9% in 2022) and feeling isolated with no one to rely on (6% compared to 10% in 2022).

Figure 16: Impacts of the climate-related events on the householdQ15. What were the direct impacts of the most recent climate-related event that occurred in your community on you and/or your household? Base: Respondents who have experienced a climate-related event in their community (n=1,664)

Some significant differences regarding climate-related event impacts include:

· Younger respondents were significantly more likely to have experienced mental health issues (20%, making it first on the list), being physically stuck in a specific area for more than an hour (13%), and having to leave home temporarily (10%).

· Respondents from Quebec and those over 55 years old were significantly more likely to report not having experienced any of the listed impacts (60% and 55% respectively).

· Respondents from Ontario were significantly more likely to mention house/property damage (18%) and mental health problems (16%).

· Respondents from the Atlantic were more likely to mention having lost access to a critical utility or essential service (37%) and house/property damage (27%).

· Respondents from the Territories were more likely to mention having faced almost all types of impacts.

Length of time to return to normal after climate event

Respondents were asked about how much time they felt it took to get “back to normal” (e.g., for house to be repaired, for roads to be fixed, for physical health to return, for mental health to return, for returning to job, etc.) after experiencing the climate event. Almost two thirds of respondents declared that their life returned to normal less than a year after the event (62%), and around one in ten (10%) said it took one to two years. Smaller proportions have declared that it took more than two years (6%), that it has not yet but will (4%), or that it will never be the same (5%). Results remained stable since 2022.

Figure 17: Return to normal after climate event

This graph shows how long it took for life to return to normal after the climate event experienced. The breakdown is as follows:
2023; 2022
Less than a year: 62%; 59%
1 – 2 years: 10%; 9%
More than 2 years: 6%; 7%
It did not return to normal, but I know it will: 4%; 6%
I don’t think my life will ever be the same: 5%; 6%
I prefer not to answer: 13%; 13%. Q17. How long after the climate event would you say it took for your life to return to normal (e.g., for your house to be repaired, for the road to be fixed, for your physical health to return, for your mental health to return, for you to return to your job)? Base: Respondents who have experienced a climate-related event in their community (n=1,664)

Younger respondents were more likely to declare that it took their life one to two years (16%) to get back to normal, while older respondents (55+ years old) were more likely to state it took less than a year (69%).

Respondents living in the Atlantic region were more likely to state it took less than a year for their life to return to normal (73%), while those from British Columbia were more likely to state it took one to two years (19%).

Handling of the situation

Respondents were asked to what extent they considered that their community and different levels of government took sufficient action to handle the climate-related event they have been through.

Around six-in-ten respondents who went through a climate-related event agreed that their municipality took sufficient action (59%). A little over half of respondents agreed their community took sufficient action (56%). Around half agreed that their provincial or territorial government took sufficient action (49%), and two-in-five respondents agreed the federal government took sufficient action (42%).

Figure 18: Handling of the situation Q16. To what extent do you agree or disagree that each of the following entities took sufficient action when handling this climate-related event? Base: Respondents who have experienced a climate-related event in their community (n=1,664)

Note: Question and statements were changed after the first wave (2022), no comparison available.

Significant differences include:

· Respondents living in an at-risk community were more likely to consider that their community took sufficient action (62%) compared to those who don’t (55%).

· Those who had heard of the National Adaptation Strategy were more likely to agree that the federal government took sufficient action to handle the situation (55%).

· Those who consider themselves to be part of a community were significantly more likely to agree with all statements.

· Respondents who live in British Columbia were more likely to agree that their provincial government took sufficient action (59%), while those from the Atlantic region and the Territories were more likely to consider that their community took sufficient action (74% and 78% respectively).

Actions that could have been taken for a better handling of the situation

Respondents were then asked how the situation could have been handled differently. Around two in three respondents (63%) did not know what could have been done differently to better handle the situation. Those who did gave different answers, including preparation / prevention / being more prepared (8%) and more information / information availability / communication (7%). Both of these statements were significantly more mentioned than in 2022. Other statements were mentioned by 3% of respondents or less.

Figure 19: Actions that could have been taken for a better handling of the situationQ18. In your opinion, what could have been done, or done differently, to better handle the situation? Base: All respondents who went through a climate-related event (n=1,664)

Note: Open-ended question. Total may exceed 100%.

Respondents from the Territories were more likely to know what could have been done differently (66%). They were more likely to mention:

· Preparation / prevention / being more prepared (25%)

· More information / information availability / communication (25%)

· Faster response (15%)

Support expectations towards various institutions

Respondents were asked who they expect to provide more support for managing climate-related events in the future.

Several significant differences are to be noted between 2023 and 2022. The provincial or territorial government came first in terms of support expectations (22%), but only by 2 percentage points. They are closely followed by the local government (20%) and the federal government (20%). One’s community is mentioned by less than one-in-ten respondents who have been most affected by climate change impacts and have experienced a climate-related event (7%).

Around one-in-four respondents were not able to provide an answer (25%).

Figure 20: Support expectations towards various institutions

Q19. From which of the following would you expect to provide more support to your community for managing climate-related events? Base: Respondents who have been most affected by climate change impacts and experienced a climate-related event (n=877)

Respondents from British Columbia were significantly more likely to expect more support from their provincial or territorial government (45%), while those from the Prairies were more likely to expect support from the federal government (30%).

2.2.4 Expectations towards governments and National Adaptation Strategy

Perception of government effort levels

Respondents were asked about their perception of government efforts to minimize climate risks and to help Canadians prepare for climate change. Less than three out of ten Canadians agreed that enough is being done by all orders of governments to minimize climate risks (29%) and to prepare for climate change (28%), with less than one-tenth strongly agreeing with either statement (7%). Conversely, three-in-five respondents disagreed with both statements, with over a third disagreeing (38% for both) and a fifth strongly disagreeing (22% and 21% respectively). Around one-in-ten respondents were unsure (12% and 13% respectively).

Note: Statements were changed after the first wave (2022), no comparison available.

Figure 21: Perception of government effort levels – Detailed resultsQ21. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Base: All respondents (n=2,024)

Significant differences regarding the statement “enough is being done by all orders of government to minimize climate risks” include:

· Respondents who have not experienced an extreme climate event were more likely to agree with the statement (43%) compared to those who did (25%)

Significant differences regarding the statement “enough is being done by all orders of government to help Canadians prepare for climate change” include:

· Respondents who have not experienced an extreme climate event were more likely to agree with the statement (38%) compared to those who did (26%)

4.2 Most helpful options in preparing for the next climate-related event

More than half of respondents (56%) believe that knowing what to do when the event occurs is the most helpful. Close behind, 47% of respondents indicate that knowing where to go if utilities are not available is important. Additionally, a similar proportion of participants (46%) value information on how to protect their property ahead of time. Less critical to respondents are community preparedness events (28%) and opportunities to be involved in climate preparedness activities (22%). Finally, one out of five respondents (19%) find knowing where to report incidents as a helpful option.

Since this question has changed in 2023, no comparison is possible with the 2022 survey.

Figure 22: Most helpful options in preparing for the next climate-related event Q8. Among the following options, which one(s) would help you the most in better preparing for the next climate-related event? Select up to three answers. Base: All respondents (n=2,024)

Significant differences regarding options in preparing for the next climate-related event include:

· Women were significantly more likely to mention knowing what to do when the event occurs (60% compared to 52%), knowing where to go if utilities are not available (52% compared to 42%) and knowing how to protect property ahead of time (50% compared to 43%).

· Respondents from Quebec (63%) and the Atlantic provinces (68%) were more likely to mention knowing what to do when the event occurs.

· Those from the territories were more likely to mention community preparedness events (51%) as a helpful option in preparing for the next climate-related event.

· Respondents who experienced a climate-related event were significantly more likely to mention all of the elements.

Communications responsibility

Around three respondents out of ten (29%) hold the federal government as the primary responsible for communicating the information about how to prepare for climate-related events. A close second is the provincial or territorial government, with 26% of respondents assigning them responsibility. Fewer respondents see the municipal government (13%) and emergency services like police and fire departments (10%) as the main communicators. Weather forecast applications are deemed responsible by 6% of the surveyed individuals, while community organizations are seen as the least responsible, with only 2% of respondents thinking they should be responsible for communicating the information.

Because this question has been modified in 2023, no comparison is possible with the 2022 survey.

Figure 23: Communications responsibility

Q9. According to you, who should be responsible for communicating this information? Base: All web respondents (n=1,718)

Significant differences include:

· Men (34% compared to 24% for women) and respondents from Ontario (35%) were more likely to hold the federal government responsible for communicating information.

· Those from Quebec were more likely to attribute this responsibility to the provincial or territorial government (32%, making it first on the list) whereas those form the Atlantic provinces put this responsibility on emergency services (e.g., police, fire department) (21%).

· Those who experienced an extreme climate-related event were more likely to attribute the responsibility of communicating information on the provincial or territorial government (27%) and the municipal government (15% compared to 8%).

Communication preferences for extreme weather event preparation

When asked about communication preferences for extreme weather event preparation, the preferred methods were SMS alerts, chosen by a fifth of respondents (20%), television (18%), weather forecast apps and websites (16%) and The Weather Network website (15%). Radio was chosen by 8% of respondents, while social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, as well as the Environment and Climate Change Canada website, are each preferred by 7% of respondents. Traditional newspapers are the least referred to for this information, with only 1% relying on them.

