Building Infrastructure & Alliances to Meet Common Goals: “The Creation of a Canadian Public Opinion Data Index” IASSIST Annual Meeting May, 2006 Ann Arbor,

Building Infrastructure & Building Infrastructure & Alliances to Meet Common Alliances to Meet Common Goals: Goals: “The Creation of a Canadian “The Creation of a Canadian Public Opinion Data Index”Public Opinion Data Index”

IASSIST IASSIST Annual Meeting Annual Meeting May, 2006May, 2006

Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan

Laine RuusLaine Ruus,, University of Toronto University of TorontoLois Timms-FerraraLois Timms-Ferrara, , Roper CenterRoper Center,, UConnUConn

Today’s Two Part Today’s Two Part DiscussionDiscussion

Creating a Canadian Opinion Index:Creating a Canadian Opinion Index:

Statement of Need Statement of Need

Partners Partners

Objectives of the Program Objectives of the Program

Scope of the PilotScope of the Pilot

ProcessProcess

AccessAccess

Next StepsNext Steps The Index Today:The Index Today: CCPOLLPOLL

Beyond the Beyond the Toplines…Toplines…

Statement of NeedStatement of Need

Purpose:Purpose: Enhance Understanding Enhance Understanding of Canadian-U.S. Relationsof Canadian-U.S. Relations

Vehicle:Vehicle: Public Opinion DataPublic Opinion Data

Rationale:Rationale: Value of Public Opinion in a DemocracyValue of Public Opinion in a DemocracyCoverage of the Data Collection Coverage of the Data Collection Topically, the collection is wide reachingTopically, the collection is wide reaching

Finding aids: Finding aids:

Catalog of holdings Catalog of holdings contains brief contains brief abstracts for most of abstracts for most of the dataset holdingsthe dataset holdings

No finding aids No finding aids available for available for reports/releasesreports/releases

Canadian holdings:Canadian holdings:

600 Dataset files since 600 Dataset files since 19421942

Thousands of reports Thousands of reports and releases 1941-2006and releases 1941-2006

Potentially 50,000 Potentially 50,000 survey questions totalsurvey questions total

Statement of Need Statement of Need

Quantitative scholarly research using Canadian opinion Quantitative scholarly research using Canadian opinion data is hindered, not by the lack of good data, data is hindered, not by the lack of good data,

but rather by lack of appropriate discovery aids but rather by lack of appropriate discovery aids to let researchers into the collections. to let researchers into the collections.

The Road to CThe Road to CPOLLPOLL

Support for this pilot project was Support for this pilot project was generously provided by: generously provided by:

The Embassy of Canada The Embassy of Canada

The University of TorontoThe University of Toronto

The Canadian Studies Program at The Canadian Studies Program at the University of Connecticut the University of Connecticut

The Roper Center at UConnThe Roper Center at UConn

Objectives of the Pilot Objectives of the Pilot ProgramProgram

iPOLL as the model, the prototype iPOLL as the model, the prototype database database contains Canadian poll results with contains Canadian poll results with

variable variable and study-level search and study-level search facilities facilities

Complete question wordingsComplete question wordingsTopical classificationsTopical classificationsField dates and Survey OrganizationsField dates and Survey Organizations

Top line responsesTop line responsesSurvey-level citation informationSurvey-level citation informationLinks to individual level datasets Links to individual level datasets

Data exploration tool to view group resultsData exploration tool to view group results

Scope of the ProjectScope of the Project

Data Selection Data Selection

19951995 20002000 20052005

Angus Angus Reid Reid

Dataset Dataset filesfiles

Reports Reports and and ReleasesReleases

N/AN/A

IPSOS IPSOS ReidReid

N/AN/A Reports Reports and and ReleasesReleases

Reports Reports and and ReleasesReleases

Gallup Gallup Canada Canada

Dataset Dataset filesfiles

Dataset Dataset filesfiles

Reports Reports and and ReleasesReleases

Misc. othersMisc. others N/AN/A Reports Reports and and ReleasesReleases

Reports Reports and and ReleasesReleases

57% from datasets and 43% from 57% from datasets and 43% from reports reports

Scope of the ProjectScope of the Project

iPOLLiPOLL JPOLLJPOLL CPOLLCPOLL

CongressCongress LegislatureLegislature ParliamentParliament

Minorities, Minorities, Blacks, Blacks,

HispanicsHispanics

N/AN/A Ethnic Groups, Ethnic Groups, Visible Minorities, Visible Minorities,

First NationsFirst Nations

Political and Cultural DifferencesPolitical and Cultural Differences

English language only database. English language only database. (Whose English?)(Whose English?)

Online Data Analysis ToolOnline Data Analysis Tool

Controlled Language IndexingControlled Language Indexing Added: Monarchy, IndiaAdded: Monarchy, India

Deleted: Hispanics, IsraelDeleted: Hispanics, Israel

Processing the ProjectProcessing the Project

Standard iPOLL processing proceduresStandard iPOLL processing procedures

UT Data Library Service involved in UT Data Library Service involved in two ways:two ways:

- Creating DDI-compliant metadata for the Creating DDI-compliant metadata for the Canadian Gallup polls 1995 and 2000Canadian Gallup polls 1995 and 2000

- Proof-reading the question summaries from Proof-reading the question summaries from datasets and reports for the database, esp. datasets and reports for the database, esp. the controlled language indexingthe controlled language indexing

CCPOLL AccessPOLL Access

Initial Release: Early Fall 2006 Initial Release: Early Fall 2006

General CGeneral CPOLL POLL AccessAccess CCPOLL POLL search facility search facility

Top linesTop lines

SDA online analysis modulesSDA online analysis modules

Catalogue drill down functionality Catalogue drill down functionality

Dataset documentation Dataset documentation

Members Only CMembers Only CPOLL POLL AccessAccessDatasets will be available to Members via RoperDatasets will be available to Members via RoperExpressExpress and special orderand special order

Non-members may purchase datasets on an ad-hoc basisNon-members may purchase datasets on an ad-hoc basis

Future PlansFuture Plans

CCPOLLPOLL

Expanding the data Expanding the data bank to include a bank to include a broader time series broader time series

Secure additional Secure additional sources of Canadian sources of Canadian data data

Online newsletter for Online newsletter for cross-national cross-national comparative resultscomparative results

Further development Further development of more SDA modulesof more SDA modules

International POLLInternational POLL Integration of CIntegration of CPOLLPOLL and iPOLL and JPOLLand iPOLL and JPOLL

Add multi-national Add multi-national surveyssurveys

US Government US Government studies conducted studies conducted abroad by United abroad by United States Information States Information AgencyAgency

Expansion into other Expansion into other archived collections archived collections

CCPOLL: A PeekPOLL: A Peek

www.RoperCenter.UConn.edu

Current version contains:Current version contains:

819 questions and answers 819 questions and answers

Three Survey Firms Three Survey Firms

Drill down to Roper Center catalog entries Drill down to Roper Center catalog entries

RoperRoperExpressExpress links to download datasets links to download datasets

SDA Modules ready for analysis using SDA Modules ready for analysis using online data analysis toolonline data analysis tool

Where thinking people goWhere thinking people goto learn what people are thinking…to learn what people are thinking…

Merci! Thank you! Merci! Thank you!

CCPOLL:POLL: The Neighbourly DatabaseThe Neighbourly Database