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3. AppendicesCampus Administrators – Methodological Report

3.1 Data Frequencies

No tabulated data was produced given the number of respondents. Frequencies were provided for this study in Microsoft Excel. A clean and labelled dataset was also provided in SPSS format: it contained all survey variables as well as open-ended verbatim responses.

3.2 Sample Size, Sampling Procedures, and Dates of Research Fieldwork

The target population was campus administrators who set up a voting place on the campuses of post-secondary institutions that were hosting a voting place as part of the Vote on Campus program during the 2019 federal general election.

Elections Canada created an email list of campus administrators who provided their email addresses. Elections Canada returning officers contacted campus administrators in 2018 to help organize voting places on campus. Contact information was obtained at this point and was further validated by Elections Canada in 2019. This list contained 106 email addresses for campus administrators at 94 post-secondary institutions. Elections Canada sent email invitations and reminders to all campus administrators on the list. Data were collected for all units of the target population; therefore, no sampling was done. In other words, since the entire population of campus administrators meeting the above criteria were invited to participate in this study, there is no margin of sampling error to be estimated or reported.

3.3 Response Rates and Discussion of the Potential for Non-Response Bias

The study was a census. The email invitations were sent to 106 campus administrators. Of the 106 individuals (94 unique post-secondary institutions) who received the email invitation:

  • 4 respondents recorded that they did not set up a voting place on campus
  • 1 respondent started the survey but did not complete it
  • 43 completed the survey
  • 58 did not respond

This resulted in a response rate of 42%. There is the potential for non-response bias, in that response rates can vary by campus type and administrator demographics.

3.4 Weighting Procedures, the Confidence Interval, and the Margin of Error

Since the entire population of campus administrators was invited to participate in this study, there is no margin of sampling error to be estimated or reported. Weights were not applied to the data. Any results with an unweighted base of 30 respondents or fewer should not be reported on, due to statistical robustness. Results with more than 30 but fewer than 50 respondents should be interpreted with caution and considered as directional guidelines only.

3.5 Other Relevant Information about Execution of Fieldwork

3.5.1 Questionnaire Development and Testing

As part of the analysis it completes after general elections, Elections Canada fields several surveys to electors. The purpose of the Survey of Campus Administrators was to collect campus administrators' opinions, attitudes, and experiences in setting up voting places on campus.

Elections Canada was responsible for the design and translation of the survey instruments. Advanis was responsible for programming the survey instruments. During this process, Advanis also provided feedback on survey design and structure to optimize the experience of electors taking the survey. After survey programming was complete, Elections Canada and Advanis pre-tested the survey extensively. The questionnaire testing included checks to ensure that all questions in the online version matched those in the questionnaire provided to Advanis, and that all skip logic and branching in the survey worked as intended. After the pre-test was completed, necessary revisions to the survey instruments were made and approved by Elections Canada.

The survey included questions around the following themes:

  1. role(s) in setting up the voting place (including where)
  2. experiences setting up the voting place (level of difficulty)
  3. timing of communications and set-up
  4. satisfaction with Elections Canada staff and communications
  5. likelihood of being involved in voting place set-up in the future
  6. level of political interest

Since many of the potential respondents could answer on a mobile device, the survey was optimized for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Potential respondents were also able to complete the survey using a desktop computer or laptop, as the survey size adjusts to the user's device. Of the survey logins, 97% were from a computer, 3% were from a smartphone, and 0% were from a tablet.

3.5.2 Survey Administration

Advanis provided Elections Canada with a list of unique survey links. Elections Canada was then responsible for assigning one link to each campus administrator; the link was included in the email invitation. Each unique survey link could be used only once to complete the survey. If a campus administrator started the survey but was unable to finish, they could log in to the survey again later and finish where they left off using their unique survey link. Here is what the login page looked like:

login page

Text description of login page

The image displays the landing page for the survey of campus administrators. The landing page provides an option to complete the survey in French and contains an introductory message to survey respondents. It displays the Elections Canada and Advanis logos. It reads:

"Thank you for agreeing to take part in this short survey being conducted by Advanis on behalf of Elections Canada.