Figure 24: Communication preferences for extreme weather event preparation This graph shows the top three reasons to adapt to climate change according to respondents. The breakdown is as follows:
SMS alerts: 20%;
Television: 18%;
Weather forecast app/website: 16%;
The Weather Network website: 15%;
Radio: 8%;
Social media (Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok…): 7%;
Environment and Climate Change Canada website: 7%;
Newspapers: 1%;
Other websites: 2%;
Not sure: 5%. Q20. What is your preferred way to stay informed when an extreme weather event is approaching (snowstorm, rainstorm, hurricane, heat wave, etc.)? Base: All respondents (n=2,024)

Significant differences in terms of communication preferences in case of an approaching extreme weather event include the following:

· Respondents 55 years of age and older were more likely to mention the television as their favorite way to be informed (28%) compared to 18–34-year-olds (8%) and 35–54-year-olds (15%).

· Albertan respondents were more likely to prefer SMS alerts (31%) than respondents from other provinces.

· Indigenous respondents were more likely to prefer the radio as their favorite way to be informed (24%) compared to non-Indigenous respondents (7%).

Note: This question having been added in 2023, no tracking comparison is possible.

Awareness of the National Adaptation Strategy

Awareness of the National Adaptation has significantly increased since 2022 but remains low, as around 8% state being aware of it (compared to 5% in 2022). On the other hand, nine out of ten Canadians stated never having heard of it (91%).

Figure 25: Awareness of the National Adaptation Strategy

This graph shows the proportion of Canadians who are familiar with the National Adaptation Strategy. The breakdown is as follows:
2023; 2022
Yes: 8%; 5%
No: 91%; 93%
I prefer not to answer: 1%; 2%. Q22. Before today, have you ever read or heard anything about something called “The National Adaptation Strategy”? Base: All respondents (n=2,024)

The following subgroups were more likely to have read or heard about the National Adaptation Strategy:

· Indigenous respondents (25% versus 7%)

· Respondents who have experienced an extreme climate event (9% compared to 5% among those who did not)

Understanding of the National Adaptation Strategy

For the respondents who had heard of the National Adaptation Strategy, they were asked to explain what they thought it was. Over two in three respondents who had heard of the Strategy were not able to explain what it was (68%), and a little more than one out of ten (13%) mentioned that it had to do with adapting to climate change.

Figure 26: Understanding of the National Adaptation Strategy Q23. Please describe your understanding of the National Adaptation Strategy. Base: Respondents who have heard of the National Adaptation Strategy (n=172)Note: Open-ended. Total may exceed 100%.

No relevant significant differences are to be noted.

Preferred terminology

Respondents were asked which term among a list best captures the efforts to make the impacts of climate change less severe on people living in Canada, and results varied between francophones and anglophones.

Anglophones preferred the term “Climate preparedness and adaptation” above all others (31%), followed by “Preparing for climate change” (20%). The terms “Adapting to climate change” and “Being climate-ready” were preferred by less than one-fifth of respondents (16%), and around the same proportion was unsure (17%).

On the other hand, a third of francophones preferred the term “Se préparer aux changements climatiques” (Preparing for climate change) (35%). Around one-fifth of them preferred the terms “Préparation et adaptation au climat” (Climate preparedness and adaptation) (22%) and “S’adapter aux changements climatiques” (Adapting to climate change) (20%). A little over one-in-ten francophones preferred the term “Être préparé face au climat” (Being climate-ready) (12%) or were unsure (11%).

Note: This question having been added in 2023, no tracking comparison is possible.

Figure 27: Preferred terminologyQ26. When you think about climate change and the climate impacts we might feel in the future (e.g., more heat, flooding, wildfires, sea level rise), which of the following terms do you think best captures the efforts to make the impacts less severe on people living in Canada? Base: All respondents (n=2,024)

2.2.5 Conclusion and recommendations

Overall, results from the quantitative study remained stable since 2022, and main findings remain similar. While Canadians acknowledge the importance of climate change and the increasing severity of its impacts, a majority of them remained hopeful about solutions and motivated to protect themselves.

A majority of respondents considered they were familiar with what they can do to prepare in case of a climate-related event, and a third have already taken measures to counter climate change effects. A minority felt like they were doing enough already to adapt.

Heatwaves remain the most commonly experienced climate-related event, but wildfires and their impacts have become more prominent in 2023 and came in second. Most common impacts were physical health problems and losing access to critical utility or essential supplies, having house or property damage, having to spend money to address the impacts, and having mental health impacts, but the situation returned to normal in less than a year in most cases.

Regarding government expectations, most considered that more needs to be done by all orders of government to minimize climate risks. Communication wise, Canadians placed the responsibility on the federal government first and foremost, followed closely by the provincial or territorial government. Knowing what to do during the event, where to go in case of utilities interruption, and how to protect property were the most important information pieces that Canadians would like to have. Medium wise, Canadians were torn, which points to the necessity to diversify communication channels.

Awareness of the National Adaptation Strategy was slightly higher in 2023 compared to 2022, but understanding remains low.

Finally, English-speaking respondents generally preferred the term “climate preparedness and adaptation”, while French-speaking ones favored the term "Se préparer aux changements climatiques" ("Preparing for climate change").

Based on the findings of the quantitative study, we present the following recommendations to address the identified challenges and leverage opportunities for improved outcomes in terms of climate preparedness and adaptation:

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION THEMES

The most compelling arguments for climate adaptation involve future generations and agriculture and food production protection. Therefore, incorporating these key themes into communication strategies to motivate proactive preparation and adaptation efforts could prove beneficial.

BRIDGING THE KNOWLEDGE GAP

While most Canadians were motivated to do what they can to protect themselves, their family, their community and house, and are confident that there will be solutions, they remained afraid of its impacts, and some didn't feel like they had enough knowledge to form an opinion and felt hopeless. There is a clear necessity to develop, distribute and publicize, on a large-scale, educational materials that empower and inform individuals about resilience-building actions through concrete information and actionable steps. Examples of communication and publicization initiatives include: organizing events in schools, municipal libraries, utilizing internet and social media platforms, and making use of parks, key moments, and locations throughout the year to share information, such as participating in festivals, agricultural fairs, with a physical presence, and sponsoring various events.

PROMOTING NATIONAL ADAPTATION STRATEGY AWARENESS

The imperative for heightened public awareness of the National Adaptation Strategy's objectives and benefits suggests a need for focused communication efforts that clearly articulate the Strategy's value and practical implications for individuals and communities. Communications should focus on raising awareness levels and understanding of the Strategy’s scope. In line with communication recommendations mentioned above, it would be beneficial to utilize the same channels to raise awareness of the National Adaptation Strategy among different audiences.

AWARENESS OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Mixed perceptions of government actions and response in the wake of climate-related events indicate the importance of enhancing and transparently communicating the effectiveness of federal actions and responsibilities to strengthen public trust and clarify the role of the federal government.

DIVERSIFYING COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

To effectively disseminate information on climate adaptation, employing a variety of communication methods is crucial to ensure messages reach a broad audience and engage all community segments.

TERMINOLOGY PREFERENCES IN COMMUNICATIONS

While terminology preferences were diffuse, "climate preparedness and adaptation" was preferred by most English-speaking respondents, and "se préparer aux changements climatiques" by French speakers. Using these terms in communications will help improve understanding of the topic among the target audience.

Appendix

A.1. Qualitative methodology

For each online discussion session, ten participants were recruited by our professional recruiters. A total of 91 recruits participated in the online discussion sessions (see table A1 for details). All participants in each discussion session received an honorarium of $125. Each group was 120 minutes long, to ensure the participation of each participant. All sessions allowed for remote viewing by Leger and Government of Canada observers. All groups were scheduled to be held on August 8^th, 9^th, 16^th and 17^th, 2023. Groups were held in the following regions on the dates specified in Table A1.

The focus groups were conducted online using Focus Vision’s CMNTY platform. This platform allowed for video conferencing groups, observers in a separate virtual room, chat between participants and the moderator, and chat between the observation room and the moderator.

Table A1.1. Details of the focus groups

GR	Region	Recruits	Participants	Target	Language	Date	Time
1	Quebec + Atlantic	10	9	People living in an urban area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster (general population, including Indigenous representation)	English	August 8^th	5pm EST
2	Alberta + Manitoba + Saskatchewan+ NWT + Nunavut	10	9	People living in an urban area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster (general population, including Indigenous representation)	English	August 8^th	7pm EST
3	Ontario	10	9	People living in an urban area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster (general population, including Indigenous representation)	English	August 9^th	5pm EST
4	British Columbia + Yukon	10	8	People living in an urban area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster (general population, including Indigenous representation)	English	August 9^th	7pm EST
5	Quebec + Atlantic	10	9	People living in an urban area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster (general population, including Indigenous representation)	French	August 8^th	5pm EST
6	Quebec + Atlantic	10	9	People living in a rural area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster general population, including Indigenous representation).	English	August 16^th	5pm EST
7	Alberta + Manitoba + Saskatchewan+ NWT + Nunavut	10	10	People living in a rural area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster general population, including Indigenous representation).	English	August 16^th	7pm EST
8	Ontario	10	9	People living in a rural area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster general population, including Indigenous representation).	English	August 17^th	5pm EST
9	British Columbia + Yukon	10	9	People living in a rural area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster general population, including Indigenous representation).	English	August 17^th	7pm EST
10	Quebec + Atlantic	10	10	People living in a rural area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster general population, including Indigenous representation).	French	August 8^th	7pm EST
Total		100	91

Recruitment was carried out by professional recruiters. The recruitment guide (available in the appendix C) ensured that the participants met the profiles sought for each session and that they were equipped to participate in an online discussion session. To do so, they had to confirm that they had a high-speed Internet connexion, a computer or laptop.

Moderation

All focus group sessions were moderated and supervised by a Leger researcher assisted by a research analyst. One researcher moderated the groups in French and one other moderated the groups in English. The discussion guide (available in appendix B) consisted of a semi-structured discussion guide. It allowed moderators to follow the thread of the discussion and ensured that an array of themes was covered while leaving sufficient room for the participants to express themselves and develop in detail their experiences, ideas, opinions and perceptions.

