Canadian National Elections Study (CNES) Series

This study is a continuation of the 1974 Canadian Election Study, which consisted of extensive personal interviews with a national sample of 2,562 respondents following the federal election of July 8, 1974. Immediately following the federal election of May 22, 1979, 1,295 of the original respondents were successfully contacted and interviewed, thereby creating a 1974-1979 panel study. In addition, a new national sample of the l979 electorate and a supplementary sample of young voters (aged 18-23) were drawn and personal interviews utilizing the same questionnaire were conducted with respondents in these samples. After the federal election of February 18, 1980, 1,748 respondents in both the panel and cross-section samples were contacted by telephone and reinterviewed. No new respondents were added to the 1980 sample. When the Quebec referendum was called for May 20, 1980, a decision was made to contact by telephone Quebec respondents originally sampled in l974 or 1979 and interviewed in 1980. Of these respondents, 325 were successfully contacted and reinterviewed. Approximately half of the interviews were conducted immediately prior to the referendum, and the remaining half immediately afterward. The 1974 post-election survey covered a wide range of topics related to citizen participation in politics. The 1979 survey continued the theme of citizen interest and involvement in politics and probed respondents' attitudes about regions, provinces, and national unity. The 1980 telephone interview asked about vote choice in 1980, party identification, and the issue of energy. Questions on the Quebec referendum centered around the respondents' views on constitutional options for Quebec.

These data were collected to assess the importance of campaign dynamics and the impact of events in the understanding of election results. The study consists of five related surveys grouped around two main survey components: the referendum surveys and the election surveys. Respondents participated in at least two surveys, but not in all five. The election surveys were completed just prior to and after the October 25, 1993, Canadian election, and consist of campaign period, post-election, and mail-back components. The referendum surveys were completed just prior to and after the October 26, 1992, referendum on the Charlottetown Accord. The Charlottetown Accord contained various proposals, including the separation of Quebec from Canada as a sovereignty, the guarantee of one-quarter of the seats in the House of Commons to Quebec, and recognition of the right of Canada's aboriginal peoples to govern themselves. The major areas of investigation across all surveys were political and social awareness, attitudes, voting intentions, and behavior centered around major issues of representation, job and employment, government spending, taxes, social programs, crime and punishment, and continentalism. Variables assessed public interest in the referendum by asking respondents about the perceived effect of the referendum on their living standards, their vote intentions, predictions of the outcome of the vote, reactions to the results of the vote, knowledge about and opinions of specific provisions of the Accord, and awareness of the stand taken by political leaders, groups, and organizations regarding the Accord. Other variables probed respondents' opinions of the parties and leaders, Kim Campbell's performance in her cabinet job before she became Prime Minister, women and racial minorities, party preference, ideological leanings, vote history, and position on several policy issues. Additional items address general attitudes toward the deficit and higher taxes, abortion, Senate reform, aboriginal people, Canadian unity and Quebec sovereignty, feminists, homosexuals, immigrants, the business community, the media, unions, God, democracy, unemployment, inflation, and pensions. Demographic data collected on respondents include age, marital status, level of education, employment status, income level, religious affiliation, union affiliation, citizenship, ethnicity, language, and gender.

For this survey of Canadians' political attitudes and voting behavior, citizens 18 years of age or older who spoke one of Canada's official languages (English or French) and who resided in private homes in the ten Canadian provinces and two territories were eligible to be surveyed. The survey included three components: the Campaign-Period Survey (CPS), the Post-Election Survey (PES), and the Mail-Back Survey (MBS). Approximately 110 interviews were completed each day of the CPS for a total of 3,949 interviews. Eighty percent, or 3,170 of the CPS respondents, completed the PES survey, and 1,857 of the PES respondents completed the MBS. The CPS respondents were queried on their voting intentions, interest in the election and its media coverage, whether parties/candidates had contacted them during the campaign, the state of the economy, knowledge of the parties and leaders, personal stances on major policy issues such as cutting taxes, maintaining social programs, and Quebec, assessment of the Liberal government, and electoral expectations. Specific questions on political actions and personal character were posed regarding Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Conservative Party Leader Jean Charest, New Democratic Party Leader Alexa McDonough, Reform Party Leader Preston Manning, Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe, Premier Lucien Bouchard, and former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. The PES repeated many of the CPS questions, and addressed additional topics such as government spending, social issues including abortion, unions, businesses, education, health care, and capital punishment, Quebec separation, and attitudes towards social groups including big business, feminists, and aboriginal peoples. The MBS dealt with broader political issues and values, including the respondents' confidence in institutions, the distribution of power among various societal groups, and individual rights. Background information on respondents includes age, sex, ethnicity, political party, political orientation, voter participation history, education, marital status, religion, employment status, household income, union membership, country of birth, knowledge of Canadian political history, financial status, and disability status.

This survey assessed Canadians' political attitudes and voting behavior prior to the 2000 federal election. The survey included three components: the Campaign-Period Survey (CPS), the Post-Election Survey (PES), and the Mail-Back Survey (MBS). Approximately 46 percent of the telephone numbers included in the CPS were completed for a total of 3,651 interviews. Seventy-eight percent, or 2,860 of the CPS respondents, completed the PES survey, and 1,517 of the PES respondents completed the MBS. The CPS respondents were queried on their voting intentions, interest in the election and its media coverage, whether parties/candidates had contacted them during the campaign, the state of the economy, knowledge of the parties and leaders, personal stances on major policy issues such as cutting taxes, maintaining social programs, and the possible separation of Quebec from Canada, assessment of the Liberal government, and electoral expectations. Specific questions on political actions and personal character were posed regarding Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Conservative Party Leader Jean Charest, New Democratic Party Leader Alexa McDonough, Reform Party Leader Preston Manning, Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe, Premier Lucien Bouchard, and former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. The PES repeated many of the CPS questions, and addressed additional topics such as government spending, social issues including abortion, unions, businesses, education, health care, and capital punishment, Quebec separation, and attitudes toward social groups including big business, feminists, and aboriginal peoples. The MBS dealt with broader political issues and values, including the respondents' confidence in institutions, the distribution of power among various societal groups, and individual rights. Background information on respondents includes age, sex, ethnicity, political party, political orientation, voter participation history, education, marital status, religion, employment status, household income, union membership, country of birth, knowledge of Canadian political history, financial status, and disability status.

