Canadian Internet Use Survey (CIUS)

Detailed information for 2022

Status:

Active

Frequency:

Occasional

Record number:

4432

The purpose of the 2022 Canadian Internet Use Survey is to gather data on how digital technologies and the Internet are transforming society, the economy, and the everyday lives of Canadians.

Data release - Scheduled for summer 2023

Description

The 2022 CIUS aims to measure the adoption and use of digital technologies by individual residents of Canada 15 years of age and over, living in the provinces. The information gathered will help to better understand how the Internet and other digital technologies are changing the way we work, play and interact with others.

The CIUS examines Internet access and use, along with the use of Internet-connected smart devices, social connections in the digital age, use of government online services, e-commerce, digital skills, security, privacy and trust, online work and the knowledge and adoption of new digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, digital credentials and cryptocurrencies. The CIUS also measures barriers to: Internet access and use, online services, and various digital technologies.

Collected data is used to inform evidence-based policymaking, research, program development, and provide internationally comparable statistics on the use of digital technologies. For example, the results from this survey will be used to:
- Guide government efforts to provide households with more reliable and affordable high-speed Internet
- Develop policies to protect individuals from online privacy and security risks
- Research the impacts of digital technologies on well-being and new gig-based employment
- Better understand the digital skills needed for learning and the future of work
- Better understand how and why Canadians use online services, like shopping and banking
- Identify barriers that prevent people from accessing the Internet and making the most out of the new technologies presently available
- Improve online government services and make them more user-friendly
- Contribute to international initiatives, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the OECD Going Digital Project, to help track and compare Canada's digital development.

The survey is built off the previous iterations of the CIUS, last conducted in 2018 and 2020. The 2022 iteration has been updated to collect data to meet new data needs.

The 2022 iteration of the CIUS is sponsored by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). Numerous other government departments also provided input during the questionnaire content development phase.

Reference period: Reference periods vary within the survey and include: "current or regular use", "past month", "past three months" or "past 12 months" preceding the interview date.

Subjects

Individual and household internet use
Information and communications technology

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The target population is all persons 15 years of age and older living in the ten provinces of Canada. It excludes full-time (residing for more than six months) residents of institutions.

CIUS makes efforts to identify and exclude units on reserves based on their associated geographies on the building-unit-based frame.

Instrument design

The predecessor to the CIUS, the Household Internet Use Survey (HIUS), was first conducted in 1997, and ran annually until 2003. The HIUS focused on household Internet penetration. In 2005, the CIUS replaced the HIUS. The redesign in 2005 focused more on Internet use by individuals, while conforming to international standards regarding statistical indicators for Internet access and use. From 2005 to 2009, the CIUS was conducted biennially.

In 2010, the CIUS was redesigned to meet the measurement needs of Broadband Canada: Connecting Rural Canadians Program sponsored by Industry Canada (now ISED). As a hybrid survey on access and use, the CIUS 2010 and 2012 measured the type, speed and cost of household Internet access and the individual online behaviours of a selected household member.

The 2018 CIUS questionnaire was completely redesigned following consultations with clients at ISED (the survey sponsor), other federal departments, experts in the field and other stakeholders. The 2018 survey was no longer a hybrid survey. Instead, it focussed on measuring individual's use of digital technologies, the Internet, and online behaviours including; those related to social media, e-commerce, online government services, online work, digital skills, streaming content and security privacy and trust as it relates to the Internet. The survey also measures household access. The 2020 cycle was revised to measure new trends. It included additional content in existing modules, questions on well-being in the digital age, the impact of COVID-19 on Internet use and increased demographic variables, such as population group, perceived health, and disability status, to paint an accurate picture of the Canadian population.

In order to take account of the rapid evolution of Internet-related technologies, the 2022 cycle has been updated to include new content such as, information sharing online, harmful content online, digital credentials, cryptocurrencies, Artificial Intelligence and working in the Gig Economy.

For the 2020 and 2022 editions, to make room for this content without adding to the response burden of respondents, some questions or modules were rotated out.

Testing of the questionnaire:
Cognitive testing of the 2022 questionnaire content was tested in conjunction with the Questionnaire Design Resource Center (QDRC) in both official languages. It included 17 interviews with respondents, 10 in English and 7 in French. The interviewer assessed the respondents' understanding of new and old concepts, questions, terminology, the appropriateness of response categories and the availability of requested information. The interviews were done virtually on Teams. The respondent shared their screen and completed the electronic questionnaire (EQ) on their own, thinking aloud about their understanding and thoughts for each question. Modifications and updates were made based on respondents' comments and suggestions from the QDRC.

The tests confirmed that new content was well understood and that respondents could use the EQ application without problems. It also confirmed that old content, which was tested in 2018 and updated if necessary, was still relevant.

Sampling

This is a sample survey with a cross-sectional design.

For the 2022 iteration, the CIUS used a new frame consisting of a list of building units known to be residential dwellings taken from Statistics Canada's building frame supplemented with additional administrative sources. Records on the frame are building units such as houses or apartment units, which have addresses and/or telephone numbers linked to them.

The sample is based on a stratified design employing probability sampling. The stratification is done at the province/census metropolitan area (CMA) and census agglomeration (CA) level. Information is collected from one randomly selected household member aged 15 or older, and proxy responses are not permitted.

Sampling unit:
The CIUS uses a two-stage sampling design. The sampling units are the building units. The final stage units are individuals within the identified households. Note that the CIUS only selects one eligible person per household to be interviewed.

A field sample of approximatively 55,700 units was used. Among them, about 51,400 had addresses that were attached to the telephone number in the frame, and were sent invitation letters in the mail to complete the electronic questionnaire online. The remaining 4,300 units were contacted by telephone to complete the questionnaire with an interviewer.

Data sources

Data collection for this reference period: 2022-11-29 to 2023-04-05

Responding to this survey is voluntary.

Data are collected directly from survey respondents.

Data are collected through an electronic questionnaire or computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). No proxy reporting is allowed. The respondent has the choice to respond in French or in English. The average time to complete the survey is estimated at 30-60 minutes.

Invitation letters and reminders, containing secure access code, to complete electronic questionnaires were sent to respondents by mail. Intensive non-response follow-up will be also conducted by CATI.

The collection method is electronic questionnaire with CATI follow-up.

View the Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s) .