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Canadian Rural Partnership
Rural Team Alberta 
Rural Priorities: AAFC No.: 2168/E Prepared by For more information, please contact: The Rural Secretariat Acknowledgements This survey was carried out under the direction of the Rural Team Alberta and the Rural Secretariat. We would like to recognize the following federal departments’ financial contributions to this survey:
The following departments are members of Rural Team Alberta:
The survey was conducted by C-4 Contact Centre from Nelson, British Columbia. Thanks are extended to Mary Lou Truman and the technical personnel at C-4 Contact Centre for their important contributions to this research initiative. Special appreciation is also extended to Beverly Uibel, Regional Advisor of the Rural Secretariat, for her invaluable direction and support for this project. This study would not have been possible without the willing cooperation of the 407 rural Albertans who participated in this survey. LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF TABLES The Rural Alberta Survey is part of an ongoing Rural Dialogue initiated by the federal government. The Survey was designed to collect information on rural Albertans’ views of and experiences with the 11 priorities for action and related areas. The results will be used by federal departments in their program and policy decisions and by representatives of the five participating Alberta regions in their Rural Dialogue workshops. B. RESEARCH DESIGNThe survey instrument was developed by Rural Team Alberta in collaboration with several other federal departments and representatives from the data collection agency, C-4 Contact Centre. Telephone interviews were completed using a random sample of 407 rural Albertans from five key regions of the province, between April 5 and 28, 2001. A response rate of 28% was obtained. C. SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS
Importance of Priorities Among Rural Albertans
For most priorities, responses across regions were very stable. Some exceptions include:
Women and Aboriginal respondents attached a slightly greater level of importance to most priorities. Economic Development of Rural Alberta Financial Resources for Rural Business Among the respondents who had tried to start their own business (52%) many accessed funding through personal means (85% personal investment; 28% friends/family); others attempted to get loans at banks (62%) and through government organizations (15%). Some respondents who had tried to start their own business attempted to access funding through government grants and contributions (20%). Economic Diversity Agriculture and forestry were cited as the major industry in the community by the greatest proportion of respondents (71%), followed by mining, oil or gas extraction (46%), value-added industry related to agriculture and forestry (13%), and other consumer services (12%). Some of the most common suggestions for new industries included tourism (16%), manufacturing (14%), value-added agriculture and forestry (11%) and retail services (11%). Internet and Computer Skills Overall, 52% of all respondents had Internet access at home, but access varied considerably by several socio-demographic characteristics. Respondents from Region 3, those between the ages of 40 and 54, those with some post-secondary education, high income earners and non-Aboriginal people were much more likely to have Internet access than those outside these groups. Most of the 48% respondents without Internet access at home indicated that their main reason for not having this service was not having a computer (27%). About 20% of respondents reported that the service was not affordable, that they chose not to have access or that they did not know how to use this technology. Aboriginal respondents were much more likely to cite not having a computer as their main reason for not having Internet access, while older respondents were the most likely to state that they did not know how to use the Internet. Social Development of Rural Alberta Youth Slightly more than two-thirds (69%) of all respondents cited lack of employment opportunities, and just over one-quarter (27%) reported lack of educational opportunities, as the major reason why young people leave their community. Education Just under 80% of respondents felt that adult education and skills upgrading was important to the development of their community. Region 2 respondents, females, middle-aged and Aboriginal people were more likely to indicate that adult education was important to their community. About 20% of respondents cited accessibility, affordability or lack of interest as the greatest challenge to providing adult education and skills upgrading in their community. Health and Healthcare
Community Development of Rural Alberta Community Leadership and Involvement
Promotion of Rural Canada
Environmental Issues
Access to Government Programs and Services Importance of Access
Use and Access
Service Canada’s Single-Window Model
Potential Use of Government Access Modes Respondents expressed the greatest interest in using the telephone (85%), and were equally interested in using "in-person" (63%) and Internet (61%) access. Those who had used these services were more likely to express an interest in using them again. For example, 93% of those who had used the Internet indicated they would be interested in using this option as a way of accessing government programs and services, compared to only 51% who had not used the Internet. Similarly, 90% of respondents who had access to the Internet expressed an interest in using the Internet as a way of accessing government programs and services compared to only 30% of those without access. Older, less educated and lower income-earners were the least likely to be interested in using the Internet. Communications Awareness of Government Programs
Information Sources on Government
Government Commitment to Rural Canadians
A. INTRODUCTION This report presents findings from a representative survey of rural Albertans. The research is part of an ongoing Rural Dialogue initiated by the federal government in its 1999 Federal Framework for Action in Rural Canada. Through a series of interactive communication processes, the Rural Dialogue is an initiative dedicated to learning more about rural Canadians’ development concerns and is aimed at engaging this sub-population of Canadians in community development. One outcome of the Rural Dialogue has been the identification by rural Canadians of 11 priority areas of action. In brief, these 11 priorities are:
By conducting this survey, the Rural Team Alberta has sought to more thoroughly explore rural Albertans’ views of these priorities. In addition, the report provides more detailed information on these priorities and other related areas that can be used by government departments for policy and program development. Survey findings will also be used to inform discussions at future regional workshops and dialogue events in the province of Alberta. Thus, when feasible and appropriate, results are provided for each of the five regions participating in this survey. The core of the report, Section D, presents the results of a random survey of 407 rural Albertans. The section begins with an analysis of the importance rural Albertans place on the 11 priorities. Later subsections present a more thorough analysis of the priorities by examining the views and experiences of rural Albertans with regard to these priorities and, in some cases, the actions recommended by the respondents. Also included in the report is an examination of Albertans’ views on environmental issues. The report concludes with a presentation of respondents’ knowledge of government rural programs, their sources of information on government activities and their views on government commitment to rural Canadians.
B. RESEARCH DESIGN The questionnaire used in this survey was developed by the Rural Team Alberta in collaboration with several other federal departments and representatives from the data collection agency, C-4 Contact Centre (see Appendix 1 for a copy of the survey instrument). To gain a basic understanding of the relative importance of the 11 priorities to the respondents, the researchers measured the participants’ responses to the general theme of the priority rather than the specific action stipulated in the priority. For example, the priority that states: "Work with provincial and territorial governments to examine and pilot test new ways to provide rural Canadians with access to health care at a reasonable cost" was measured by asking the more general question: "How important is the provision of accessible, quality health care services to the development of your community?"2 (see Appendix 2 for the questions used to measure each priority). In all but one case, measurement of the corresponding priority was done with a single question.3 The sampling frame included five major rural regions of the province, which were selected on the basis of their representation of the major industries in the province (see Appendix 3 for the communities included in each of the five regions). Respondents included adults aged 18 years or older and excluded federal government employees. A French version of the questionnaire was delivered to four respondents who indicated their preference to be addressed in French. C-4 Contact Centre, a data collection agency located in Nelson, B.C., pre-tested the telephone questionnaire with 60 rural Albertans to ensure that the research instrument worked properly and to confirm that respondents would appropriately interpret and answer the questions. As a result of the pretest, some minor changes were made to the survey instrument. Telephone interviews were conducted between April 5 and 28, 2001. The interviews took an average of 31 minutes to complete, with the shortest completion time of 14 minutes and the longest of 1 hour and 20 minutes. A minimum of three call-backs were made for each randomly selected, potential respondent. A total of 407 telephone interviews were completed, representing a response rate of 28%. One-third of the non-response is due to the potential respondents’ refusal to participate. The remaining two-thirds of the non-response was due to the inability to contact potential respondents (e.g., number not in service, no answer, voice mail or answering machine). Rural Albertans comprise approximately one-third of the total population of Alberta. Most of this rural population, however, is comprised of metro-adjacent areas (22%), leaving only 12% of Albertans residing in non-adjacent or hinterlands.4 With a sample size of over 400 respondents, the results presented in this report are statistically significant at the 0.5 level. This means that we can be certain that 95% of the time the results are accurate, within a range of plus or minus five percentage points. These confidence intervals, however, are not applicable for sub-sample comparisons, which contain a greater margin of error. Thus, when examining the results by region, gender or Aboriginal status, for example, the data should be viewed as general indicators rather than as statistical representations of the various sub-populations. Total sample responses in this report are provided for all survey questions. For many questions, however, responses are also examined on the basis of respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics and the region in which they reside. Inclusion of these characteristics in the tables and figures depends on the issue that is being examined and on whether or not substantive differences were found. Beyond presentation of broader observations of results, only limited interpretations of the findings are offered because it is most appropriate for the relevant government departments or region representatives to interpret the results further based on the results of this survey. In the introduction read to participants, the federal government was identified as the group conducting the survey. However, except in one question, participants were not asked about the federal government. The Rural Team, in consultation with the survey company and the research consultant, thought that most rural citizens would not differentiate between services offered by different levels of government. The Rural Team felt that the data could be differentiated by level of government and department after the information was collected and the information could be forwarded to the appropriate departments.
C. SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS Table 1 presents selected socio-demographic characteristics for the total sample and for each of the five Alberta regions participating in the survey. Of the 407 respondents, 31% were from Region 1, 26% from Region 2, 18% from Region 3, and 16% from Region 4. Region 5 represented the smallest proportion of respondents (9%). Women made up 64% of the total sample and were most highly represented in Region 5 (70%). The greatest proportion of respondents was between the ages of 40 and 54 (37%), with Region 5 containing the highest proportion of young (18-39 years) respondents and Region 2 the highest proportion of respondents over 55 years old. Although slightly lower than the Canadian population as a whole5, a sizeable proportion of respondents were post-secondary institution graduates (37%). The majority (51%) of respondents, however, had at least some post-secondary education. Similarly, 51% of respondents were from households earning $50,000 or more per year. More than two-thirds (69%) of all the respondents were employed at the time of interviewing. Respondents from Region 5 had the lowest levels of education (32% without a high school diploma) and were the least likely to be currently employed (63%). However, their household income was marginally higher than the total sample. Region 1 had the greatest proportions of post-secondary graduates (42%), higher-income earners (55% households earning $50,000 or more per year), and currently employed (72%). Respondents from Region 3, while resembling the total sample in terms of their educational attainment and employment status, were somewhat over-represented in the lowest household income category (36% earning less than $30,000 per year). Six percent of the total sample reported that they were of Aboriginal descent compared to 4.6% among the total provincial population.6 Region 5 had the highest proportion (16%) of Aboriginal respondents. Table 1: Selected Socio-Demographic Characteristics by Region
D. SURVEY RESULTS The analyses of survey results presented in this part of the report are divided into seven basic sections:
D.1 RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF PRIORITIES AMONG RURAL ALBERTANS Thirteen questions were included in the survey to determine the relative importance rural Albertans’ place on the 11 priorities previously identified by rural Canadians (see Appendix 2 for a description of the questions used to measure each priority). As noted in Section B above, the eleven priorities were measured in terms of their general area of concern, and one priority was addressed by asking three questions. Figure 1 shows that at least two-thirds of respondents felt that the priority in question was either "important" or "very important" (those reporting 4 or 5 on a five-point scale). Although there are clearly some differences in the importance attached to each priority, a majority of respondents viewed them as important issues for their community development. Accessible quality healthcare and strong community leadership were viewed as the most important priorities, with 95% responding either "very important" or "important." Good infrastructure and government–local partnerships were also viewed as important priorities by a very large majority of respondents (94 and 93%, respectively). Slightly fewer, but still a substantial majority of rural Albertans, viewed the promotion of rural areas (87%), programs and services for rural youth (85%), financial resources for rural business (84%), creation of new industry (83%), more accessible education (81%), Internet access for business (81%), and high-tech skill development (81%) as important priorities for the development of their communities. Only 78% of respondents reported that access to government programs was important, and even fewer (66%) responded this way with respect to high-speed Internet access.
Table 2 presents the percentage of respondents who indicated that the priority was important (on a five-point scale) for each region. For most priorities, responses across regions are very stable. However, some variation can be observed in the importance attached to a few priorities. For example, 100% of respondents from Region 5 felt that financial resources for rural business was an important priority, but in Region 2 a much smaller proportion (76%) of respondents indicated that this priority is important. The range in importance attached to creating new industry and providing Internet access for business is slightly lower, but still noteworthy. Only 76% of respondents from Region 1 reported that creation of new industry was an important priority, compared to 89% of Region 5 respondents. Three-quarters of Region 5 respondents replied similarly with respect to Internet access for business, while 88% of Region 3 respondents felt this was an important priority. Table 2: Importance of Priorities Among Rural Albertans8, by Region
Some differences in the importance attached to the priorities can also be observed by gender, age and Aboriginal status11 (Table 3). First, women attached a greater importance to all priority areas than men did. While gender differences are not large for most priorities (i.e., less than 10 percentage point difference), women were much more likely to view two priorities as more important than men: financial resources for rural business (89% of females compared to 76% of males) and more accessible education (86% of females compared to 75% of males). Second, again while the response patterns are stable for many priorities, some age-related differences can be observed. For example, respondents 40 years of age and older were significantly more likely to report that both Internet access for business and high-speed Internet connection were important to their community than younger respondents. This finding is somewhat surprising given the greater use of computers and Internet access among younger people (see Section D.2 C below). Thus, the results suggest that computer use does not necessarily correspond to the value attached to this technology. Third, with one exception (good infrastructure), a greater proportion of Aboriginal survey respondents indicated that these priorities were important. Significant among of these are accessible quality healthcare and strong community leadership where we observe that all 26 Aboriginal survey members felt that these priority areas were either "important" or "very important." Aboriginal respondents were also significantly more likely to report that Internet access for business was important (92% compared to average of 81%). Table 3: Importance of Priorities Among Rural Albertans12, by Gender, Age and Aboriginal Status
D.2 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL ALBERTA D.2A Financial Resources for Rural Business It has already been noted that 84% of survey respondents reported that the availability of financial resources for business is important to the development of their community (Figure 1). The 52% of respondents who had tried to start a business were asked if they had ever experienced difficulties in accessing funding sources. The majority of respondents funded their new business with their own personal investment (85%) and just over 60% attempted to get loans from banking institutions (Figure 2). Substantially fewer business starters tried to access funding from family or friends (28%), through government grants and contributions (20%), or through government organizations such as Community Future Development Corporations or the Federal Business Development Bank (15%). Less than 5% of respondents had tried to access funding through seed funding/angel investment or through public offerings.
