Alberta Survey, 2011A

The Population Research Laboratory (PRL), a member of the Association of Academic Survey Research Organizations (AASRO), seeks to advance the research, educational and service goals of the University of Alberta by helping academic researchers and policy makers design and implement applied social science research projects. The PRL specializes in the gathering, analysis, and presentation of data about demographic, social and public issues such as the state of Canadians’ health and access to healthcare, their educational and labour force lives, and their perceptions and knowledge of the world around them. The PRL research team provides expert consultation and implementation of quantitative and qualitative research methods, project design, sample design, web-based, paper-based and telephone surveys, field site testing, data analysis, and report writing. The PRL follows scientifically rigorous and transparent methods in each phase of a research project. Research coordinators are members of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and use best-known practices when conducting all types of research. The PRL maintains a complement of highly trained telephone interviewers and supervisors. The Population Research Laboratory (PRL) administered the 2011 Alberta Survey. This survey of households across the province of Alberta continues to enable academic researchers, government departments, and non-profit organizations to explore a wide range of topics in a structured research framework and environment. Sponsors’ research questions are asked together with demographic questions in a telephone interview of Alberta households. This data consists of the information from 1201 Alberta residence, interviewed between May 31, 2011 and July 4, 2011. The amount of responses indicates that the response rate, as calculated percentages representing the number of people who participated in the survey divided by the number selected in the eligible sample, was 24.3%. The subject ares included in the 2011 Alberta Survey A includes socio-demographic and background variables such as: household composition, age, gender, marital status, highest level of education, household income, religion, ethnic background, place of birth, employment status, home ownership, political party support and perceptions of financial status. Additional topics covered are opinions regarding public library services, seniors’ community supports and services, discrimination (please also see 2011 Alberta Survey B), research access to health information, Chinese language and culture, and Asia Pacific issues.