This qualitative portion of the research provides insight into the opinions of a population, rather than providing a measure in percent of the opinions held, as would be measured in a quantitative study. The results of this type of research should be viewed as directional only. No inference to the general population can be done with the results of this research.

Quality Control

Leger recruited participants with the help of CRC Research, our qualitative recruitment partner, using a hybrid method. First, an online screening was used followed by a final recruitment screening over the phone. The online recruitment enabled us to find many potential candidates that fit the recruitment criteria across all regions of Canada. Then, these potential candidates were contacted by phone by CRC’s professional recruiters to confirm their eligibility and that they have access to a computer, a high-speed online connection as well as a webcam to participate in the online discussion session. After being adequately screened and recruited, participants (as well as observers) received detailed instructions from CRC Research on how to log in to the live session and other key information regarding the procedure itself.

The recruitment screener informed participants of all their rights under Canada’s Privacy legislation and the Standards for the Conduct of Government of Canada Public Opinion Research. Specifically, their confidentiality was guaranteed, and that participation is voluntary.

After each group, a meeting was organized with the researchers in order to get the general outlines and trends.

Limitation

Qualitative research is designed to reveal a rich range of opinions and interpretations rather than to measure what percentage of the target population holds a given opinion. These results must not be used to estimate the numeric proportion or number of individuals in the population who hold a particular opinion because they are not statistically projectable.

A.2 Quantitative Methodology

Quantitative research was conducted through a hybrid phone and web approach, using Computer Aided Telephone Interviewing (CATI) and Computer Aided Web Interviewing (CAWI) technology.

As a Canadian Research Insights Council Member, Leger adheres to the most stringent guidelines for quantitative research. The survey was conducted in accordance with Government of Canada requirements for quantitative research, including the Standards of the Conduct of Government of Canada Public Opinion Research—Series D—Quantitative Research.

Respondents were assured of the voluntary, confidential and anonymous nature of this research. As with all research conducted by Leger, all information that could allow for the identification of participants was removed from the data, in accordance with the Privacy Act.

The questionnaire is available in Appendix A.3.

Using data from the 2021 Statistics Canada census, the weighting was done according to age, gender, province, education, spoken language, presence of children in the household, and belonging to a community that is most affected by climate change or not, to help readjust the sample for minor imbalances. The weight of each region was adjusted to be equivalent to its actual weight in relation to the distribution of the Canadian population. The weighting factors are presented in detail in the A.1.4. section of this report.

A pre-test of 66 interviews was completed before launching data collection to validate the programming of the questionnaire in both English and French.

A.2.1 Sampling Procedure

Hybrid approach: Computer Aided Telephone Interviewing (CATI) and Computer Aided Web Interviewing (CAWI)

A total of 306 respondents participated in the phone survey. Participant selection was done randomly through telephone number lists.

A total of 1,718 respondents participated in the web survey. Participant selection was done through the Leger panel.

The exact distribution of respondents is presented in the following section.

Considering that a hybrid approach was used and that a majority of the sample comes from the panel, the sampling method used is not probabilistic in nature, so no margin of error can be calculated. However, for analysis purposes, statistically significant differences are included in the report as a reference, comparable to those obtained from a similar probability sample.

Details on the included people who have been most affected by climate change impacts are presented in the appendix A.2.

A.2.2 Data Collection

Fieldwork for the survey was conducted from November 30^th, 2023, and January 24^th, 2024. The participation rate for the survey was 9% on the web and 13% on the phone. A pre-test of 66 interviews was completed between December 1^st and 6^th, 2023. Two rounds of pretesting have been done overall, as the first pretest uncovered a longer than anticipated length of interview for the phone portion. Average length of interview for the last phone pretest was 20 minutes, and 8 minutes for the web portion.

To achieve data reliability in all subgroups, a total sample of 2,024 Canadians were surveyed, in all regions of the country.

Respondents for this survey were selected either randomly from a phone list, or through the Leger panel for the web portion. The results of such a survey cannot be described as statistically projectable to the target population. The data have been weighted to reflect the demographic composition of the target population.

Based on data from Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census, Leger weighted the results of this survey according to age, gender, region, education, first language, presence of children in the household, and belonging to a community that is most affected by climate change or not, to help readjust the sample for minor imbalances.

The following table details the regional distribution of respondents. The sample attempted to replicate as closely as possible the actual distribution of the Canadian population.

Table A.2.1 Regional Distribution of Respondents

Region	Number of respondents
Quebec	445
Ontario	596
British Columbia	152
Alberta	209
Prairies	244
Atlantic	300
Territories	78
Total	2,024

A.2.3 Participation Rate

The overall participation rate for this study is 9% on the web and 13% on the phone. Below is the calculation of both the web and the phone survey’s participation rate. The participation rate is calculated using the following formula: Participation rate = R ÷ (U + IS + R). The tables below provide details of the calculation for both the web and the phone portions.

Table A.2.2 Participation Rate Calculation – Web portion

Invalid cases
Invitations mistakenly sent to people who did not qualify for the study	2
Incomplete or missing email addresses	0
Unresolved (U)	14,661
Email invitations bounce back	33
Email invitations unanswered	14,628
In-scope non-responding units (IS)	15,860
Non-response from eligible respondents	15,725
Respondent refusals	0
Language problem	0
Selected respondent not available (illness; leave of absence; vacation; other)	0
Early breakoffs	135
Responding units (R)	2,984
Surveys disqualified – quota filled	937
Completed surveys disqualified for other reasons	23
COMPLETED INTERVIEWS	2,024
POTENTIALLY ELIGIBLE (U+IS+R)	33,505
Participation rate= R/(U + IS + R)	9%

Table A.2.3 Participation Rate Calculation – Phone portion

Base Sample
Invalid number	5,447
No service	5,277
Non-residential	40
Fax / modem / pager	130
Double	0
Unresolved (U)	6,946
No answer	2,752
Answering machine	3,978
Line busy	216
Effective sample	4,172
In-scope non-responding units (IS)	2,770
Refusal	2,638
Language Barrier	132
Responding units (R)	1,402
Quota attained	94
Unqualified	231
Incomplete	32
Appointment	739
COMPLETED INTERVIEWS	306
POTENTIALLY ELIGIBLE (U+IS+R)	11,118
Participation rate	13%

A.2.4 Unweighted and Weighted Samples

A basic comparison of the unweighted and weighted sample sizes was conducted to identify any potential non-response bias that could be introduced by lower response rates among specific demographic subgroups (see tables below).

The table below presents the geographic distribution of respondents, before and after weighting. The weighting adjusted for some discrepancies: the weights of the Prairies, the Atlantic, and Territories were reduced in favor of Ontario and British Columbia in order to have a sufficient subsample in these regions. Therefore, the weighting minimized the weight of these regions that had been inflated and slightly increased the weights of Ontario and British Columbia.

Table A.2.4 Unweighted and Weighted Sample Distribution by Region

Region	Unweighted	Weighted
Quebec	445	468
Ontario	596	785
British Columbia	152	276
Alberta	209	225
Prairies	244	129
Atlantic	300	136
Territories	78	6
Total	2,024	2,024

The following tables present the distribution of Canadians by age and gender. The weighting slightly decreased the weight of men and respondents 55 years old and over. The small differences observed have not introduced a non-response bias for these sample subgroups.

Table A.2.5 Unweighted and Weighted Sample Distribution by Age

Age	Unweighted	Weighted
18-34	383	538
35-54	598	651
55+	1,043	836
Total	2,024	2,024

Table A.2.6 Unweighted and Weighted Sample Distribution by Gender

Gender	Unweighted	Weighted
Man	878	987
Woman	1,140	1,031
Another gender identity	5	7
Total	2,024	2,024

The following tables present the distribution of Canadians by level of education and the presence of children in the household. Weighting decreased the weight of respondents who attended university in favor of those with lower education levels. Regarding the presence of children in the household, weighting slightly decreased the weight of those who did not have any children in the household in favour of those who did.

Table A.2.7 Unweighted and Weighted Sample Distribution by Education

Education	Unweighted	Weighted
High school and less	500	621
College	661	831
University	853	559
Total	2,024	2,024

Table A.2.8 Unweighted and Weighted Sample Distribution by Presence of children in the household

Presence of children in the household	Unweighted	Weighted
Yes	464	533
No	1538	1472
Total	2,024	2,024

The following tables present the distribution of respondents by language spoken at home and belonging to a community that is most affected by climate change or not. Slight adjustments have been made to reduce the weight of respondents who have been most affected by climate change impacts in favor of those who do not, in order to be representative of their distribution in the population.

Table A.2.9 Unweighted and Weighted Sample Distribution by Language spoken at home

Language spoken at home	Unweighted	Weighted
French	441	487
English	1,492	1,458
Other	89	76
Total	2,024	2,024

Table A.2.10 Unweighted and Weighted Sample Distribution by Belonging to a community that is most affected by climate change

Belonging to a community that is most affected by climate change	Unweighted	Weighted
Yes	877	347
No	1,147	1,677
Total	2,024	2,024

There is no evidence from the data that having achieved a different distribution through the presented variables prior to weighting would have significantly changed the results for this study. The relatively small weight factors (see section below) and differences in responses between various subgroups suggest that data quality was not affected. The weight that was applied corrected the initial imbalance for data analysis purposes and no further manipulations were necessary.

The following tables present the weighting factors applied to the database according to the different respondent profiles.