Table 4 shows some variation in funding sources by region. Region 1 and Region 4 respondents were more likely than on average to have used their own investment sources to fund their new business (91%). Respondents from Region 4 were the least likely to have tried to access government grants and contributions (14%), and relatively few of those from Region 1 attempted to fund their business through government organizations (8%). Business starters provided a wide range of responses when asked about the kinds of difficulties they had experienced in accessing funds (results not shown). Most responses provided, however, were from respondents who had tried to get financial assistance from banks or through government grants and contributions. Many of those who had tried to secure a loan through a bank provided general statements about having the loan declined. More specific responses often revolved around what respondents viewed as "unreasonable" security requirements. As one respondent stated: "I received financial assistance, but had to sign over first born, house, etc. Only way to get money is to have it already." Other business starters mentioned the biased reactions of the bank. For example, one female stated: "Discrimination. I needed my husband to cosign the loan although I was fully employed and would be continuing with full-time employment in conjunction with operating my business." Those who tried to access funding through government grants and contributions cited similar problems as those who had sought funding through private banking institutions. Many responses related to an over-complicated process or biases that they had encountered. As one business starter stated: "Funding seemed to be more biased towards eastern Canada than the West."15 Table 4: Sources of Funding for New Business16, by Region; Respondents Starting New Business Only
D.2B Economic Diversity More than four in five (83%) respondents indicated an interest in economic diversity by responding that the "creation of new types of industry to the development of your community" was important (Figure 1). Detailed questions of this priority area asked respondents to indicate the major industries in their community and their suggestions for new industry development. As Table 5 shows, agriculture and forestry were cited as the major industries by the greatest proportion of respondents (71%), followed by mining, oil or gas extraction (46%), valued-added industry related to agriculture and forestry (13%), and other consumer services (12%). Less than 10% of respondents reported that their major industries were manufacturing, value-added industry related to mining, oil and gas, tourism, retail or construction. Four percent of the total sample of respondents indicated that there were no major industries in their community. Some variation in the respondents’ reports on major industries can also be observed between the five regions. The greatest differences were found in the mining, oil and gas industry—62% of Region 5 respondents reported this as being a major industry compared to only 34% of those from Region 3. Also noteworthy are the differences in the proportion of respondents reporting that value-added agricultural or forestry was a major industry (23% for Region 3 and 4% for Region 2). Table 5: Reported Major Industries in Community18 by Region
The survey participants were asked to provide suggestions for new industries that could be developed in their community (Figure 3), and the most common responses were tourism (16%) and manufacturing (14%)19. While some respondents indicated that agriculture/forestry (8%) or mining, oil and gas (3%) were also possible industries, a greater proportion suggested that the related value-added industries could be developed in their community (11% value-added agriculture/forestry; 7% value-added mining, oil and gas). Respondents also suggested a variety of service industries: 11% indicated retail, 7% indicated recreation services and 9% indicated other service industries.
D.2C Internet Access and Computer Skills As noted in section D.1, 81% of respondents indicated that Internet access for business and developing high-tech skills was important. Somewhat fewer respondents (66%) answered positively to high-speed Internet connection. Accompanying this priority were questions on whether or not respondents currently had Internet access in their home and their level of comfort with using computers. Just over half (52%) of respondents had Internet access at home, while 44% indicated that they were comfortable with using a computer (Table 6). Internet access does not vary by gender, but we can observe a fair amount of diversity in access by region, age, education, income and Aboriginal status. Respondents from Region 3, those between the ages of 40 and 54, those with some post-secondary education, high income-earners, and non-Aboriginal people were much more likely to have Internet access than on average. Similarly, Region 3 and 4 respondents, those with post-secondary experience, higher income-earners and non-Aboriginal people were more likely to report that they were comfortable with using a computer. Younger respondents were more likely than the middle-aged respondents (who were the most likely to have Internet access), to indicate that they were comfortable with using this technology. While no differences can be observed between females and males in terms of their Internet access, a greater percentage of females reported that they felt comfortable using computers (47% of females compared to 39% of males). Thus, while Internet access and comfort with computer use are positively correlated for most demographic groups, this is not the case when we examine these questions by gender and age. Table 6: Internet Access and Comfort with Computer Use, by Region, Gender, Age, Education, Income and Aboriginal status
The 48% of respondents without Internet access at home were further probed to find out the major reason why they did not have this access. Most respondents indicated that they did not have a computer (27%), but a sizeable number also mentioned that they felt it was not affordable (20%). Others mentioned that they choose not to have access (19%) or that they did not know how to use this technology (18%) as the main reason for not having Internet access.
For most of the reasons cited above, few or no differences were found on the basis of respondents’ demographic characteristics.22 One interesting exception, however, is that respondents aged 55 years and older were about half as likely, than on average, to cite that access was not affordable (11%), but somewhat more likely to report that they did not know how to use the Internet (25%). In addition, the 20 Aboriginal respondents providing answers to this question were more likely to report that they did not have a computer (35%) as a reason for not accessing the Internet. D.3 SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL ALBERTA D.3A Youth It has already been noted that 85% of the respondents reported that the creation of more programs and services for young people was important for the development of their community (Figure 1). Respondents were also asked to provide their opinions on the major reasons why young people might be leaving their communities (Figure 5). While many respondents stated that young people left because of a general lack of opportunities (15%), others were more specific. More than two-thirds (69%) of respondents reported that youth left their community because of a lack of employment opportunities and about one-quarter (27%) said that lack of educational opportunities was a reason. Only 17% of respondents felt that young people left their communities because of boredom or the lure of the big city, and even fewer (6%) reported that low wages was a major reason for leaving. Four percent of respondents indicated that the young people in their community were not leaving.
D.3B Education As indicated in Figure 1, 81% of respondents reported that more accessible education was important to the development of their community. A similar proportion of respondents (79%) felt that adult education and upgrading was also important (Figure 6). Those from Region 2, females, middle-aged and Aboriginal respondents were more likely to indicate that adult education was important to their community. With the exception of Region 2 respondents, the same demographic categories of respondents in all other regions were also more likely to report that more accessible education was important (see Table 3 and Figure 6).
When prompted to indicate the greatest challenges to providing adult education/upgrading (Table 7), the most common responses related to the lack of accessibility of educational provisions (19%); many of these specifically cited "distance" as a challenge. Similar proportions of respondents cited affordability (18%), lack of interest (17%) or lack of programs (15%) as the greatest challenges to providing adult education/skills upgrading. Other reported challenges included a lack of program funding (11%), available or qualified instructors (8%) or proper facilities (8%). Table 7: Ten Most Commonly Reported Challenges to Providing Adult Education and Skills Upgrading in Community23
D.3C Health and Healthcare Many respondents indicated (Figure 1) that the provision of accessible quality healthcare was one the most important priorities (95% said "important" or "very important"). Sample members were further asked a related series of five open-ended questions designed to obtain their views on the most important contributors to people’s health. Before discussing these results, it should be understood that the findings presented in three of the five tables below (Tables 10, 11 and 12) elicited a response rate of less than 75%. While this may appear problematic, it is felt that given the difficult nature of the three questions represented in each of these tables, these response rates are acceptable. For example, asking respondents to provide suggestions for what they can do to improve the health of their community (Table 11) may require many individuals to think about the health of their community in a more collective or communal way than they are accustomed to. Moreover, the 50% of respondents who did not respond to this question (e.g., they did not have any suggestions) provides an indication of the extent to which rural Albertans view themselves as being responsible for the health of other members of their community. Table 8 presents the ten most common responses to the question asking about "the most important things that make a person healthy." A majority of respondents listed diet (57%), exercise (49%) or general lifestyle practices (32%) as major contributors to health. Slightly fewer responses addressed psychological health (16% having a healthy mind; 9% absence of stress). About one in ten responses related to having accessible or quality healthcare (10%), having a clean environment (9%) or a good job/financial security (9%). Only 5% of responses related to having "good health knowledge." Table 8: Ten Most Commonly Reported Contributors to Health25
Although very few respondents indicated that health knowledge was an important contributor to people's health, the provision of more health-related education was the most common response to the question: what can the "government do to improve the health of people in your community"? (Table 9). An explanation for these seemingly contradictory responses is not readily apparent. One possibility, however, is that respondents feel that it is the government's responsibility to educate the public on such health-related issues as diet, exercise and general lifestyle behaviours (i.e., the most commonly reported contributors to people’s health). Table 9: Ten Most Commonly Reported Ways Government Can Improve Health of Community27
Other common suggestions for government involvement in healthcare (Table 9) included the provision of more health practitioners (20%), healthcare facilities (13%) or more accessible healthcare in general (9%). Responses indirectly related to health included providing more recreation facilities or programs (10%), addressing environmental problems (8%) or providing better economic programs and services (3%). Table 10 shows that somewhat similar, but fewer, responses were provided when respondents were asked what their community could do to improve people’s health. One different response was the collaboration with health-related groups as a way of improving the healthcare system. Other respondents suggested that the government has to be more involved with the practices of regional health boards or with physicians. Table 10: Five Most Commonly Reported Ways Community Can Improve Health of Community29
Table 11 presents the most commonly reported ways the respondent can improve the health of the community. Almost one-third (32%) of the responses suggested engaging in more volunteer work (such as providing support for seniors), while slightly fewer (22%) recommended being more community oriented and supportive of neighbors. Respondents also suggested that they were interested in encouraging (18%) or educating (16%) others to be healthier. Thirteen percent of responses suggested setting a good example for others through the respondents’ own engagement in healthy behaviour. Table 11: Five Most Commonly Reported Ways Respondent Can Improve Health of Community31
Lastly, when asked what they could do to improve their own health (Table 12), we observe very similar responses to those presented in Table 8. Table 12: Five Most Commonly Reported Ways Respondent Can Improve Own Health33
D.4 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL ALBERTA D.4A Community Leadership and Involvement Results presented in Figure 1 (above) show that strong community leadership is one of the most important priorities for rural Albertans. In an attempt to explore other issues related to leadership development, respondents were also asked if they thought that their community has a hard time developing or retaining leaders, and if so, why. Thirty-seven percent of respondents felt that their community has a hard time developing and retaining leaders. Among these, the most commonly cited reason was community members’ general lack of interest in getting involved (19%). Other responses dealt with the perception that current leaders or political processes were overly adversarial (16%) or that there were problems in general with the current leadership/process (6%). Table 13: Ten Most Commonly Reported Reasons Why developing and retaining Leaders is Difficult35
Several responses addressed the excessive responsibilities and lack of recognition for leaders. About 10% of respondents reported that the greatest difficulties experienced in developing or retaining community leaders was excessive responsibility demanded of leaders, lack of support/appreciation or remuneration for leaders (7%), or too much time was required of leaders (9%) . Respondents were also asked a series of close-ended questions on the importance of several community-development issues (Table 14). Respondents attached a lower level of importance to the provision of funding programs targeted to building leadership capacity (71%) than they did to community member involvement (92%), exacting consensus on how to develop their community (87%), and to having community confidence and pride (90%). Very little variation is observed by region in response to the two questions on community member involvement and community confidence and pride. However, a much greater proportion of Region 5 (84%) and Region 2 (81%) respondents indicated that program funding was important than of Region 1 (60%) and Region 4 (66%). Respondents from Region 3 (93%) and Region 5 (92%) were also more likely than on average to view community consensus development as important. Females tended to view these community-development issues as more important than males, particularly for program funding (75%) and community consensus (91%). Some variation can also be observed on the basis of Aboriginal status, with a greater proportion of Aboriginal respondents viewing community consensus on development as important (96% compared to 87% for non-Aboriginal people). Table 14: Importance of Various Community Development Issues, by Region, Gender and Aboriginal Status37
D.4B Promotion of Rural Canada The promotion of rural areas as viable and safe places to live, work and raise a family was cited as an important priority by 87% of respondents (Figure 1). Table 15 represents the results of additional questions associated with this priority. While less than half (43%) of respondents felt that it is important to attract urban Canadians to live in rural areas, a significant majority felt that it is important that Canadians understand the economic and social contributions of rural Canadians (93%) or that most rural Canadians make their livelihood through the extraction and sale of natural resources (89%). Table 15: Importance of Promoting Various Rural Canada Issues, by Gender, Education and Aboriginal Status42
Again we find female and Aboriginal respondents attaching a greater level of importance to these rural Canada promotional issues. For example, Aboriginal respondents were considerably more likely to view the attraction of urban Canadians to rural areas as important (68%). In addition, however, respondents with lower levels of education viewed these promotional issues as more important than on average. D.4C Environmental Issues While environmental issues have been mentioned in prior Rural Dialogue initiatives, they were not explicitly identified as a priority area for rural Canadians. The results of this survey, however, suggest that a large majority of Albertans view the environment as an important issue. Fully 90% of respondents reported that environmental issues were "important" or "very important" to the quality of life in their communities. Table 16 presents the results of more detailed questions on the environment. Rural Albertans expressed the greatest concern about the quality of water (94%) and air (87%) in their community. Once again, we find that women and particularly Aboriginal respondents usually attached a somewhat greater importance to these five environmental issues. Perhaps most significant of these differences is the large majority of Aboriginal people (96%) who reported that the protection of endangered species/habitat preservation was an important issue, compared to 73% of non-Aboriginal people. Table 16: Importance of Selected Environmental Issues, by Gender and Aboriginal Status46
D.5 ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES D.5A Importance of Access Access to government programs and services was viewed as less important than most other priorities (see Figure 1). Further analysis presented in Figure 7 reveals that similar proportions of respondents (75%) feel it is important to be able to access the Government of Canada Web site through computers placed in public locations (e.g., libraries). With the exception of Region 4 residents (83% of whom felt that this type of access was important), about three-quarters of respondents in each of the four remaining regions responded similarly. Males were slightly less likely to report this access as important, and older respondents (+55) were even less likely to view access to the Web site as important (63%). D.5B Use and Access Additional analysis provides further insight into the experiences of rural Albertans in their attempts to find information on government services and programs. Several questions addressed respondents’ experiences with getting information about government. Figure 8 shows that getting information about government programs and services is one issue, while having access to them is something different. Considerably fewer respondents reported that they felt it was ‘easy’ for them to get information on government (26%) than it was for them to access their programs and services (41%).
