Canadian Parent Research Methodology
Canadian Parent conducts ongoing online polls to better understand the opinions and experiences of parents across Canada.
Our research is based primarily on voluntary participation from members of the Canadian Parent community. Results reflect the views of participating respondents and, unless specifically stated otherwise, are not nationally representative estimates of all Canadian parents.
Publisher & Media Quick Reference
Everything needed to accurately qualify Canadian Parent research:
| Audience | Canada-wide Canadian Parent community |
|---|---|
| Recruitment | Members are acquired through broad, Canada-wide audience marketing |
| Method | Voluntary online polling |
| Sampling | Self-selected, non-probability sample |
| Sample size | Published with each study |
| Representation | Results reflect participating Canadian Parent community members and are not weighted or designed to be nationally representative of all Canadian parents |
| Responses | One response per participating Canadian Parent account unless otherwise noted |
| Incentives | Participants may earn Canadian Parent Rewards points, which have no cash or redeemable value, and may receive additional entries into Canadian Parent-exclusive giveaways. Incentives are based on participation, never on the answer selected. |
Recommended Citation
In a Canadian Parent poll of 6,075 respondents, 66% selected age 12 or older when asked at what age children should be allowed to stay home alone.
Or:
66% of respondents to a Canadian Parent poll said…
Please avoid describing a finding as representing “all Canadian parents” unless the individual study specifically states that a representative methodology was used.
Who Participates
Canadian Parent polls are primarily answered by members of our community across Canada.
Participation is voluntary. Members choose which polls they answer, and not every member participates in every poll.
Because participants self-select into individual polls rather than being randomly selected from the Canadian population, our research should be understood as a measure of what participating Canadian Parent community members are telling us.
Individual polls regularly receive thousands of responses. The response count for each study is published alongside its findings.
How Our Polls Work
Polls are published through the Canadian Parent platform and may also be promoted to eligible members through Canadian Parent communications.
Questions may use yes/no, multiple-choice, rating-scale or other response formats appropriate to the topic.
Canadian Parent aims to use clear, neutral wording and response options that do not encourage participants toward a particular answer. Where a topic requires more nuance, options such as It depends, Unsure or similar responses may be provided.
Unless otherwise noted, each published response represents one participating Canadian Parent account.
Poll Incentives
Canadian Parent may provide members with small participation incentives for answering polls.
These can include:
- Canadian Parent Rewards points — Points are used within our platform as an engagement feature. They have no cash value, cannot be redeemed for cash and have no standalone monetary or redeemable value.
- Additional giveaway entries — Answering a poll may provide a member with an additional entry into one of Canadian Parent’s exclusive giveaways.
These incentives reward participation only. They are never dependent on the opinion expressed or the answer selected.
A participant receives the same applicable incentive regardless of how they answer a poll.
How We Report Results
Canadian Parent reports the total number of respondents associated with each study whenever possible.
Percentages may be rounded for readability. For example, 66.2% may be presented as 66% in a headline, graphic or research summary.
We may also combine related response categories to communicate a broader finding. When categories are combined, the published figure is calculated directly from the underlying responses and should accurately reflect those results.
Some polls remain open while findings are published. In these cases, response counts and percentages may change as additional members participate. Where relevant, we may include the date the results were collected or last updated.
Understanding the Results
Canadian Parent polls are generally:
- Voluntary
- Self-selected
- Community-based
- Non-probability samples
- Not weighted to represent the Canadian population as a whole
A large sample size can provide meaningful insight into the opinions of our participating community, but does not make a self-selected poll nationally representative.
For this reason, we encourage publishers to attribute findings specifically to Canadian Parent respondents, participating parents, or respondents to a Canadian Parent poll.
Sponsored & Partner Research
Some Canadian Parent polls may be developed in collaboration with a brand, organization or other partner.
Where a study is sponsored, commissioned or conducted in partnership with an outside organization, that relationship will be disclosed where appropriate.
Partners may help identify topics or questions of interest, but incentives and participation are never dependent on respondents providing a particular answer.
Canadian Parent remains responsible for how research published under the Canadian Parent name is presented to our community.
Using Canadian Parent Research
Journalists, publishers, educators, brands and organizations are welcome to reference publicly available Canadian Parent findings.
When citing our research, we recommend including:
- Canadian Parent as the source
- The number of respondents
- The finding or question being referenced
- A link to the original Canadian Parent research page
For additional information about a study, poll wording, methodology or available results: