Site MenuI. Introduction – Survey of Candidates Following the 44th General Election
Elections Canada (EC), headed by the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, is an independent, non-partisan agency reporting directly to Parliament. EC exercises general direction and supervision over the conduct of elections and referendums at the federal level. Elections Canada periodically commissions public opinion research to evaluate its performance during electoral events.
EC required the services of a public opinion research supplier to conduct a survey of candidates following the 44th federal general election (GE), held on September 20, 2021. This survey aimed to provide information about candidates' experiences with the electoral process in general and measure their levels of satisfaction with Elections Canada's services during the 44th GE. Where possible, results are to be compared to previous candidate surveys.
The research objectives are to assess candidates' views and satisfaction regarding:
- nomination requirements and other candidate responsibilities
- administration of the election by EC and local returning officers
- EC's services, tools and products for candidates and their campaigns
- policy issues, technology and innovation
This research was conducted as part of the evaluation and development of EC's programs and services for candidates and to inform the CEO's reports to Parliament. The survey results will assist in the evaluation of EC's programs and services, notably by allowing for comparisons over time with previous federal general elections. It will also assist in identifying areas where EC's various products and services may be improved.
Overall results are presented in text, charts and tables. Differences between specific segments of the population are presented if statistically and substantively notable. If differences are not noted in the report, it can be assumed they are either not statistically significant in their variation from other groups at the 0.05 level or that the difference was deemed to be substantively too small (i.e., 5% or less) to be notable.
When relevant and possible, the results from this survey are compared with previous results from the 43rd election in 2019 as a point of reference. In certain cases, opinion questions in the 2019 survey were asked of a split sample using two different scales. Any comparisons made to 2019 data reflect the results obtained using a four-point scale to be comparable with how the question was asked in 2021 (which is different from what was reported in the 2019 report based on a five-point scale).
In this report, quantitative results are expressed as percentages unless otherwise noted. Results may not add to 100% due to rounding or multiple responses. Net results cited in the text may not exactly match individual results shown in the figures or tables due to rounding. Charts may not show labels for values under 4%.