The 207 respondents who indicated that they had experienced difficulties or who had provided a neutral response to the question on accessing programs and services were prompted to provide information on the kinds of difficulties they had encountered. Figure 9 shows that the most common difficulty experienced in accessing government programs and services was in finding the appropriate information or department. Responses in this category included such difficulties as not being able to find information on the Web site, not knowing where to start when looking for information and receiving inaccurate information. Many respondents also indicated that they had problems with the telephone service (27%), particularly with using the automated system. Many of those who indicated having a problem with the telephone system noted that it was because the system was too time-consuming (15%). More than one-quarter (27%) also expressed dissatisfaction with the services or staff in general. Somewhat fewer (8%) indicated that they experienced access problems or that they were not aware of what programs or services were available.
D.5C Service Canada’s Single-Window Model Respondents were also asked a series of questions on their use of and experience with Service Canada’s Single-Window Model. Included in this model are the 1 800 O-Canada Telephone Inquiry Centre, the Canada Web site and Service Canada Access Centres. Table 17 presents the percentage of respondents who had used these three access modes. While one-quarter of respondents reported having used the Canada Web site or a Service Canada Access Centre, somewhat fewer had used the Telephone Inquiry Centre (10%). Some variation in use can be observed by gender, age and level of education. Females were more likely than males (27% compared to 20%) to go to the Access Centre, but were less likely to use the other two forms of access, particularly the Web site (23% compared to 29%). Respondents who were 55 years of age and older were considerably less likely to use the Web site (16%), as were those with a high-school education or less (17%). Among the 41 respondents who had used the Telephone Inquiry Centre, 55% reported that they found the service helpful, 71% found the service courteous and 67% reported that the service was informative (results not shown). Web site users (n=102) were somewhat less positive about their experiences, with 47% reporting that it was "easy" to use the Web site. This later group of Web site users were prompted to provide suggestions for how to improve the Web site. Among the 38 respondents who answered, some of the most common responses included improving the search engine/keyword usage (9), improving navigation (8) and generally making the Web site more user friendly (6). Some respondents also reported that they found it difficult to locate information on some of the specific department Web sites (7). Table 17: Percent Using Service Canada Single-Window Model, by Gender, Age and Education
D.5D Potential Use of Government Access Modes Respondents were asked whether they would be interested in using the Internet, telephone, or ‘in-person’ enquiry as a way of getting information on government programs and services. Respondents expressed the greatest interest in using the telephone (85%), and were equally interested in using ‘in-person’ (63%) and Internet (61%) access (results not shown). Use of these services and interest in using them appear to be somewhat related. Respondents who had used the 1 800 O-Canada line were slightly more likely to state that they would use the telephone to get information on government programs and services (93% compared to 85%). Those who had used a Service Canada Access Centre were also more likely to state that they would go in person to get information on government programs and services (70% compared to 61%). Results presented in Figure 10 show a much stronger relationship between prior Internet use and interest in using this option as a way of accessing government programs and services. Only half (51%) of respondents who had not previously used the Internet indicated that they would be interested in this option compared to 93% of those who had used the Internet.47
Figure 10 also presents the proportion responding "yes" to the Internet option for those who currently have and do not have Internet access in their home as well as for three demographic characteristics. As we might have expected, having home access to the Internet and interest in using the Internet are highly related: 90% of respondents who have access expressed interest compared to only 30% of those without access. Since we know that Internet access varies by age, education and income (see Table 6), it is not surprising that interest in using the Internet to get information on government services and programs also varies in the same direction by age, education and income (Figure 10). Older respondents (55 years and over) were much less likely to report having Internet access than on average (31% compared to 55%), and as Figure 10 shows, they were much less likely to express an interest in using the Internet (34% compared to average of 61%). Similar response patterns can be observed on the basis of education and income. One interesting exception to this trend, however, is Aboriginal respondents who were much less likely to have Internet access (23% among Aboriginal people compared to 54% of non-Aboriginal people), yet they were equally likely to report that they would be interested in using the Internet (58% of Aboriginal people compared to 61% of non-Aboriginal people). D.6 COMMUNICATIONS D.6A Awareness of Government Programs Only one in ten respondents had heard of the Canadian Rural Partnership. Among these 42 respondents, only two had known of any projects funded by the Canadian Rural Partnership. Four percent of the sample reported that they had heard of the Rural Secretariat. D.6B Information Sources on Government The sample of rural Albertans were asked to indicate the major sources of information they used to find out what the government is doing (Table 18). A large majority (90%) of respondents find out about the government through television, although younger respondents were slightly less likely (84%) to report televisiont as a source of information. Respondents were equally likely to report using their local newspaper and the radio as information sources (83% for both). Somewhat fewer respondents used a national newspaper or the Internet to acquire information on the government (38% and 35%, respectively). Given the previously discussed findings on the use and interest in the Internet among older and Aboriginal respondents (Table 6 and Figure 10), it is not surprising that these two groups are also the least likely to use the Internet as a way of finding out what the government is doing. About one-quarter of the sample indicated that they used bulletins in the post office to access information. Ten percent or fewer used word of mouth, mail/newsletters/flyers, government representatives/staff, magazine/periodicals/other newspapers as a way of finding out the activities of the government. Table 18: Major sources of Information on Government Activities, by Gender, Age, Education and Aboriginal Status 48
D.7 GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT TO RURAL CANADIANS One of the last questions in the survey asked respondents to indicate the extent to which they felt the federal government demonstrates a commitment to the interests of rural Canadians. Only one-quarter of the sample responded positively to this question by indicating 4 or 5 on a five-point scale (Figure 11). Female and Aboriginal respondents were slightly more likely to report that the federal government demonstrates a commitment to the interests of rural Canadians.