This study probed the views of the Canadian electorate following the June 1968 federal election. Respondents provided basic background information and also responded to questions about their reactions to the election outcome, their evaluations of the parties and candidates, regional conflicts within Canada, and a wide variety of issues that were salient during the campaign.

This study consisted of a survey administered to eligible Canadian voters after the 1965 national elections. Open-ended questions measured the respondents' attitudes toward the problems confronting Canada and various campaign issues, as well as their political efficacy and trust in government. Provincial and regional conflicts and affinities were explored through several questions inquiring which provinces were more powerful, better off, and worse off. The respondents were also queried about their political party attachments, voting behavior, campaign activities, and attitudes toward campaign financing. Demographic data include age, sex, marital status, education, religion, occupation, and country of birth, if applicable.

This study includes three separate surveys that focused on the 1972 national election in Canada. Two surveys were conducted prior to the October 31 election date, and the third immediately following the election. The first questionnaire (Part 1), administered in June-July 1972, elicited respondents' opinions on parties and personalities in federal politics and on issues such as inflation, constitutional reform, campaign spending, marijuana legislation, and the right of federal employees to strike. Respondents were also asked to assess the performance of the Prime Minister and the qualifications of the main opposition candidates. Finally, respondents were questioned about their partisan affiliation and their voting behavior over the past few elections. Respondents' sex was the only demographic information collected in this survey. The second survey (Part 2), conducted in September 1972, assessed respondents' opinions on political issues such as unemployment, Canadian/United States relations, environment, taxes, price controls, and certain federal programs. In addition, respondents were questioned about their candidate preference, partisan identification, and party preference for the upcoming election. Basic demographic data such as age group, level of education, occupation, religious preference, union membership, national origin, and family income were also included. The third survey (Part 3) was administered in early November to a sample that included both first-time respondents and a panel that had also been interviewed in September. Respondents were asked to evaluate the federal election campaign, the candidates, parties, and political issues. Voting behavior in both the federal and local elections was also assessed. Filter variables are provided in Parts 1 and 3 to identify questions present on different survey forms, and in Part 3 filter variables distinguish between respondents who voted, or did not vote in the 1972 election. Demographic information included age group, level of education, occupation, religious preference, union membership, national origin, and family income.

Conducted in the months following the July 8, 1974, election in Canada, this study explored the Canadian electorate's political attitudes and behavior at both the federal and provincial levels. Respondents were asked about their interest in politics, their images of party leaders, opinions on political and social issues, campaign information sources and political involvement, as well as their voting history and party identification. Other items dealt more specifically with the 1974 campaign and election. Besides ascertaining how respondents voted, the study attempted to establish when voting decisions were made, and for what reasons. Also explored were attitudes on political and social issues like bilingualism, foreign investment, inflation, separatism, and majority government. "Feeling thermometers" were used to gauge respondents' feelings toward their provinces, Canada as a whole, and other countries, as well as toward specific parties, party leaders, and candidates in the 1974 federal election. A number of items dealt with Canadian federalism, comparing federal and provincial government influence. Demographic data include sex, age, marital status, education, occupation, and organizational membership. In addition, extensive information is provided about occcupational and social mobility of male respondents' fathers, grandfathers, and sons. In order to maximize the number of questions that could be administered, two forms of the interview were developed. Half of the respondents were administered Form 1 and the others Form 2. While many items in the two forms are identical, there are also several items that are present in one form only.

Topics covered in this survey include the respondent's interest in politics in general and in the 1984 Federal Election in particular, political trust, respondent assessment of the most important issues in the 1984 election, party identification at both the federal and provincial level, exposure to the campaign including the television debates, respondent's vote and reasons for that decision, attitudes towards the parties and their leaders, feeling thermometer ratings of party leaders and various groups, attitudes toward social class, and various other social and political attitudes. Background information such as education, occupation, religion, language, and group memberships was also obtained from respondents. In addition, the interview data were augmented with information about the socio-demographic and political characteristics of the consituency in which each respondent resided.

This collection, containing information on the voting behavior and political attitudes of Canadians, consists of three waves of data gathered before and after the 1988 Canadian national election. The first wave, conducted by telephone in October and November 1988 before the November 21st election, focused on respondents' interest in the election, perceptions of the media, voting intentions, attitudes toward policy and campaign issues, assessments of government performance, and ratings of leaders, parties, and candidates. Other items included respondents' sociodemographic and economic characteristics, as well as party, candidate, and constituency identification. The second wave, conducted by telephone after the election from November 1988 through January 1989, contained some of the same items covered in the first wave but also included questions on voting behavior, campaign activities, and groups in Canadian society, along with a special battery on free trade. The third wave, conducted by mail from December 1988 through March 1989, explored fiscal priorities, the economy, policy issues, changes to Canadian society, political efficacy, societal goals, capitalist values, rights and liberties, and conceptions of community.