Current Projects

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The 18th Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) Survey: Public Attitudes Towards Education in Ontario

The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto has been undertaking a provincial education survey every two years since 1978. This 18th wave of the study examines Ontarians' attitudes toward the education system in general and, more specifically: public satisfaction with schools; opinions about funding priorities; knowledge about governance; accommodation for minority cultural and religious groups; and other current policy issues including province-wide tests and government spending on education, among other topics. This telephone survey will be conducted with 1,000 randomly-selected adult residents across all regions of the province in the winter of 2011-12. Funding for the study is provided by OISE and several provincial government ministries and educational associations. Principal investigator is OISE Institutional Researcher Dr. Doug Hart and the study is managed at the Institute by John Pollard.

We know surprisingly little about the social relationships within and between ethnic groups in a highly multicultural city. Social networks (such as marriage, close friendships, etc.) are the channels through which crucial information and influence flow, hence individual and group successes depend on these networks. This project, conducted on behalf of Dr. Bonnie Erickson, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto, focuses on individual success finding jobs or getting good work with high prestige and income. For ethnic group members, networks and culture can affect work location and job quality, and success in advancing group goals depends on how outsiders see the group: how positively they feel about the group, how aware they are of important group problems, and how willing they are to support action to remedy such problems. This research will contribute to our understanding of inequality and ethnic relations, with emphasis on the roles of networks and culture.

The project, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), will systematically map relationships in and between groups, access to ethnic group and mainstream culture, and the distribution of potential support for anti-discrimination policies, all for the first time. The Institute will conduct 900 telephone interviews among Black, Chinese, and White adults in Toronto in the winter of 2011-12. Liza Mercier is the Project Manager at ISR.

The Canadian Internet Project (CIP) is the third phase of a larger study on Canadians’ Internet habits. This project measures trends in use of the Internet, traditional media and emerging technologies by Canadians, and their attitudes toward media and online activities. The CIP forms part of the World Internet Project (WIP) involving almost 40 countries undertaking similar research. These projects examine the social, political and economic impact of the Internet and other new technologies. Over the summer and fall of 2011 ISR expects to conduct approximately 1,700 telephone interviews across the country with adults and Canadian youth. The CIP is funded by the Canadian Media Research Consortium and other partners. Dr. Charles Zamaria, Ryerson University, is the study’s principal investigator and Dr. Fred Fletcher, York University, is co-investigator. David Northrup, ISR Associate Director, is managing the study at the Institute.

Each year, the Institute surveys undergraduate and graduate students in selected programs as part of the University's Cyclical Program Review. On a rotating basis, each degree program is assessed every eight years (www.yorku.ca/secretariat/senate). Depending on the size of the program, student feedback is collected using an online survey, a mail survey, or a focus group. A 'core' set of questions provides standardized information about all students such as perceptions about the quality of teaching and the curriculum, the availability and thematic coherence of courses, and the quality of services such as advising and responding to complaints. ISR also assists programs in developing additional questions to address specific issues or concerns. In the 2011-2012 academic year, the experiences and opinions of approximately 6,000 undergraduate students and 700 graduate students will be gathered. Only summary results, in which any individual cannot be identified, are provided to the programs by ISR. Liza Mercier manages this project at the Institute.

The major goal of this study is to gather timely data for planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating public health programs and services in selected Public Health Departments across the province of Ontario. Modelled after a study first conducted by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, the RRFSS study gathers trend data which, in addition to information from other sources, is used to monitor key public health issues such as asthma rates, smoking, drinking and driving, sun safety, women's health issues, bicycle helmet use, the amount of water testing being conducted in private wells, rates of rabies vaccinations, and so on. Newly emerging issues such as the prevalence of bed bugs in the home, emergency and disaster preparedness, climate change, air quality and road safety are also explored in the RRFSS study. Throughout 2011 the Institute will conduct approximately 8,000 CATI interviews three times a year with residents in the regions served by each participating Public Health Department. Funding for the study is being provided by the individual Health Departments. Renée Elsbett-Koeppen is directing the study at ISR.

First implemented in 1977, the CAMH Monitor is the longest ongoing addiction and mental health survey among adults in Canada. The survey is designed to serve as the primary vehicle for monitoring substance use and mental health problems among Ontario adults. The CAMH Monitor provides trend data in alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, mental health, as well as gauges public opinion toward tobacco and alcohol policies. In addition, the CAMH Monitor explores new topics, previously unmeasured, such as Attention Deficit Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. In 2011, the Institute will conduct approximately 3,000 telephone interviews among Ontarians. This study is conducted on behalf of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health with funding from the Government of Ontario. CAMH's Dr. Robert Mann is principal investigator and Liza Mercier directs this study at the Institute.

Researchers at Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) are studying pancreatic cancer, a leading cause of cancer deaths in Canada. Nearly 4,000 Canadians are found to have pancreatic cancer each year and only about 5% of them survive for five years or more years after diagnosis. The researchers are recruiting about 800 people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer into the study, and ISR's role is to recruit a comparison sample of the same age and gender who do not have pancreatic cancer. The Institute will recruit about 1,600 Ontarians 35 to 80 years of age in the Spring and Summer of 2011. About 55% of the sample will be male and 45% female. Given that pancreatic cancer is much more common in older people, about 90 percent of the sample will be between 50 and 80 years of age. People who agree to participate in the study will be sent a mailback questionnaire and, if they agree, provide a blood or saliva sample. The researchers will compare the two groups on the basis of overall health, current and past medical conditions for both the respondent and their family, genetics, diet, smoking behaviour, and other health determinants. The Study Manager at CCO is Saira Mohammed, and David Northrup, ISR's Associate Director, is managing the study at the Institute.

Canada's study on Physical Activity Levels Among Youth is a survey designed to collect comprehensive and accurate information on the physical activity levels of Canadian children and youth via pedometers. Approximately 10,000 children and youth were initially selected from across Canada for the 2007 survey. The survey will be conducted annually until 2012. The research is being conducted for the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute (CFLRI) a not-for-profit research agency that has been studying the physical activity patterns of Canadians since 1981.

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