The 297 respondents indicating that the government does not demonstrate an interest in rural Canadians (scores of 1 or 2) or who reported a neutral response (score of 3) were further asked to provide suggestions on "what the government could do to demonstrate a greater commitment to the interests of rural Canadians." The 244 respondents who answered this question provided a wide variety of suggestions (Figure 12). Among the responses that deal with Recognizing Rural Albertans, the most common suggestions asked the government to show more interest or understanding (33%), or to listen more carefully (15%). Other respondents suggested that the government recognize and promote the contributions of rural Canadians (7%). The same percentage of respondents suggested that the government needs to pay more attention to western Canada. Under Addressing Economic Issues, one-quarter of the sample of rural Albertans made suggestions revolving around the provision of more funding or support, and 7% indicated that Wheat Board or pricing issues needed to be dealt with. Less than 5% of respondents suggested that promotion of new industry or addressing trade issues were good ways for the government to demonstrate a greater commitment. Other suggestions included the general improvement of government services (12%), providing more or better information (4%), addressing environment issues (3%) and changing the voting process (3%).
The survey results that address the priorities (Section D.1) provide fairly strong evidence that the majority of rural Albertans view the 11 priorities as important to the development of their communities. Thus, the results support the prior findings from the Rural Dialogue initiative. The results also provide an indication of the relative importance rural Albertans attach to the priorities. In addition, responses to questions about the environment suggest that a vast majority of rural Albertans view environmental issues (which had not previously been identified as a priority) as important to their community’s quality of life. Given the highly diverse areas of exploration presented in the remaining sections of this report (Sections D.2 to D.7), additional overall conclusions are difficult to draw. In addition, as mentioned in the introduction, the Rural Team in consultation with the survey company and the research consultant believe that the various government departments representing each of these areas of study and the people and groups representing each of the five regions examined in this report are in the best position to interpret these preliminary findings and use them with other information to make policy decisions. A wide variety of response patterns were found on the basis of region. More consistent patterns, however, were observed for gender and Aboriginal status: women and Aboriginal respondents tended to attribute greater importance to most of the priorities than did other respondents. These two demographic groups also attached greater importance to the more specific questions related to providing more accessible adult education and skills upgrading, stipulating funding programs for leadership building, establishing community consensus on development, addressing the questions related to environment, Canadians’ understanding of how rural and remote citizens make their living. Women and Aboriginal people were also slightly more likely to report that the federal government demonstrates a commitment to the interests of rural Canadians. While a fair amount of confidence can be attached to these conclusions for female respondents, much greater care should be used when interpreting the differences in responses provided by the relatively small sample of Aboriginal respondents (n=24). F. ENDNOTES 1. Canadian Rural Partnership. Responding to Rural Canadians: Federal
Framework for Action in Rural Canada. Government of Canada, 1999. 2. The priorities were generalized to generate a set of standardized results, thus
permitting an assessment of the relative importance of each priority. Also, in
asking more general questions, measurement of otherwise complex and multi-faceted priorities is simplified, thereby increasing respondent comprehension and
survey response rates. 3. For the priority connecting rural Canadians to the knowledge-based economy and
society, and helping them to acquire the skills to use this technology it was
necessary to ask three questions. One question addressed the issue of the
importance of developing high-tech skills; one measured the importance of
providing high-speed Internet service; and the final question asked about the
importance of Internet access for business. 4. Think Rural. Report of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources. 1997. 5. As of 1996, 48% of adult Canadians had a post-secondary degree (Canadian
Education Statistics Council. Education Indicators in Canada: Report of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program 1999. Statistics Canada, 2000. 81-582-XPE) 6. Statistics Canada. The Daily. January 13, 1998. 7. Please note that this row is full numbers and not percentages. 8. Respondents answered on a five-point scale, with 1 representing "not important"
and 5 representing "very important." Scores of 4 and 5 are combined and
presented in this table. See Appendix 2 for a description of the questions used to
measure each priority. 9. For this question only, respondents were asked to answer on a five-point scale
with 1 representing "not at all" and 5 representing "to a great extent." Scores of 4
and 5 are combined and presented in this table. 10. These three items all relate to the single priority of connecting rural Canadians to
the knowledge-based economy and helping them to acquire the skills to use this
technology. 11. Very little variation was found across levels of education and employment status
(e.g., for every priority, the difference in responses between those who are
working and those who are not is less than 5%). While there is some variation
across income levels, clear patterns are not detectable and none of the
relationships are statistically significant. 12. Respondents answered on a five-point scale with 1 representing "not important"
and 5 representing "very important." Scores of 4 and 5 are combined and
presented in this table. See Appendix 2 for a description of the questions used to
measure each priority. 13. For this question only, respondents were asked to answer on a five-point scale
with 1 representing "not at all" and 5 representing "to a great extent." Scores of 4
and 5 are combined and presented in this table. 14. These three items all relate to the single priority of connecting rural Canadians to
the knowledge-based economy and helping them to acquire the skills to use this
technology. 15. Given that female respondents were somewhat more likely to view the priority of
financial resources for rural business as important, one might conjecture that
women experience a more difficult time securing finances for their businesses.
Additional analysis, however, does not support this hypothesis. Men and women
in the sample were equally likely to have tried to start their own business (37% of
women compared to 36% of men), and among these business starters, they were
equally likely to report having experienced difficulties accessing funding (30% of
women and 33% of men). 16. Since respondents could provide more than one source of funding, the percentage
calculation for each source is based on the 149 respondents (denominator) who
reported that they had started their own business. 17. Results are not presented for the Region 5 Region since less than 15 individuals
responded. Totals, however, include all 149 respondents who answered this
question. 18. Based on responses to the question: "What are the major industries in your
community?" The 404 respondents who answered this question provided 695
industries. Percentages for each industry are calculated with the 404 respondents
(denominator). 19. With only 147 respondents providing answers to this question, percentage
breakdowns by region are not reliable and are therefore not presented. 20. Participants who responded "yes" to the question: "Do you have Internet access
at home?" 21. Based on the question: "How comfortable are you with using a computer?"