Table A.2.11 Weight factors by Profile

Label	Weight
British Columbia Male 18-24	0.69
British Columbia Male 25-34	1.18
British Columbia Male 35-44	1.10
British Columbia Male 45-54	0.98
British Columbia Male 55-64	1.17
British Columbia Male 65+	1.61
British Columbia Female 18-24	0.65
British Columbia Female 25-34	1.07
British Columbia Female 35-44	1.08
British Columbia Female 45-54	1.12
British Columbia Female 55-64	1.25
British Columbia Female 65+	1.84
Alberta Male 18-24	0.00
Alberta Male 25-34	1.63
Alberta Male 35-44	1.10
Alberta Male 45-54	0.92
Alberta Male 55-64	0.91
Alberta Male 65+	1.00
Alberta Female 18-24	0.57
Alberta Female 25-34	1.02
Alberta Female 35-44	1.11
Alberta Female 45-54	0.92
Alberta Female 55-64	0.93
Alberta Female 65+	1.13
Manitoba/Saskatchewan Male 18-24	0.31
Manitoba/Saskatchewan Male 25-34	0.57
Manitoba/Saskatchewan Male 35-44	0.56
Manitoba/Saskatchewan Male 45-54	0.49
Manitoba/Saskatchewan Male 55-64	0.54
Manitoba/Saskatchewan Male 65+	0.66
Manitoba/Saskatchewan Female 18-24	0.36
Manitoba/Saskatchewan Female 25-34	0.56
Manitoba/Saskatchewan Female 35-44	0.56
Manitoba/Saskatchewan Female 45-54	0.49
Manitoba/Saskatchewan Female 55-64	0.55
Manitoba/Saskatchewan Female 65+	0.78
Ontario Male 18-24	2.13
Ontario Male 25-34	3.32
Ontario Male 35-44	3.01
Ontario Male 45-54	2.99
Ontario Male 55-64	3.29
Ontario Male 65+	4.04
Ontario Female 18-24	1.98
Ontario Female 25-34	3.28
Ontario Female 35-44	3.19
Ontario Female 45-54	3.20
Ontario Female 55-64	3.48
Ontario Female 65+	4.85
Quebec Male 18-24	1.08
Quebec Male 25-34	1.80
Quebec Male 35-44	1.89
Quebec Male 45-54	1.76
Quebec Male 55-64	2.07
Quebec Male 65+	2.70
Quebec Female 18-24	1.04
Quebec Female 25-34	1.78
Quebec Female 35-44	1.90
Quebec Female 45-54	1.74
Quebec Female 55-64	2.11
Quebec Female 65+	3.21
Atlantic Male 18-24	0.30
Atlantic Male 25-34	0.47
Atlantic Male 35-44	0.47
Atlantic Male 45-54	0.52
Atlantic Male 55-64	0.63
Atlantic Male 65+	0.85
Atlantic Female 18-24	0.30
Atlantic Female 25-34	0.47
Atlantic Female 35-44	0.50
Atlantic Female 45-54	0.55
Atlantic Female 55-64	0.67
Atlantic Female 65+	0.99

Table A.2.12 Weight Factors by Region

Label	Weight
British Columbia (Vancouver CMA)	7.10
British Columbia (Other)	6.54
Alberta (Calgary CMA)	3.90
Alberta (Edmonton CMA)	3.73
Alberta (Other)	3.50
Saskatchewan	2.93
Manitoba	3.43
Ontario (Toronto CMA)	16.95
Ontario (other)	21.82
Quebec (Mtl CMA)	11.58
Quebec (Qc CMA)	2.30
Quebec (Other)	9.23
New-Brunswick	2.16
Nova Scotia	2.69
Prince-Edward Island	0.42
Newfoundland	1.44

Table A.2.13 Weight Factors by language and region

Label	Weight
French – Rest of Canada	2.74
French- Quebec	17.82
Non-francophone – Rest of Canada	74.16
Non-francophone - Quebec	5.29

Table A.2.14 Weight Factors by Education level

Label	Weight
College and less	72.36
University – Rest of Canada	21.76
University - Quebec	5.88

Table A.2.15 Weight Factors by Presence of children in the household

Label	Weight
Yes	27.28
Non	72.72

A.2.5 Detailed information on those who have been most affected by climate change impacts

Respondents who have been most affected by climate change impacts were identified by a number of characteristics. First, two to three communities were identified for each province or territory that had recently experienced a significant climate event in the past five years (e.g., a wildfire, hurricane, flooding event, heat wave, etc.), or are experiencing the onset impacts of climate change everyday (e.g., coastal erosion, thawing permafrost, declining sea ice and glacier ice, etc.). By identifying two to three communities per province or territory, this ensured that a statistically significant number of people per community could be interviewed (e.g., 30 people minimum per community to reach 1000 people in total). Since participation rates for surveys are usually about 15%, each community had to have at least 1,000 people in total population to ensure participation rates were at least 30 people per community.

As rural and urban communities differ significantly, there was an effort to choose one urban and one rural community per province or territory. From here, specific neighbourhoods were identified as more impacted, by using 2016 Statistics Canada Census Program data (e.g., median income, Indigenous populations, visible minorities, recent immigration, low-income measure, and unemployment rates). Neighbourhoods that showed vast differences in one of these areas compared to the rest of the town or city were then identified as communities that are most impacted by climate change.

Please see the table below for a full list of those who have been most affected by climate change impacts that were used as part of this study.

Table A2: A Complete list of those who have been most affected by climate change impacts that were interviewed as part of this study.

Province / Territory	Community Name (and neighbourhood)	Forward Sortation Area (FSA) code	Urban or Rural Community
Yukon	Whitehorse	Y1A	Urban
Yukon	Dawson City	Y0B	Rural
Northwest Territories	Fort Smith	X0E	Rural
Northwest Territories	Yellowknife	X1A	Urban
Northwest Territories	Hay River	X0E	Rural
Nunavut	Iqaluit	X0A	Urban
Nunavut	Arviat	X0C	Rural
Nunavut	Cambridge Bay	X0B	Rural
British Columbia	Abbotsford	V3G	Urban
British Columbia	Central Okanagan (Peachland)	V0H	Rural
Alberta	Calgary (NE)	T3J	Urban
Alberta	Edson	T7E	Rural
Saskatchewan	Cypress Hills-Grasslands (Leader, Lancer)	S0N	Rural
Saskatchewan	Swift Current	S9H	Rural
Manitoba	Portage la Prairie (farms around city)	R0H R1N	Rural
Manitoba	Winnipeg - Point Douglas East Winnipeg	R2W R3B	Urban
Ontario	Chatham-Kent	N0P N7M	Rural
Ontario	Uxbridge	L9P	Rural
Quebec	Montreal - North	H1G	Urban
Quebec	Iles-de-la-Madeleine	G4T	Rural
Quebec	Joliette	J6E	Rural
New Brunswick	Charlotte County - Grand Manan	E5G	Rural
New Brunswick	Moncton	E1C	Urban
Nova Scotia	South End - Halifax	B3H	Urban
Nova Scotia	Lunenburg	B0J	Rural
PEI	Charlottetown	C1A	Urban
PEI	Lennox Island	C0B	Rural/Indigenous
Newfoundland and Labrador	Corner Brook	A2H	Urban
Newfoundland and Labrador	Channel-Port aux Basques	A0N A0M	Rural
Nova Scotia	Upper Tantallon	B3Z	Urban
Nova Scotia	Hammond Plains	B4B	Urban
Alberta	Whitecourt	T7S	Urban
Ontario	Lindsay	K9V	Urban
Quebec	Sainte-Adèle	J8B	Urban
Alberta	South Edmonton	T6W	Urban
British Columbia	Saanich-Gulf Islands	V8L	Urban
New Brunswick	Lamèque Island	E8T	Urban

A.3 Screener guide

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The groups will be held online via CMNTY.

The objective is to have 8-10 participants per focus group.

	DATE / TIME	PARTICIPANTS	LANGUAGE	REGION
GROUP 1 8-10 participants	august 8 5 pm (DST) 6 pm (ADT)	People living in an urban area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster (general population, including Indigenous representation)	ENG	QUEBEC+ ATLANTIC
GROUP 2 8-10 participants	august 8 7 pm (DST) 7 PM (EDT) 5 pm (MDT) 6 PM (MDT)	People living in an urban area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster (general population, including Indigenous representation)	ENG	Alberta+ Manitoba+ Saskatchewan+ NWT + Nunavut
GROUP 3 8-10 participants	august 9 5 pm (DST)	People living in an urban area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster (general population, including Indigenous representation)	ENG	Ontario
GROUP 4 8-10 participants	august 9 7 pm (DST) 4 pm [(MST/PDT)]	People living in an urban area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster (general population, including Indigenous representation)	ENG	BC + yukon
GROUP 5 8-10 participants	August 8 5 pm (DST) 6 pm (ADT)	People living in an urban area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster (general population, including Indigenous representation)	FR	QUEBEC+ ATLANTIC
GROUP 6 8-10 participants	August 16 5 pm (DST) 6 pm (ADT)	People living in a rural area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster general population, including Indigenous representation).	ENG	QUEBEC+ ATLANTIC+
GROUP 7 8-10 participants	August 16 7 pm (DST) 7 PM (EDT) 5 pm (MDT) 6 PM (MDT)	People living in a rural area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster general population, including Indigenous representation).	ENG	Alberta+ Manitoba+ Saskatchewan+ NWT + Nunavut
GROUP 8 8-10 participants	August 17 5 pm (DST)	People living in a rural area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster general population, including Indigenous representation).	ENG	Ontario
GROUP 9 8-10 participants	August 17 7 pm (DST) 4 pm [(MST/PDT)]	People living in a rural area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster general population, including Indigenous representation).	ENG	BC + Yukon
GROUP 10 8-10 participants	August 8 7 pm (DST) 8 pm (ADT)	People living in a rural area who have recently experienced a climate-related disaster general population, including Indigenous representation).	FR	QUEBEC+ ATLANTIC

Recognizing challenges with regards to recruitment, it would be best if we are able to also include Indigenous participants in some groups. Would be nice to aim for at least two Indigenous participants across the urban groups and two across the rural groups.

