Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
www.tbs-sct.gc.ca
Policy Notice: Amendments to the Procedures for Planning and Contracting Public Opinion Research
June 17, 2009
To: Deputy Ministers and Agency Heads of all departments and agencies identified in Schedules I, I.1 and II of the Financial Administration Act
In order to improve the management of public opinion research conducted by the Government of Canada, the Procedures for Planning and Contracting Public Opinion Research, which include mandatory requirements supporting Section 8 of the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, have been updated.
The objective of the Procedures is to ensure that Government of Canada public opinion research activities are well-coordinated, transparent and managed in a way that provides value for money.
Effective immediately, the new Procedures require that departments prepare an annual public opinion research plan, updated every quarter, instead of a quarterly plan. While the previous Procedures applied to contracted public opinion research only, the planning requirements of the new Procedures will also apply to significant non-contracted public opinion research carried out by, or on behalf of, the department. This means that significant non-contracted research will be included in annual public opinion research plans, and approved by the minister or the person designated under Schedule VI (Part III, Column II) of the Financial Administration Act.
To help departments determine which public opinion research projects are subject to the requirements of these Procedures, a detailed interpretation of the definition of public opinion research has been prepared and attached at Annex A. Additionally, Annex B outlines the criteria to determine whether a non-contracted public opinion research project is "significant" therefore requiring the approval of the minister or the person designated in Schedule VI (Part III, Column II) of the Financial Administration Act.
Departments wishing to obtain more information can contact Michelle Shipman, Director, Communications Policy and Federal Identity Program, Strategic Communications and Ministerial Affairs, Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada, at 613‑952‑3963, or by e-mail at: michelle.shipman@tbs-sct.gc.ca.
Wayne G. Wouters
Secretary
Treasury Board of Canada
cc.: Heads of communications
Definition of Public Opinion Research
Public opinion research is the planned gathering, by or for a government institution of opinions, attitudes, perceptions, judgements, feelings, ideas, reactions, or views that are intended to be used for any government purpose, whether that information is collected from persons (including employees of government institutions), businesses, institutions or other entities, through quantitative or qualitative methods, irrespective of size or cost.
The information gathering may be associated with a broad range of activities, for example: policy research; market research; communications research, communication strategies and advertising research; program evaluation; quality of service/customer satisfaction studies; omnibus surveys, with the placement of one or more questions; syndicated studies; or product development.
The following research and/or methods for obtaining opinions and/or advice are not considered to be opinion research: literature reviews or reviews of secondary sources, including reviews of already conducted public opinion research; secondary analysis of previously collected public opinion research data; and verification of performance of services or delivery of goods in contract situations.
Interpretation
It is understood that public opinion research includes activities such as the design and testing of a gathering method and tools, as well as the sampling, gathering, inputting, coding and primary analysis of data, and online panel development and management.
The techniques used to collect information may include online research panels as well as focus groups, mini-groups, in-depth interviews, intercept interviews, telephone surveys, mail surveys, on-line/electronic surveys, virtual focus groups, or other similar surveys.
The information gathering usually includes an expectation and a guarantee of respondent or participant anonymity, as opposed to a consultation, which is defined as a two-way process of engagement seeking direct participation from the general public or specific stakeholders on a range of issues and government decisions, including those related to policies, programs, services, and legislative and regulatory initiatives.
Although public opinion research can be associated with program evaluation, it is agreed that certain components of program evaluations including cost-benefit analysis or studies involving pre-identified participants, such as known program stakeholders and experts in the field are not considered public opinion research.
Online mechanisms for receiving and acknowledging public feedback, reply cards inserted in government publications or distributed at exhibit booths or federal offices, information session evaluation sheets, 360-degree employee/manager reviews and exit surveys as well as strict collections of factual data are not considered public opinion research.
Criteria for Identifying
Significant Non-Contracted Public Opinion Research
This appendix provides information to help departments identify significant non-contracted public opinion research projects that require the approval of the minister or the person designated in Schedule VI (Part III, Column II) of the Financial Administration Act under the Procedures for Planning and Contracting Public Opinion Research.
Section 6.1 of the Procedures (i.e. Planning Public Opinion Research) requires that departments prepare an annual public opinion research plan for both contracted and significant non-contracted research and that departments obtain the approval of the minister or the person designated in Schedule VI (Part III, Column II) of the Financial Administration Act for all research plans.
In determining whether a project is "significant" and therefore requires the approval of the minister or the person designated in Schedule VI (Part III, Column II) of the Financial Administration Act, departments should consider the importance of the public opinion research project to government priorities as well as the level of public interest in, or the sensitive nature of, the work to be performed.
The guide below compares the level of associated importance and risk with general research categories. Public opinion research projects that fall in the high importance/risk category are to be automatically included in the annual plan and approved by the minister or the person designated in Schedule VI (Part III, Column II) of the Financial Administration Act.
Projects in the medium importance/risk category could be included depending on the nature of the research, especially if the project includes one or more importance or risk criteria.
Low-importance/risk projects do not require approval and are not required to be included in the annual plan.
a) High Importance/Risk – These projects include:
- Public opinion research conducted to support government priorities
- Public opinion research conducted in the development of policies, programs, services and initiatives;
- Advertising pre-testing and post-campaign evaluation
- National external public opinion research conducted in two or more provinces or territories;
- Opinion surveys of more than 500 respondents
- Government-wide internal public opinion surveys
- Public opinion research projects with high public interest or sensitivity
b) Medium Importance/Risk – These projects include:
- External opinion surveys with fewer than 500 respondents
- Internal opinion surveys (except government-wide surveys)
- Public opinion research conducted to evaluate or develop communications products and strategies
- Public opinion research conducted as a data source for measuring the performance of government policies, programs, services or initiatives
c) Low Importance/Risk – These projects include:
- Client/visitor exit interviews/comment cards
- Business reply cards
- Feedback boxes
- Website opinion surveys on site navigation, usability and functionality
- Evaluation of training or information sessions