Si vous préférez répondre au questionnaire en français, veuillez utiliser le bouton ci-dessus.

This survey should take no more than 5 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary and completely confidential. If you are unable to complete the survey, your progress will be saved so you can return and complete it at a later date.

Elections Canada is required to protect your personal information by the Privacy Act. Elections Canada will not use your responses to identify you, and none of your opinions will be attributed to you personally in any way.

If you have any questions, you can visit the Elections Canada website or call 1-800-463-6868".

Below this message, there is a button to start the survey.

The average survey length was 3.8 minutes. The landing page of the survey included Elections Canada's contact information in case campus administrators had questions.

The email invitations were sent out on October 30, 2019. The reminder emails were sent out on November 6, 2019. The survey was open from October 30 to November 13, 2019.

If a campus administrator who received the email invitation answered 'No' to the survey question "Did you help organize a voting place on campus between October 5 and 9 for the recent federal election?" they then saw this survey page:

customized email message

Text description of customized email message

The text displays a customized email message that was shown to individuals who were not the appropriate contacts for the survey. The message states the following:

"Thank you for your time, however we are looking to reach individuals who helped organize a voting place on campus.

If you know the appropriate campus administrators, it would be appreciated if you could email them the information we have drafted in the link below, as we would like to share this survey with them".

Below this message, there is a hyperlink to the email content.

Here is the email content provided:

Hello, I was contacted by Elections Canada regarding the Survey of Campus Administrators they are conducting with individuals that helped to set up voting places on campus. I am not the appropriate contact for this survey, however I believe that you are. If this is the case, please visit this site to complete the survey: https://surveys.advanis.ca/campus?r=new. If you have any questions, you can contact Kaitlin MacKenzie from Elections Canada at kaitlin.mackenzie@elections.ca.

This approach was taken because email addresses could not be collected in real time due to privacy requirements. Of the 106 individuals who were invited to complete the survey, 4 saw this survey page; however, no new survey completes were obtained through this process.

3.5.3 Database Management

3.5.3.1 Data coding and cleaning procedure

Advanis used SPSS statistical software for the detailed data work. All data-cleaning tasks were performed in syntax files, with intermediate data files saved throughout the process. This ensured that the original raw data files were never overwritten and that each time data were produced, all changes were incorporated (unlike manual procedures).

To ensure that data cleaning and tabulation were accurate, Advanis first cleaned and checked the data. Advanis developed syntax that, among other things, handled checking questionnaire skip patterns and checking response ranges.

Syntax was run on pre-test data. This ensured that data coming from the final survey would be accurate. During the fielding period, checking and cleaning continued. This was done regularly to ensure that the data continued to be valid and correct and to identify any issues that might arise as more data were collected.

3.6 Research Instrument Used (Survey Questionnaire)

Landing Page:

Landing Page

Text description of Landing Page

The image displays the landing page for the survey of campus administrators. The landing page provides an option to complete the survey in French and contains an introductory message to survey respondents. It displays the Elections Canada and Advanis logos. It reads:

"Thank you for agreeing to take part in this short survey being conducted by Advanis on behalf of Elections Canada.

Si vous préférez répondre au questionnaire en français, veuillez utiliser le bouton ci-dessus.

This survey should take no more than 5 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary and completely confidential. If you are unable to complete the survey, your progress will be saved so you can return and complete it at a later date.

Elections Canada is required to protect your personal information by the Privacy Act. Elections Canada will not use your responses to identify you, and none of your opinions will be attributed to you personally in any way.

If you have any questions, you can visit the Elections Canada website or call 1-800-463-6868".

Below this message, there is a button to start the survey.