Regarding regions, it would be ideal to have a good mix of all regions/provinces while being mindful of time differences between provinces.

For each participant, collect the following information:

Participant name:

Phone number at home:

Cell phone:

Email address:

Recruitment date: Recruiter :

Group #: Confirmation (date):

INTRODUCTION

Hello/Bonjour, I'm ___________ of Leger, a marketing research company. We are organizing a research project on behalf of the Government of Canada. One of the objectives of this project is to hear from people living in Canada who have recently gone through a climate-related event (e.g., wildfire, floods, hurricanes, extreme heat) or who are facing environmental changes every day (e.g., coastal erosion, permafrost thaw, degrading water quality). The purpose of the research is to seek opinions and perspectives from Canadians that will be used by the Government of Canada to understand Canadians’ behaviours and attitudes with respect to climate event impacts and how prepared we are to these climatic events in the future.

Hearing their stories - from what worked well, what didn’t work well, and what they find empowering will help the Government of Canada develop tools for helping Canadians and governments to prepare for climate change (e.g., by helping Canadians know how to protect their homes, families, communities and businesses from the impacts of climate change).

You do not have to be an expert on the subject, as we are interested in your own lived experiences and attitudes towards the topic.

We are preparing to hold a few research sessions with people like yourself. Participation is completely voluntary. We are interested in your opinions. The format is an "online" discussion led by a research professional with up to ten participants. All opinions will remain anonymous and will be used for research purposes only in accordance with laws designed to protect your privacy. We don't have anything to sell, and we don't advertise and it's not an opinion poll on current events or politics. We are organizing several of these discussions. We would be interested in possibly having you participate.

Your participation is voluntary. All information collected, used and/or disclosed will be used for research purposes only and the research is entirely confidential. We are also committed to protecting the privacy of all participants. The names of the participants will not be provided to any third party. May I continue?

[INTERVIEWER NOTE: IF ASKED ABOUT PRIVACY LAWS, SAY: “The information collected through the research is subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act, the legislation of the Government of Canada, and to the provisions of relevant provincial privacy legislation.]

The focus group would take place online on the (INSERT DATE/TIME) and will be a maximum of 1 hour and a half. You will be compensated $125 for your time.

I repeat that participation is entirely voluntary, and all information you provide is completely confidential. The full names of participants will not be provided to any third party.

A1. Are you interested in participating?

Yes	1	CONTINUE
No	2	THANK AND CONCLUDE

I would now like to ask you a few questions to see if you meet our eligibility criteria to participate.

When you conclude at A2-A3 -Intro 1, say: Thank you for your cooperation but unfortunately, we cannot invite you in the groups we organize.

When you conclude on other screening questions, say: Thank you for your collaboration. We have already reached the number of participants with a profile similar to yours. Therefore, we cannot invite you to participate.

A2. The group discussions we are organizing are going to be held over the Internet. They are going to be "online focus groups". Participants will need to have a computer, a high-speed Internet connection, and a Webcam in order to participate in the group. Would you be able to participate under these conditions?

Yes	1	CONTINUE
No	2	THANK AND CONCLUDE

ASK IF TARGETED THROUGH VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES LIST

CP. Could you provide us with the first three characters of your postal code?

IF prospect asks why, say: “We are currently recruiting individuals living in communities that are considered vulnerable or communities impacted by climate change, the first three characters of your postal code will help us validate the information.”

RECORD Postal Code: ___

See “Vulnerable communities” document for the list of postal codes to target.

A3. Within the past five years, have you experienced any of the following climate-related events in your community?

IF PROSPECT ASKS ABOUT ANY OF THE EVENTS, REFER TO THE ‘DEFINITION OF CLIMATE TERMS” DOCUMENT

Coastal erosion (defined as the landward movement of the shoreline as cliffs recede or as beach and dune systems change location)	1	CONTINUE
Flooding (defined as when the volume of water in a river, lake, or coastal shorelines overflows, or when there is excess rainfall causing flash flooding)	2	CONTINUE
Wildfire (defined as an uncontrolled fire that burns in the wildland vegetation)	3	CONTINUE
Sustained high winds, hurricane or tornado, for which Environment Canada issued warnings or alerts	4	CONTINUE
Permafrost thaw (defined as the rapid thawing of ground, either soil or rock, that should remain at 0°C or lower for at least two consecutive years)	5	CONTINUE
Drought (defined as a shortage of precipitation over an extended period, resulting in insufficient water availability that adversely impacts vegetation, animals and people)	6	CONTINUE
Heatwave (defined as an extended period of extreme heat for which Environment Canada issues heat warnings)	7	CONTINUE
Sea level rise (defined as when coastal areas experience differing levels of rising sea due to meltwater volume added from glaciers, polar ice caps, ice sheets, or through thermal expansion of warming ocean waters)	8	CONTINUE
None that I can recall	97	IF NOT FROM MOST IMPACTED COMMUNITY AND NO CLIMATE-RELATED EVENT, THANK AND CONCLUDE

In every group, we would like a good mix of those who have experienced climate change impacts (max 2 per group for heatwave), and those who live in a most impacted community but have not experienced any climate change related event (max. 3-4 per group).

PROFILING

INTRO1.

Do you or anyone in your immediate family work or have you ever worked in ...?

Marketing Research	1 THANK AND CONCLUDE
Marketing and Advertising	2 THANK AND CONCLUDE
Public relations, communications	3 THANK AND CONCLUDE
Media (newspapers, television, radio, etc.)	4 THANK AND CONCLUDE
Telecommunications	5 THANK AND CONCLUDE
Environment and/or climate change sector	6 THANK AND CONCLUDE
None of the above	99

Gender

Please indicate your gender

Male or man	1
Female or woman	2
Non-binary/Two-spirit or another gender identity	3

Gender: Ensure a good mix during the recruitment, Another gender is not a screening criteria

Province

In which province or territory do you live?

British Columbia	1
Alberta	2
Saskatchewan	3
Manitoba	4
Ontario	5
Quebec	6
New Brunswick	7
Nova Scotia	8
Prince Edward Island	9
Newfoundland	10
Northwest Territories	11
Yukon	12
Nunavut	13

AREA

Which of the following best describes the area in which you live?

Refer to “Vulnerable communities” list if unsure

Urban area	1
Rural area	2

Aim for 5 groups urban and 5 groups rural – see grid on page 1.

Language

What is your first official language spoken?

Note for recruiter if respondent asks: In Canada, 'first official language spoken' is specified within the framework of the Official Languages Act. It refers to the first official language (i.e., English or French) that is spoken by an individual.

French	1
English	2

AGE.

What age category do you fall into?

18 to 24	1
25 to 34	2
35 to 44	3
45 to 55	4
55 and over	5

Age: Ensure a good mix of age during the recruitment

ETHN.

What is your ethnic origin?

Black - African, African Canadian, Afro-Caribbean descent	1
East Asian - Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, or other East Asian descent	2
Indigenous - First Nations, Inuk/Inuit, Métis descent	3
Latin American - Hispanic or Latin American descent	4
Middle Eastern or North African - Arab, Persian, West Asian descent (e.g., Afghan, Egyptian, Iranian, Kurdish, Lebanese, Turkish)	5
South Asian - South Asian descent (e.g., Bangladeshi, Indian, Indo-Caribbean, Pakistani, Sri Lankan)	6
Southeast Asian - Cambodian, Filipino, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, or other Southeast Asian descent	7
White - European descent	8
Another category — please specify:	9
Includes values not described above	10
Do not know	11
Prefer not to answer/Not applicable	12

ETHN: There should be at least 2 Indigenous/First Nations/Inuk/Métis (code 3) per type of group (across all rural groups and all urban groups).

EDUCATION.

What is the highest level of education you completed?

Some high school or less	1
High school diploma or equivalent	2
Registered Apprenticeship or other trades certificate or diploma	3
College, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma	4
University certificate or diploma below bachelor's level	5
Bachelor's degree	6
Postgraduate degree above bachelor's level	7

Ensure a good mix for all groups if possible during the recruitment

OCCUP.

Which of the following categories best describes your current employment status? Are you…

Working full-time (35 or more hours per week)	1
Working part-time (less than 35 hours per week)	2
Self-employed	3
Unemployed, but looking for work	4
A student attending school full-time	5
Retired	6
Not in the workforce (full-time homemaker, full-time parent, or unemployed and not looking for work)	7
Other employment status. Please specify.	8

HH1. What best describes your housing situation?

Homeowner	1
Renter	2
Social housing	3
Other housing situation:____	4

Try to get some of each in each group (not a hard criteria)

HH2. Including yourself, how many people live in your household, counting adults and children?

___ people	1
One person (myself)	2

Try to get at least 1 person that lives alone in each group

GROUP ATTRIBUTION

Below is a detailed breakdown of the ideal group distribution:

· Across all groups, around 4 Indigenous/Métis/Inuit/First Nations participants (2 in rural groups and 2 in urban groups).

In each group: a maximum of 3-4 participants who live in a most impacted community but have not lived a climate-related event in the past 5 years (See “Vulnerable communities” document for the list of postal codes to target).

· In each group: a good mix of climate-related events, ideally no more than 2 participants who have only experienced heatwaves.

· In each group and across all groups: a good mix of gender and age.

· Groups can be organized by region/time zone for easier scheduling. No hard rules to follow as long as we have even coverage of all regions/provinces/territories of the country across all groups (e.g., two groups for rural West/center of Canada and two groups for rural East of Canada + one group for francophones across all provinces (as most of them will probably be in QC, NB, and ON).

· In each group: a good mix of housing situations (not a hard criteria)

· In each group: at least one person living alone

PSPC POR1

Have you ever attended a discussion group or taken part in an interview on any topic that was arranged in advance and for which you received money for participating?

