Focus Canada
The Focus Canada Story
In 2010, the Institute launched Focus Canada as an annual national public opinion survey to take the pulse of Canadians on a wide range of public policy and social issues facing the country (e.g., economy, health care, multiculturalism, crime and justice, Canada’s role in the world).
This public interest research builds on the syndicated FOCUS CANADA research program conducted by Environics Research for more than three decades (1976 – 2009).
In past decades this type of public affairs research has had an important influence on the evolution of major issues in Canada such as free trade, Quebec sovereignty, and the accommodation of cultural diversity. Although this country has a strong tradition of governments using public opinion research to support policy development, sponsorship of syndicated studies has declined markedly in recent years, leaving a major gap in our understanding of where the public stands on the major issues of the day.
Focus Canada is addressing this gap by providing a credible, independent and sustained source of Canadian public opinion research on important issues that will be on the public record for use by organizations and individuals in the public, private and non-profit sectors.
The focus of this new research program is on providing:
• A continuation of the ongoing tracking and measurement of Canadian public opinion at the national, provincial and regional levels (begun in 1976) to identify important changes (or the lack of change) over time;
• Coverage of topics ranging from politics and governance, the economy and social issues, to foreign policy, technology and social values; and
• Full public access to the research findings, through reports, a website, conferences and other events, as ways to contribute to public debate and study.
See current and previous Focus Canada reports
2015 Focus Canada survey on climate change - FINAL REPORT (English)
2015 Focus Canada survey on climate change - DETAILED TABLES
2014 Focus Canada report on climate change
2014 Focus Canada climate change - Detailed Tables
2013 Focus Canada report on climate change
Partnership with the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship
The Institute is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship on its Focus Canada research program. The Centre is a consortium of the Quebec universities, focusing on cross-disciplinary perspectives on the challenges facing democratic citizenship in a rapidly changing world. This partnership will allow the research to tap the expertise of some of the country’s leading political scientists, while making it more accessible to students at these universities and beyond
For more information abour Focus Canada or to arrange a presentation of this research to your organization, contact Keith Neuman