(www.advanis.net)
© 2019 Advanis Privacy Policy (http://www.advanis.ca/privacy_policy2.html)

Q1 Did you help organize a voting place on campus between October 5 and 9 for the recent federal election?

  • 1 Yes
  • 2 No

T1 Show if DidNotOrganizeVotingPlace (Q1=2)

Thank you for your time, however we are looking to reach individuals who helped organize a voting place on campus.

If you know the appropriate campus administrator, it would be appreciated if you could email them the information we have drafted in the link below, as we would like to share this survey with them.

Please click here for email content.

Status Code: 501

Q2 Thank you for your help in setting up the voting place. You have played a key role in making voting more accessible to Canadians.

For which post-secondary institution did you help set up the voting place?

  • 1 Acadia University
  • 2 Algonquin College
  • 3 Bow Valley College
  • 4 British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)
  • 5 Brock University
  • 6 Capilano University
  • 7 Carleton University
  • 8 Cégep de Sainte-Foy
  • 9 Cégep de Sherbrooke
  • 10 Cégep du Vieux-Montréal
  • 11 Cégep édouard-Montpetit
  • 12 Cégep Garneau
  • 13 Cégep Marie-Victorin
  • 14 Centennial College
  • 15 Champlain Regional College
  • 16 Collège Ahuntsic
  • 17 Collège de Maisonneuve
  • 18 Collège Lionel-Groulx
  • 19 Collège Montmorency
  • 20 Concordia University
  • 21 Conestoga College
  • 22 Confederation College
  • 23 Dalhousie University
  • 24 Dawson College
  • 25 Douglas College
  • 26 école de technologie supérieure
  • 27 école Polytechnique de Montréal
  • 28 Fanshawe College
  • 29 Fleming College
  • 30 George Brown College
  • 31 Georgian College
  • 32 HEC Montréal
  • 33 Holland College
  • 34 Humber College
  • 35 John Abbott College
  • 36 Kenjgewin Teg Educational Institute
  • 37 Kwantlen Polytechnic University
  • 38 La Cité
  • 39 Lakehead University
  • 40 Lambton College Sarnia
  • 41 Langara College
  • 42 Laurentian University
  • 43 MacEwan University
  • 44 McGill University
  • 45 McMaster University
  • 46 Memorial University
  • 47 Mohawk College
  • 48 Mount Royal University
  • 49 NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology)
  • 50 Niagara College
  • 51 Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT)
  • 52 Nipissing University
  • 53 Nunavut Arctic College
  • 54 Okanagan College
  • 55 Queen's University
  • 56 Red River College
  • 57 Ryerson University
  • 58 Saint Mary's University
  • 59 Seneca College
  • 60 Sheridan College
  • 61 Simon Fraser University
  • 62 St. Clair College
  • 63 St. Francis Xavier University
  • 64 St. Thomas University
  • 65 Thompson Rivers University
  • 66 Trent University
  • 67 Université de Montréal
  • 68 Université de Sherbrooke
  • 69 Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)
  • 70 Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
  • 71 Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR)
  • 72 Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR)
  • 73 Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO)
  • 74 Université Laval
  • 75 University College of the North
  • 76 University of Alberta
  • 77 University of British Columbia
  • 78 University of Calgary
  • 79 University of Guelph
  • 80 University of King's College
  • 81 University of Lethbridge
  • 82 University of Manitoba
  • 83 University of Moncton
  • 84 University of New Brunswick
  • 85 University of Ottawa
  • 86 University of Prince Edward Island
  • 87 University of Regina
  • 88 University of Saskatchewan
  • 89 University of the Fraser Valley
  • 90 University of Toronto
  • 91 University of Victoria
  • 92 University of Waterloo
  • 93 University of Windsor
  • 94 University of Winnipeg
  • 95 Vanier College
  • 96 Western University
  • 97 Wilfrid Laurier University
  • 98 York University
  • 99 Yukon College
  • 998 Other (Please specify): _____________________

Q3 There are various tasks involved in organizing a voting place on campus. What role(s) did you play to help run the voting place?