Yes	1
No	2 GO TO PSPC POR

PSPC POR2

When did you last attend one of these discussion groups or interviews?

Within the last 6 months	1 THANK AND CONCLUDE
Over 6 months ago	2

PSPC POR 3

Thinking about the groups or interviews that you have taken part in, what were the main topics discussed?

RECORD: _______________ THANK/TERMINATE IF RELATED TO ENVIRONMENT OR CLIMATE CHANGE

PSPC POR4

How many discussion groups or interviews have you attended in the past 5 years?

Fewer than 5	1
Five or more	2 THANK AND CONCLUDE

CONCLUSION

INVITATION

Thank you. We'd like to invite you to participate in this focus group.

We are thrilled to have you as one of our participants in this study; your profile perfectly fits the target respondent we are looking for. We would like to invite you to participate in an online focus group that will be facilitated by an experienced professional moderator and will last approximately 90 minutes. The session will take place at [XX], on____XX____ (date/time) __XX__.

For your participation, you will receive a financial incentive of $125.

Please note that the session will be recorded. Your interview may also be observed by people who are directly working on the research study.

Just a quick reminder that the groups of discussion are going to be held over the Internet. They are going to be "online focus groups". You will need a computer, a high-speed Internet connection, and a WebCam in order to participate in the group.

INV1.

Are you still interested in participating in this research study?

Yes	1
No	2 THANK AND CONCLUDE

The information provided by you will be kept confidential and will only be disclosed to those who are directly working on the research that is relevant to the topic of discussion.

INV2.

Representatives from Environment and Climate Change Canada may observe the discussion, but will not have access to any of your private information. You will be asked to sign a consent form in order to participate in this research. Would you be willing to do this?

Yes	1
No	2 THANK AND CONCLUDE

PRIVACY SECTION

Now I have a few questions that relate to privacy, your personal information and the research process. We will need your consent on a few issues that enable us to conduct our research. As I run through these questions, please feel free to ask me any questions you would like clarified.

P1) First, we will provide the online platform and session moderator with a list of respondents’ names and profiles (screener responses) so that they can sign you into the group. Do we have your permission to do this? I assure you it will be kept strictly confidential.

Yes	1 GO TO P2
No	2 Read information below and P1A

We need to provide the online platform and session moderator with the names and background of the people attending the focus group because only the individuals invited are allowed in the session and the facility and moderator must have this information for verification purposes. Please be assured that this information will be kept strictly confidential. GO TO P1A

P1a) Now that I’ve explained this, do I have your permission to provide your name and profiles to the online platform and moderator?

Yes	1 GO TO P2
No	2 THANK AND CONCLUDE

P2) A recording of the group session will be produced for research purposes. The recording will only be used by the team of researchers at Léger to assist in preparing a report on the research findings.

Do you agree to be recorded for research purposes only?

Yes	1 GO TO INVITATION
No	2 Read information below and P2A

It is necessary for the research process for us to record the session as the researcher needs this material to complete the report.

P2a) Now that I’ve explained this, do I have your permission for recording?

Yes	1 GO TO INVITATION
No	2 THANK AND CONCLUDE

As we are only inviting a small number of people to take part, your participation is very important to us. If for some reason you are unable to participate, please call so that we can get someone to replace you. You can reach us at our office at____ . Please ask for ____.

To ensure that the focus groups run smoothly, we remind you:

· To make sure you are connected to the Internet and logged on 15 minutes in advance of the group

· To turn off your cellular phones – to avoid disruptions during the group.

· Make sure your WebCam is ON and functional

· To bring reading glasses, if necessary, to be able to go over the material.

· To make sure you will be located in a clear room (luminous)

· That the session will be recorded for analysis purposes only.

Email address : __________________________________________________________________

Thank you very much for your assistance!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Someone from our company will contact you to confirm the group. Could you leave me a phone number where we can reach you in the evening as well as during the day?

Name :

Phone number: Cell phone:

Recruited by:

Confirmed by:

A.4 Discussion guide

SECTION 1	INTRODUCTION AND EXPLANATION
Length	5 MINUTES

WELCOME AND PRESENTATION

- Reception of participants

- Introduction of the moderator

- Presentation of Leger

PRIMARY AIM

- The research is being conducted by Léger Marketing on behalf of Environment and Climate Change Canada. The objective of the meeting is to learn about your experience with during a climate-related event and your attitudes and perceptions towards preparing for climate change.

RULES OF DISCUSSION

- Dynamics of the discussion (90 minutes, discussion, round table)

- No wrong answers

- Importance of giving personal, spontaneous and honest opinions

- Importance of reacting respectfully to the opinions of others

- Importance of speaking one person at a time

PRESENTATION OF THE GROUP ROOM

- Audio and video recording for subsequent analysis

- Presence of observers from the federal government

- Presence of analysts to take notes

RESULTS CONFIDENTIALITY

The discussions we will have this evening will remain confidential at all times.

- Your name will never be mentioned in the report

- Information collected for study purposes only

- The information collected will help Environment and Climate Change Canada get a better understanding of Canadians’ lived experiences with climate change and their opinions towards various issues relating to the topic.

Do you have any questions before we get started?

INTRODUCTION OF PARTICIPANTS

- What's your first name?

- Your place of residence (province and city)?

- What is your main occupation?

NOTE TO MODERATORS

- Please divert the conversation from a discussion of whether climate change exists or not, if it comes up

- A reminder to move on to the next question or a different participant if at any point a participant’s climate experience triggers strong emotions (e.g., if they lost someone or a pet, if their stress was too much, etc.)

SECTION 2	familiarity and opinion on climate change adaptation and rationales
LENGTH	15 MINUTES

Are you worried about climate change?

· Do you think climate-related events (heatwaves, floods, erosion) are more or less frequent than before?

· What worries you the most about climate change and its impacts?

SECTION 3	TERMINOLOGY TESTING
length	30 MINUTES

This section aims at evaluating different phrases and terminologies pertaining to the subject in order to determine those that are the most evocative.

Share screen and present the following definition:

· What does this definition mean to you? What do you think about it?

· Probe for specific phrases of the definition: making changes, reducing impact, being ready to respond, adjusting decisions

CHAT ACTIVITY [INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE]

According to you, which would be the one to two terms that best fit the presented definition?

It can be a term you have already heard or known of, or a completely new term you create.

You can write and send your answers in the chat on the right side of the screen.

POLLING EXERCISE

You should now see a pop-up survey appear on your screen. Which of the following terms do you think most clearly fits the presented definition?

· Climate change adaptation (or Adaptation)

· Adapting to climate change

· Climate preparedness

· Preparing for climate change

· Being climate-ready

Why isn’t [TERM] the term you chose? (Repeat for each term)

Probe about preferred term in the poll vs terms that come up in the first exercise.

· [FIRST POLL TERM] came out first, do you think [TERM THAT CAME UP IN THE CHAT ACTIVITY] fits the definition better? Why/why not?

POLLING EXERCISE

You should now see another pop-up survey appear on your screen. For each of the following terms, indicate whether they evoke negative, neutral, or positive feelings.

· Climate change adaptation (or Adaptation)

· Adapting to climate change

· Climate preparedness

· Preparing for climate change

· Being climate-ready

[ANSWERS]

· Negative

· Neutral

· Positive

Why does [TERM] evoke [negative/neutral/positive] feelings?

· What about [CHAT TERM]? Does it evoke negative/neutral/positive feelings?

· Probe if necessary: Are these terms clear? Why/why not?

Have you ever heard of the term “climate change adaptation” before today? What about the National Adaptation Strategy? What have you heard?

SECTION 4	EXPERIENCES WITH CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS
LENGTH	40 MINUTES

Roundtable: You have been recruited because you live in a community that is considered to be more prone to climate change impacts or because you have reported having experienced one or several climate-related events or impacts (e.g., flooding, coastal erosion, heatwave, wildfire, sustained high winds/hurricane/tornado, permafrost thaw, drought, sea level rise). And we would like to hear more about your experiences.

In turns, I would like you all to tell me a little bit more about your experience:

· Can you describe the event or impact: when and where did it occur?

· How did/does it impact your family/home/life/community?

· Was there something you did that helped you during the event?

· Is there anything you would have done differently?

Have you or your community taken any measures to mitigate the impacts of potential future climate-related events or impacts?

Do you think your community is ready to face another similar event, in terms of infrastructure and preparation?

Thinking of the most recent extreme climate-related event or impact that you experienced, did you have all the information you needed prior to the event? In other words, did you know it was coming, what to do, and how to react in the situation? If you face continuous impacts, do you feel that you are well-informed on the situation and how you can prepare for any consequences that may affect you?

· How did you get this information in the first place?

· IF NOT: What kind of information would you have liked to have in order to be better prepared?

· How would you like to receive this information? (Probe for formats, way to receive, from who)

How was the situation handled by your community?

Do you think federal/provincial/municipal governments are doing enough to protect your community?

· What do you expect from your government to help future adaptation efforts? Is there anything they should do differently?

BLOC 5	CONCLUSION
DURÉE	5 MINUTES

As I mentioned in the beginning of this discussion, the objective was to help Environment and Climate Change Canada get a better understanding of Canadians’ lived experiences with climate change impacts. The Government of Canada has released a National Adaptation Strategy that aims at building resilient communities and a strong economy to be better prepared against climate change impacts. If you’re curious and interested to learn about it, I invite you to click on the link in the chat.

Link: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/national-adaptation-strategy.html

That was all I wanted to discuss with you today. Before I let you go, do you have any final comments you would like to add on the topics we just discussed?

A.5 Survey Questionnaire

[ASK LANG TO ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

LANG

Préféreriez-vous répondre à ce questionnaire en anglais ou en français
Would you prefer to complete the survey in English or French?

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
English	EN
Français	FR

QFLT1

[ASK PROV TO ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

PROV

In which province or territory do you live?