Respondents answered on a five-point scale with 1 representing "not
comfortable" and 5 representing "very comfortable." Scores of 4 and 5 are
combined and presented in this table. 22. For example, in contrast to what we might expect, no income differences were
found among those who felt that Internet access was not affordable. 23. Based on responses to the question: "In your opinion, what is the greatest
challenge to providing adult education and skills upgrading in your community?" 24. Because many of the 324 respondents provided multiple answers, the figures in
the N column add up to a number greater than 324. 25. Based on responses to the question: "What, in your view, are the most important
things that make a person healthy?" 26. Because many of the 386 respondents provided multiple answers, the figures in
the N column add up to a number greater than 386. 27. Based on responses to the question: "What can the government do to improve the
health of people in your community?" 28. Because many of the 315 respondents provided multiple answers, the figures in
the N column add up to a number greater than 315. 29. Based on responses to the question: "Is there anything you can think of that your
community could do to improve the health of people in your community?" 30. Because many of the 216 respondents provided multiple answers, the figures in
the N column add up to a number greater than 216. 31. Based on responses to the question: "Is there anything you can think of that you
can do to improve the health of people in your community?" 32. Because many of the 202 respondents provided multiple answers, the figures in
the N column add up to a number greater than 202. 33. Based on responses to the question: "Is there anything you can think of that would
help you improve your own health?" 34. Because many of the 290 respondents provided multiple answers, the figures in
the N column add up to a number greater than 290. 35. Based on responses to the question: "What, in your opinion, is the greatest
difficulty in developing or retaining leaders in your community?" 36. Because many of the 135 respondents provided multiple answers, the figures in
the N column add up to a number greater than 135. 37. Respondents answered all questions on a five-point scale with 1 representing "not
important" and 5 representing "very important." Scores of 4 and 5 are combined
in this table. 38. Based on responses to the question: "How important would funding programs
targeted to building leadership capacity be to your community's development?" 39. Based on responses to the question: "How important is it to the success of your
community that community members are involved in its development?" 40. Based on responses to the question: "How important is it that people agree on
how to develop their community?" 41. Based on responses to the question: "How important is community confidence
and pride to the development of your community?" 42. Respondents answered all questions on a five-point scale with 1 representing "not
important" and 5 representing "very important." Scores of 4 and 5 are combined
in this table. 43. Based on responses to the question: "To what extent do you feel it is important to
attract urban Canadians to live in rural communities?" 44. Based on responses to the question: "To what extent do you feel that it is important
for all Canadians to understand the economic and social contributions of rural
Canadians?" 45. Based on responses to the question: "To what extent do you feel that it is
important that all Canadians understand that most rural Canadians make their
livelihood through extraction and sale of natural resources (for example: oil,
mining, forestry, farming)?" 46. Respondents answered on a five-point scale with 1 representing "not important"
and 5 representing "very important." Scores of 4 and 5 are combined in this
table. 47. Although somewhat weaker, other relationships were found that deal with interest
in using the Internet. For example, those who reported that it is important to have
access to the Government of Canada Web site through computers in publicly
accessible locations and those who indicated that they felt comfortable with using
a computer were more likely than on average to state that they would use the
Internet as way of accessing information on government programs and services
(84% and 81%, respectively). 48. Respondents were asked to indicate their "major sources of information that you use to
find out what the government is doing." Response categories of local newspaper,
national newspaper, radio, television, bulletins in post office, Internet, and other were
read to respondents. The remaining four sources of information listed at the bottom of
this table are a summarization of 'other' responses.
APPENDIX 1 ID # ____________________ Q1. Hello, my name is _________________and I’m calling on behalf of the Government of Canada to seek your opinion on some issues of concern for rural Albertans. Your participation in this questionnaire will be very helpful to government departments as they develop new programs to address the most important priorities of rural Albertans. May I please speak to someone in the household who is 18 years of age or over?
Q2. Would you prefer to be addressed in English or Francais?
Q3. Participation in this questionnaire is voluntary. Would you be willing to answer some questions? The questionnaire will take about 25 minutes to complete.
Q4. Do you or does anyone in your household work for the federal government?
CALL BACK Is there a better time for me to call you back?
THANK YOU I appreciate your time. Have a nice evening. END DISQUALIFIED I’m sorry but this disqualifies you from participating in our questionnaire. Thank you for your time. END FRENCH QUESTIONNAIRE May I schedule a time for a French interviewer to call you back? DATE: _______________ at TIME: ______________ GO TO Thank You Intro: Before we start, I’d like to assure you that any information you give us will be kept completely confidential. When we summarize the results, only group averages will be calculated, and no individuals will be identified. Your personal information is protected by the Privacy Act. In 1998, the Government of Canada heard from rural Albertans through a series of workshops and written communications. These exchanges helped to identify eleven issues that rural Canadians want the federal government to work on. The Government of Canada is interested in finding out more of what rural Albertans have to say on these priorities. The results of this questionnaire will be used by government departments to help shape their actions. A. (DO NOT READ) Access to GOVERNMENT Programs and ServicesQ5. The first area I would like to ask you about deals with your experience on getting information on government programs and services. Using a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 representing "Not important" and 5 "Very important,", how important is it that you can easily get information about government programs and services? Some of these programs and services include: employment insurance, old age pension, Aboriginal programs, weather services.
Q6. Using a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 representing "Difficult" and 5 "Easy," how difficult or easy is it to get information on government programs and services?
Q7. I am going to read a list of options for getting information on government programs and services. Please tell me by using yes or no for each service, if you would be interested in using that option to get information: (Read each one)
Do not read – volunteered
Q8. In the past year, the Government of Canada has been testing a new model of service delivery. This model helps Canadians get the information they need quickly, easily and conveniently, whether by telephone, in person, or electronically. Have you tried to get information using the new toll- free 1 -800 O-Canada telephone enquiry centre?
Q9. For each of the following three questions, using a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 representing "Not at all" and 5 "To a great extent," please tell me how you found the service on the 1 800 O-Canada line: a. To what extent was the service helpful?
b. To what extent was the service courteous?
c. To what extent was the service informative?
Q10. Have you ever tried to get information through the Canada Web site at www.canada.gc.ca?
Q11. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 representing "Not at all" and 5 "To a great extent," please tell me how easy was it to use the Canada Web site?
Q12. Do you have any suggestions for improving the Web site?
Q13. Have you ever tried to get government information in person at a Service Canada Access Centre?
Q14. Using the scale of 1 to 5 with 1 representing "Not Important" and 5 "Very Iimportant,", how important is it that Internet access to the Government of Canada Web site is available through computers in publicly accessible locations (for example, government offices, libraries, post offices)?
Q15. Using a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 representing "Difficult" and 5 "Easy," how difficult or easy has it been for you to access government programs and services?
If 3 or less continue; 4 or greater proceed to section B. Q16. What kinds of difficulties have you experienced accessing these programs and services?
If multiple difficulties Continue; otherwise skip to section B. Q17. Of those difficulties you mentioned, which is most significant? ____________________________________ B. (DO NOT READ) Economic Development Q18. Now I would like to ask you some questions on economic development. The first set of questions deals with the accessibility of financial resources for business development. For the first question, we will use the scale of 1 to 5, with 1 representing "Not Important" and 5 "Very Important." To the best of your knowledge, how important is it to the development of your community that financial resources are available for rural businesses (for example: financial aid/venture capital to start new businesses or to ensure the survival of existing businesses)?
Q19. Have you ever tried to start a new business?
Q20. Using yes or no for each of the following please tell me which types of financial resources you tried to access to finance this business?