Select all that apply

  • 1 Made sure the space met Elections Canada's requirements as much as possible *
  • 2 Liaised with the returning officer by phone and/or in person *
  • 3 Secured lease agreement(s) *
  • 4 Provided the necessary equipment (chairs, tables, etc.) *
  • 5 Helped recruit staff *
  • 6 Promoted voting on campus *
  • 7 None of the above (Exclusive)
  • -9 Don't know

Levels marked with * are randomized

Q4 What other role(s) or task(s), if any, did you take on to help run the voting place?

  • _____________________

  • -8 Prefer not to answer
  • -9 None

Q5 Overall, how easy or difficult was it to set up the voting place on campus?

  • 1 Very easy
  • 2 Somewhat easy
  • 3 Somewhat difficult
  • 4 Very difficult
  • -9 Don't know

Q6 Show if SomewhatDifficultOrVeryDifficultSetUpVotingPlace (Q5=3 or 4)

What was difficult about setting up the voting place?

Select all that apply

  • 1 Finding a suitable place that met Elections Canada's requirements *
  • 2 Securing lease agreement(s) *
  • 3 Liaising with the returning officer by phone and/or in person *
  • 4 Providing the necessary equipment (chairs, tables, etc.) *
  • 5 Recruiting staff *
  • 6 Promoting voting on campus *
  • 7 Other (specify): _____________________
  • -9 Don't know

Levels marked with * are randomized

Q7 Approximately when were you first contacted by someone at Elections Canada about hosting a voting place?

  • 1 Winter 2018
  • 2 Spring 2018
  • 3 Summer 2018
  • 4 Fall 2018
  • 5 Winter 2019
  • 6 Spring 2019
  • 7 Summer 2019
  • 8 Other (specify): _____________________
  • -9 Don't know

Q8 Show if Contacted NOT OtherorDK (Q7<>-9)

In your opinion, did being contacted in <<Q7.text>> give you enough time to properly set up the voting place on campus?

  • 1 Yes
  • 2 No
  • -9 Don't know

Q9 When thinking about your experience setting up the voting place on campus, how satisfied are you with …

  1. The frequency of contact that you had with Elections Canada staff? *
  2. The politeness of the Elections Canada staff you were in contact with? *
  3. The responsiveness of Elections Canada to your needs? *

Levels marked with * are randomized

  • 1 Very satisfied
  • 2 Somewhat satisfied
  • 3 Somewhat dissatisfied
  • 4 Very dissatisfied
  • -9 Don't know

Q10 Overall, how satisfied were you with your experience of helping to host a voting place on campus?

  • 1 Very satisfied
  • 2 Somewhat satisfied
  • 3 Somewhat dissatisfied
  • 4 Very dissatisfied
  • -9 Don't know

Q11 If given the opportunity, how likely would you be to host a campus voting place in future federal elections?

  • 1 Very likely
  • 2 Somewhat likely
  • 3 Somewhat unlikely
  • 4 Very unlikely

Q12 Show if SomewhatOrVeryUnlikelyToHostFuture (Q11=3 or 4)

Why would you be unlikely to host a campus voting place in future federal elections?

  • _____________________

  • -9 I am not sure

Q13 In general, how interested are you in politics?

  • 1 Very interested
  • 2 Somewhat interested
  • 3 Not very interested
  • 4 Not at all interested
  • -9 Don't know

Q14 Did you vote in the 2019 federal general election?

  • 1 Yes
  • 2 No
  • 3 I was not eligible to vote
  • 5 I prefer not to answer

Q15 In your opinion, how important is it to have a voting place available to students on campus?

  • 1 Very important
  • 2 Somewhat important
  • 3 Not very important
  • 4 Not important at all
  • -9 I don't know

End

You have now completed this survey.

Thank you for your participation in this study!

Status Code: -1