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
British Columbia	British Columbia
Alberta	AB
Saskatchewan	SK
Manitoba	MB
Ontario	ON
Quebec	QC
New Brunswick	NB
Nova Scotia	NS
Prince Edward Island	PE
Newfoundland	NF
Northwest Territories	NT
Yukon	YK
Nunavut	NU

[ASK POSTAL6 TO ALL]

[OPEN TEXT: VALIDATION – FORCE THE TEXT FORMAT TO BE A9A9A9]

POSTAL6

Please indicate the 6 characters of your postal code.

If you would rather not provide it, please select [I don’t know/I prefer not to answer

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTIONS:

(RECORD THE POSTAL CODE IN THE FORMAT A9A9A9)

Label	Value	Attribute
(DO NOT READ) I don’t know/I prefer not to answer	A9A9A9

[ASK POSTAL3 TO ALL]

[OPEN TEXT: VALIDATION – FORCE THE TEXT FORMAT TO BE A9A]

POSTAL3

Please indicate the first 3 characters of your postal code.

If you would rather not provide it, please select I don’t know/I prefer not to answer

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTIONS:

(RECORD THE POSTAL CODE IN THE FORMAT A9A)

Label	Value	Attribute
(DO NOT READ) I don’t know/I prefer not to answer	A9A

[ASK SEXE TO ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

SEXE

You are…?

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
... A man	1
... A woman	2
… Another identity	3
I prefer not to answer	3

[ASK AGE TO ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

AGE

How old are you?

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTIONS:

(READ LIST)

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
Under 18	0		TERMINATE
Between 18 and 24	1
Between 25 and 34	2
Between 35 and 44	3
Between 45 and 54	4
Between 55 and 64	5
Between 65 and 74	6
75 or older	7
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	9		TERMINATE

[ASK LANGU TO ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

LANGU

What is the language you first learned at home in your childhood and that you still understand?

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
French	1
English	2
Other	3
English and French	7
French and other	4
English and other	5
Other and other	6
I prefer not to answer	9

[ASK LANGU TO ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

LANGU2

What is the language you speak the most at home?

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
French	1
English	2
Other (please specify)	3
I prefer not to answer	9

[ASK FOY1 TO ALL]

[NUMERIC: RANGE Min=1, Max=20]

[DECIMALS: 0]

[TYPE OF SYMBOL: people]

[POSITION OF SYMBOL: After]

FOY1

Including yourself, how many people live in your household, counting adults and children?

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTIONS:

(RECORD NUMBER OF PEOPLE)

___ people

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
One person (myself)	1
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

[ASK FOY2 IF FOY1>1 AND FOY1<99]

[NUMERIC: RANGE Min=1, Max=20]

[DECIMALS: 0]

[TYPE OF SYMBOL: children]

[POSITION OF SYMBOL: After]

FOY2

Of these (’FOY1’) people who live in your household, how many are children under the age of 18?

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTIONS:

(RECORD NUMBER OF CHILDREN)

___ children

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
No children under the age of 18	0
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

SCT SENSIBILITY AND HABITS

[ASK ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: In order]

To what extent do you feel climate change is an important issue for all Canadians?

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(READ LIST. ONLY ONE MENTION POSSIBLE)

Please select one answer.

Label	Value	Notes
Very important	1
Somewhat important	2
Somewhat not important	3
Not important at all	4
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

[ASK ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: In order]

How concerned are you personally about climate change and its impacts on Canada?

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(READ LIST. ONLY ONE MENTION POSSIBLE)

Please select one answer.

Label	Value	Notes
Very concerned	1
Somewhat concerned	2
Not very concerned	3
Not concerned at all	4
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

[ASK ALL]

[MULTIPLE MENTIONS]

[LIST ORDER: Randomized]

In your opinion, what are the 3 most important reasons to adapt to and prepare for climate change?

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(READ LIST.)

Label	Value	Notes
To preserve the health of Canadians	1
For the safety of communities	2
To protect our critical infrastructure (e.g., roads, telecommunications, power, water)	3
To protect our identity and culture	4
To protect our agriculture and food production	5
For future generations	6
To protect our jobs	7
To conserve nature and biodiversity
(DO NOT READ) None of these	97	F/X

[ASK ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: In order]

Over the past year, do you feel climate change impacts (e.g., extreme heat waves, storms, flooding, forest fires, sea level rise) have become more severe, less severe or stayed the same?

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(READ LIST. ONLY ONE MENTION POSSIBLE)

Please select one answer.

Label	Value	Notes
More severe	1
Stayed the same	2
Less severe	3
I don’t know	4
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

[ASK ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: In order]

Do you feel climate change impacts (e.g., extreme heat waves, storms, flooding, forest fires, sea level rise) will become more severe, less severe or stay the same in the next 5 to 10 years?

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(READ LIST. ONLY ONE MENTION POSSIBLE)

Please select one answer.

Label	Value	Notes
More severe	1
Stay the same	2
Less severe	3
Do not know	4
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

[WEB ONLY]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: Randomized]

[STATEMENT LIST ORDER: Randomized]

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

"In general, when it comes to preparing for the impacts of climate change, ______"

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(READ LIST.)

Check all that apply.

[STATEMENT LIST]

Label	Value	Notes
"... I am motivated to do what I can to protect myself, my family, my community, or my house	2
"... I don’t have enough knowledge about it to form an opinion.	3
"... I am afraid of its impact on me, my friends, family and community.	4
"... I am confident that there will be solutions."	6
"... I feel hopeless.	7

[RESPONSE LIST (Scale):]

Label	Value	Notes
Totally agree	1
Somewhat agree	2
Somewhat disagree	3
Totally disagree	4
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

[ASK ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: In order]

To what extent do you think you are familiar with what you can do to…

Label	Value	Notes
Prepare for climate change	1
Be safe in the face of approaching climate-related events	2

Label	Value	Notes
Very familiar	1
Somewhat familiar	2
Not very familiar	3
Not familiar at all	4
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

[ASK ALL]

[MULTIPLE MENTIONS]

[LIST ORDER: Randomized]

Among the following options, which one(s) would help you the most in better preparing for the next climate-related event?

Select up to three answers.

Label	Value	Notes
How to protect property ahead of time	1
What to do when the event occurs	2
Where to go if utilities not available	3
Where to report incidents	4
Community preparedness events	5
Opportunities to be involved in climate preparedness activities	6
Other, please specify	96
(DO NOT READ) I don’t know / I prefer not to answer	99

[WEB ONLY]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: In order]

According to you, who should be responsible for communicating this information?

Label	Value	Notes
The federal government	1
The provincial or territorial government	2
The municipal government	3
Community organizations	4
Emergency services (e.g., police, fire department)	5
Weather forecast application	6
Other	7
(DO NOT READ) I don’t know/I prefer not to answer	99

[ASK ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: In order]

Q10

In the past 12 months, have you or other members of your household taken any measures to prepare your household for climate change, such as making your home more resilient or adapting your activities (e.g., improving rainfall drainage, installing a cooling system, limiting time outside during poor air quality or extreme heat events, seeking information about wildfire risks, new diseases that may affect your family or pets or insurance coverage for climate-related disasters)?

Label	Value	Notes
Yes	1
No	2
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

[ASK ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: In order]

Q11

Do you think you are doing enough to help you and your family to adapt to the future impacts of climate change, or could you do more?

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(READ LIST. ONLY ONE MENTION POSSIBLE)

Please select one answer.

Label	Value	Notes
I’m not sure if I do enough	1
I don’t do enough	2
I do enough already	3
I do a lot, but I could do more	4
I could do a lot more	5
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

[WEB ONLY]

[Select an item MENTION GRID]

[LIST ORDER: In order]

[STATEMENT LIST ORDER: Randomized]

[PROGRAMMER NOTES:]

Q12

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means "Does not help at all" and 10 means "Helps a lot", how much do you think the following actions help to reducing an individual's risk to climate change impacts? Please note that if you are unable to undertake some of these actions, that you can rate these actions for someone who can.

	1 (1)	2 (2)	3 (3)	4 (4)	5 (5)	6 (6)	7 (7)	8 (8)	9 (9)	10 - (10)	NSP / Refus (99)
Having access to a floodplain map
Avoiding living in a location with only one major exit
Installing additional shade to your home (e.g., umbrellas, pergolas, sunshades, awnings)
Planting trees, gardens, vegetable gardens, or rain gardens
Rainwater harvesting
Installing a sump pump
De-paving property
Having an emergency kit (e.g., food, water, candles, batteries)
Installing a generator, solar panels, or power storage
Installing an air conditioner
Creating a network within my community (e.g., buddy system)
Getting involved in my community or apartment building board to raise awareness about climate change

SCT IMPACT

[WEB ONLY]

[MULTIPLES MENTIONS]

[LIST ORDER: Randomized]

[PROGRAMMER NOTES: max 14]

Q 13

On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means "Does not help at all" and 10 means "Helps a lot", how much do you think the following actions help to reducing your community’s risk to climate change impacts?

	1 (1)	2 (2)	3 (3)	4 (4)	5 (5)	6 (6)	7 (7)	8 (8)	9 (9)	10 – (10)	NSP / Refus (99)
Conducting a Community Risk Assessment using future climate projections
General Emergency Management Planning (e.g., early warning systems, evacuation orders)
Installing a community garden to reduce food insecurity
Protection of housing (e.g., subsidies for retrofits)
Stormwater, flood, or erosion management (e.g., installation of shoreline mechanisms such as dykes, levees, revetments, wetlands, stormwater ponds, policies of development setbacks and zoning)
Heat management (e.g., cooling centres, urban greening, splash pads)
Drought management (e.g., policies on water usage)
Wildfire management (e.g., firebreaks, setbacks, controlled burns)
Invasive species or pest management

QFLT2: Responsibility

SCT MOST AFFECTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS

[ASK ALL]

[MULTIPLES MENTIONS]

[LIST ORDER: Randomized]

[PROGRAMMER NOTES: max 14]

Q14

Within the past five years, which of the following climate-related events have you experienced in your community?

