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SURVEY METHODOLOGY
The results reported here are based on an on-line survey of 119 associations to which Elections Canada had provided information related to the 40th general election. As this online survey is not panel-based, margin of error can be calculated. A sample of 119 from a population of 1,000 (the population of associations to which Elections Canada provided information products) yields a margin of error of +/- 8.4 percentage points, 19 times in 20. The margin of error is greater for subgroups of the population.
Questionnaire design
The questionnaire used for this study was originally developed by Elections Canada. The Environics project team finalized the draft instrument in consultation with Elections Canada. The questionnaire was designed to examine the types of federal election-related information that associations received and requested from Elections Canada; whether members requested any information from associations and how those requests were fulfilled; satisfaction with the ordering process for materials from Elections Canada; voting problems related to the new voter identification requirements encountered by members; perceived effectiveness of Elections Canada communications products and services; receipt of e-bulletins and distribution of them to membership; and use of and satisfaction with Elections Canada's Community Relations Officer Program. A copy of the final questionnaire (in English and French) is attached as Appendix A.
Sample
The universe for this study was all associations to which Elections Canada had forwarded materials related to the 40th general election, drawing on a mailing list compiled by Elections Canada for this purpose. Elections Canada provided Environics with email addresses for all 1,000 organizations. Organizations were divided into five categories: ethnocultural, student, special needs, youth and aboriginal. The table on the following page shows the population for each category, as well as the number of associations that responded to the survey.
| Type of organization | >Population | ># responding |
|---|---|---|
| Ethnocultural | 573 | 55 |
| Student | 304 | 36 |
| Special Needs | 102 | 26 |
| Youth | 17 | 2 |
| Aboriginal | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 1,000 | 119 |
Survey administration
The survey was conducted by Environics using a secure, fully featured web-based survey environment. The on-line survey was conducted according to the following steps:
- Environics programmed the questionnaire into survey software and hosted the survey on a secure server. Elections Canada was provided with a "beta test" link to review the survey on- line for final approval.
- Invitation e-mails were sent to all association contacts that included the URL link to the survey and a unique password.
- Technical support was provided to survey respondents as required. Steps were taken to assure (and also guarantee) complete confidentiality and anonymity of survey responses.
- Environics electronically captured all survey responses as they were submitted, and created an electronic data file that was coded and analyzed (including open-ended responses).
Assigning a unique identifier (password) to each respondent ensured that only one version of the survey was accepted per respondent. The unique identifier permitted respondents to return to the survey if interrupted during completion. Each time the respondent entered the survey, it opened at the point where they left off. The on-line form did not permit moving backwards through the survey, so that earlier responses were not altered after reading later questions.
The survey was "soft-launched" (pre-tested) with 100 respondents on November 27, 2008. Feedback from the pre-test led to one minor change to the survey. The survey was launched to all associations on December 2, 2008. Reminder emails were sent on December 8 and 15, and the survey was closed on December 18.
Completion results
The sample for this survey consisted of 119 on-line interviews. The breakdown is as follows:
| # | % | |
|---|---|---|
| - E-mails sent | 1,000 | 100 |
| "Bounced" (presumed address incorrect) | 140 | 14 |
| - Emails received: | 860 | 100 |
| Incompletes | 41 | 5 |
| Completed surveys | 119 | 14 |
| Participation rate (Completes/emails received) | 14% |
The participation rate for this study is 14% (calculated as the number of completed surveys expressed as a proportion of all emails not returned as undeliverable ["bounced" ]).