Q21. Did you experience any difficulties in accessing ________________________
(or) these funds? If so, what were they? Note item letter from above: Q22. Now I would like to ask you some questions on diversification of the economy in your community. Using a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 representing "Not Important" and 5 "Very Iimportant,", how important is the creation of new types of industry to the development of your community?
Q23. What are the major industries in your community?
___________________________________________________
Q24. Do you have any suggestions for new industries that could be developed in your community (e.g. new industries or related to existing industries)?
___________________________________________________
C. (DO NOT READ) Social Development Q25. I am now going to ask you some questions that deal with the social development of your community. We will begin with questions on
young people.
Q26. What, in your opinion, are the major reasons why young people leave your community?
___________________________________________________
Q27. Now, I will ask some questions about the access to and the provision of quality education and training. For the next three questions, we will use the five-point scale with 1 representing "Not Important" and 5 "Very important."
Q28. Again using 1 to 5, how important is it to develop high-tech skills among people in your community to the development of your community (e.g. computer-related skills, engineering)?
Q29. On the five-point scale, how important is more accessible adult education and skills upgrading to the development of your community?
Q30. In your opinion, what is the greatest challenge to providing adult education and skills upgrading in your community?
___________________________________________________
Q31. The government is proposing to provide all Canadians with access to high-speed Internet connections. On the five-point scale with 1 representing "Not Important" and 5 "Very important," how important is high-speed Internet to the development of your community?
Q32. On the same five-point scale, to the best of your knowledge, how important is Internet access to businesses in your community?
Q33. Do you have Internet access at home?
Q34. What best describes the reason you don’t have Internet access at home?
Q35. On a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 representing "Not comfortable" and 5 "Very comfortable," how comfortable are you with using a computer?
Q36. The next questions relating to social development are on the accessibility of health care.
Q37. What, in your view, are the most important things that make a person healthy?
___________________________________________________
Q38. What can the government do to improve the health of people in your community?
___________________________________________________
Q39. Is there anything that you can think of that your community could do to improve the health of people in your community?
___________________________________________________
Q40. Is there anything that you can think of that you can do to improve the health of people in your community?
___________________________________________________
Q41. Is there anything that you can think of that would help you improve your own health?
___________________________________________________
C. (DO NOT READ) COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Q42. This section deals with several issues related to community development. The next four questions will use the five-point scale with 1 representing "Not Important" and 5 "Very important." The first question is on community infrastructure. How important is good infrastructure to the development of your community (e.g. transportation, telecommunication, water supply, sewage systems or recreational facilities)?
Q43. The next questions are about community leadership. Using the scale, please tell me how important it is to the success of your community that community members are involved in its development?
Q44. Using the scale, please tell me how important is it that people agree on how to develop their community?
Q45. Please respond using the same five-point scale on how important is strong community leadership to the development of your community (e.g. people volunteering in the community)?
Q46. Please answer yes or no to the following question. Do you think your community has a hard time developing or retaining leaders?
Q47. What, in your opinion, is the greatest difficulty in developing or retaining leaders in your community?
___________________________________________________
Q48. For the next three questions, we will use the five- point scale with 1 representing "Not Important" and 5 "Very important." How important is community confidence and pride to the development of your community?
Q49. How important would funding programs targeted to building leadership capacity be to your community’s development?
Q50. How important is it that different levels of government and local groups work together to develop your community?
Q51. I am now going to ask you a set of questions on the environment as it relates to your community. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being "Not important" and 5 "Very important," how important are environmental issues to the quality of life in your community? Environmental issues would be things such as air quality, water quality and the protection of endangered species.
Q52. On a five-point scale with 1 being "Not at all important" and 5 "Very important", to what extent are each of the following environmental issues important to your community? (Rotate list)
Q53. The following questions relate to the promotion of your community as a viable and safe place to live, work and raise a family. Please answer the following five questions on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 represents "Not at all" and 5 "To a great extent."
Q54. To what extent do you feel that it is important for all Canadians to understand the economic and social contributions of rural Canadians?
Q55. To what extent do you feel that it is important that all Canadians understand that most rural Canadians make their livelihood through extraction and sale of natural resources (For example, oil, mining, forestry, farming)?
Q56. To what extent do you feel that it is important to attract urban Canadians to live in rural communities?
Q57. To what extent do you feel that the federal government demonstrates a commitment to the interests of rural Canadians.
Response of 4 or greater proceed to Q59 Q58. What could the government do to demonstrate a greater commitment to the interests of rural Canadians?
___________________________________________________
D. (DO NOT READ) Communications Q59. I am now going to ask you a set of questions on government initiatives for rural areas. Have you ever heard of the federal rural initiative called the Canadian Rural Partnership?
Q60. Do you know of any projects in your community that have been funded by the Canadian Rural Partnership?
Q61. Have you ever heard of the Rural Secretariat?
Q62. I am going to read you a list of sources of information, please indicate which are the major sources of information that you use to find out what the government is doing. (Respondent can select more than one)
Q63. Before we finish, we would like to gather some statistical information for classification purposes. These questions are asked to ensure that our questionnaire has reached a good cross-section of rural citizens. Answering each question is voluntary and will not affect whether your feedback is accepted. What is your year of birth? ______ Q64. Are you of Aboriginal descent?
Q65. What is your highest level of education? (do not read)
Q66. Are you presently employed, including self-employment?
Q67. What kind of work do you do? That is, what is your job title? ___________________________________________________
Q68. Which of the following categories represents your total annual income for all members of your household before taxes in 2000 (i.e., your gross household income).
Q69. DON’T READ (Record Observation)
Q70. DON’T READ (Record Observation from language preference for questionnaire)
Q71. The Rural Secretariat periodically sends out information on issues affecting rural Canadians (e.g. Rural Times Newsletter) and sets up meetings to seek the input of rural Canadians so the federal government can understand local and regional issues (e.g., Rural Dialogue Conferences). Would you like to be placed on the mailing list to receive rural publications or be invited to rural events? I would like to inform you that your name and address will not be correlated to the answers you gave on the questionnaire
Q72. Are you interested in receiving the results from this questionnaire?
Q73. Your name and address will be protected under the provisions of the Privacy Act and will be stored in Personal Information Banks AAFC/PPU-301, 302 and 303. Some information may be accessible or protected as required under the provisions of the Access to Information Act. To what name and address would you like this information sent? Name: _______________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________ Town: _______________________________________________ Province: Alberta Postal Code: _______________________ CLOSING That concludes our questionnaire. If you are interested in knowing more about what the Government of Canada is doing in rural communities, please visit our Web site at www.rural.gc.ca. Thank you very much for participating. We appreciate your time and thank you for your interest.
APPENDIX 2 PRIORITY MEASUREMENT Below are listed the priorities identified in the federal Framework for Action in Rural Canada with the questions that were asked to judge their relative importance in Alberta.
APPENDIX 3 SAMPLE REGION COMMUNITIES
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