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(READ LIST. SEVERAL MENTIONS POSSIBLE)

Please select all that apply.

Label	Value	Notes
Coastal erosion	1
Flooding	2
Landslide	3
Wildfire (or impacts of nearby wildfire, e.g., smoke)	4
High wind/hurricane/tornado	5
Heatwave	6
Drought	7
Permafrost thaw	8
Sea level rise	9
Other, please specify	96
(DO NOT READ) None that I can recall	97	F/X SKIP TO NEXT SECTION
(DO NOT READ) Don’t know	98	F/X SKIP TO NEXT SECTION

~~[ASK ALL]~~ [ASK IF Q14=1 to 96]

[MULTIPLE MENTIONS]

[LIST ORDER: Randomized]

[PHONE ONLY: READ LIST AND RECORD ALL THAT APPLY]

Q15

What were the direct impacts of the most recent climate-related event that occurred in your community on you and/or your household?

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(READ LIST.)

Please select all that apply.

Label	Value	Notes
Felt isolated with no one to rely on	1
Had to leave our home temporarily	2
Had some physical health problems (e.g., heat related illnesses, respiratory problems, physically injured from an event)	3
Had some mental health problems (e.g., Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, depression)	4
House/property damage	5
Lost access to a critical utility or essential supplies (e.g., roads, hospitals, drinking water, sewage, electricity, fuel, food, cell phone signals)	6
Had to spend personal money to address these impacts	7
Had to leave our home permanently	8

Was physically stuck in a specific area for more than an hour (e.g., roads were blocked/damaged and could not drive anywhere else)	10
(DO NOT READ) None of the above	98
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

~~[ASK ALL]~~ [ASK IF Q14=1 to 96]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: In order]

Q16

To what extent do you agree or disagree that each of the following entities took sufficient action when handling this climate-related event?

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(READ LIST. ONLY ONE MENTION POSSIBLE)

Please select one answer.

Label	Value	Notes
Strongly disagree	1
Disagree	2
Agree	3
Strongly agree	4
(DO NOT READ) Not sure	99

Label	Value	Notes
… your community	2
… your municipal government	3
… your provincial or territorial government	4
… the federal government	5

[ASK IF Q14=1 to 96]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: In order]

Q17

How long after the climate event would you say it took for your life to return to normal (e.g., for your house to be repaired, for the road to be fixed, for your physical health to return, for your mental health to return, for you to return to your job)?

Label	Value	Notes
Less than a year	1
1 – 2 years	2
More than 2 years	3
It did not return to normal, but I know it will	4
I don’t think my life will ever be the same	5
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

[ASK IF Q14=1 to 96]

Q18

In your opinion, what could have been done, or done differently, to better handle the situation?

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(PROBE FOR A SINGLE SPECIFIC ANSWER)
Please enter your answer in the box below.

Label	Value	Notes
Please specify	96
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

[ASK IF FROM MOST AFFECTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: In order]

Q19

From which of the following would you expect to provide more support to your community for managing climate-related events?

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(READ LIST. ONLY ONE MENTION POSSIBLE)

Please all that apply.

Label	Value	Notes
Your Local Government	3
Your Provincial or Territorial Government	2
The Federal Government	1
The private sector (e.g., banks, insurance companies)	4
Your community	5
Non-governmental organizations	6
Don’t know
Don’t have enough information to say
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

QFLT3: Responsibility

SCT AWARENESS OF ACTIONS

[ASK ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: Randomized]

Q20

What is your preferred way to stay informed when an extreme weather event is approaching (snowstorm, rainstorm, hurricane, heat wave, etc.)?

Label	Value	Notes
Social media (Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok…)	1
Radio	2
Newspapers	3
Television	4
SMS alerts	5
Weather forecast app/website	6
Environment and Climate Change Canada website	7
The Weather Network website	8
Other websites	9
Other, please specify	96
(DO NOT READ) Not sure	99

[ASK ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: In order]

Q21. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements:

a) Enough is being done by all orders of government to minimize climate risks.

b) Enough is being done by all orders of government to help Canadians prepare for climate change.

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(READ LIST. ONLY ONE MENTION POSSIBLE)

Please select one answer.

Label	Value	Notes
Strongly disagree	1
Disagree	2
Agree	3
Strongly agree	4
(DO NOT READ) Not sure	99

[ASK ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: In order]

Q22

Before today, have you ever read or heard anything about “Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy”?

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(READ LIST. ONLY ONE MENTION POSSIBLE)

Please select one answer.

Label	Value	Notes
Yes	1
No	2
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

[ASK IF Q22=1]

[OPEN-END MULTIPLE MENTION]

[PROGRAMMER NOTES:]

Q23

If you can, please describe your understanding of Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy.

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(PROBE FOR A SINGLE SPECIFIC ANSWER)
Please enter your answer in the box below.

Label	Value	Notes
Please specify	96
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

[WEB ONLY]

[MULTIPLE MENTIONS]

[LIST ORDER: Randomized]

Q24

To the best of your knowledge, which of the following have already been implemented by your community?

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

[INTERVIEWER NOTE: Read list. Check all that apply.]

Please select all that apply.

Label	Value	Notes
Flood maps updated within the past 10 years	1
Climate risk awareness (e.g., you have been made aware of the climate risks to your household)	2
Urban greening initiatives for heat and water management (e.g., green spaces and parks, stormwater management techniques that absorbs/filter rainfall)	3
Subsidies for home retrofits specifically for protection against extreme heat, hail, flood, fires, wind	4
Established a network for emergencies (e.g., buddy systems, meeting spots)	6
I am not sure if any of these have been implemented by my community	96
(DO NOT READ) None of these were put in place in my community	97	F/X

[ASK ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[LIST ORDER: In order]

CMNTY

Q25

Are you a part of a community (e.g., school group, work group, exercise group, large family, faith group) that you can rely on in times of need (e.g., people who would offer you somewhere to stay in times of need, people who would deliver you food in times of need)?

RESPONDENT/INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION:

(READ LIST. ONLY ONE MENTION POSSIBLE)

Please select one answer.

Label	Value	Notes
Yes, I am part of a community	1
I am part of a community, but not close enough to ask them for a favour	2
No, I am not part of a community	3
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	99

SCT LANGUAGE – ASK ALL

Q26

When you think about climate change and the climate impacts we might feel in the future (e.g., more heat, flooding, wildfires, sea level rise), which of the following terms do you think best captures the efforts to make the impacts less severe on people living in Canada?

Label	Value	Notes
Adapting to climate change	1
Being climate-ready	2
Preparing for climate change	3
Climate preparedness and adaptation	4
Other: Please specify	6	O
(DO NOT READ) Don’t know		F/X

SCT SOCIO

[ASK STATU TO ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

STATU

You are...?

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTIONS:

(READ LIST. SINGLE MENTION ONLY)

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
Married (including living common law)	1
Never married (including living common law)	2
Separated (including living common law)	3
Divorced (including living common law)	4
Widowed (including living common law)	5
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	9

[ASK IND TO ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

IND

Do you consider yourself to be an Indigenous person, that is, First Nations (North American Indian), Métis or Inuk (Inuit)?

Label	Value
No, not an Indigenous person	01
Yes, First Nations (North American Indian)	02
Yes, Métis	03
Yes, Inuk (Inuit)	04
Prefer not to say (VOLUNTEERED)	09

[ASK ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

MINO

Do you consider yourself to be a visible minority?

According to the Employment Equity Act, visible minority refers to persons, other than Indigenous persons, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.

(UNE SEULE MENTION POSSIBLE)

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
Yes	1
No	2
I prefer not to answer	99

[ASK ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

IMMI

Were you born in Canada?

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
Yes	1
No	2

[ASK IF IMMI=2]

[SINGLE MENTION]

[ORDRE DE LA LISTE : In order]

IMMI2

Are you currently a:

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
Canadian citizen	1
Permanent resident	2
Non-permanent resident	3

[ASK SCOL TO ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

SCOL

What is the last year of education that you have completed?

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTIONS:

(READ LIST. SINGLE MENTION ONLY)

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
Elementary (7 years or less)	1
High school, general or vocational (8 to 12 years)	2
College (pre-university, technical training, certificate, accreditation or advanced diploma (13-15 years))	3
University certificate or diploma	4
University Bachelor (including classical studies)	5
University Master's degree	6
University Doctorate (PhD)	7
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	9

[ASK EMPLO TO ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

EMPLO

What is your current employment status?

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTIONS:

(READ LIST. SINGLE MENTION ONLY)

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
Working full time	1
Working part time	2
Unemployed	3
Student	4
Not in labour force	5
I prefer not to answer	9

[ASK PROP TO ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

PROP

Do you OWN or RENT your current main residence?

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
Own	1
Rent	2
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	9

[ASK DWELL TO ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

DWELL

Is your primary place of residence a...?

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
Townhouse	1
Single family home	2
Duplex	3
Triplex	4
Fourplex	5
Residential building of 3 floors or less	6
Residential building of 4 floors or more	7
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	9

[ASK REVEN TO ALL]

[SINGLE MENTION]

REVEN

Among the following categories, which one best reflects the total INCOME, before taxes, of all the members of your household in 2022?

INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTIONS:

(READ LIST. SINGLE MENTION ONLY)

Label	Value	Attribute	Termination
Less than $20,000	1
$20,000 to $39,999	2
$40,000 to $59,999	3
$60,000 to $79,999	4
$80,000 to $99,999	5
$100,000 to $149,999	6
$150,000 and more	7
(DO NOT READ) I prefer not to answer	9