End of Year Letter 2020

To our valued ARI community,

2021 will be the year Canadians begin to reclaim their lives and livelihoods as the administration of vaccines marks the beginning of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also mark the seventh full year of operations at the Angus Reid Institute.

More than six years ago, we started something new in Canada: a charitable foundation dedicated to independent, non-partisan research on current issues relating to this country, its people, and our world.

Since October 1, 2014, we have produced and published more than 750 studies across the issues spectrum relating to Canada and its world.

We continue to build on our success having established an authoritative, groundbreaking and impressive body of research canvassing Canadians. We have become a key resource for policymakers, academics and others who wish to better understand the dynamics of Canadian public opinion, and shape important policy discussions in this country, this year more than ever.

Our independent, self commissioned work on “the story of the year”, and partnerships with institutions such as the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, the University of Alberta, Cardus, the University of Calgary, and others, helped us better understand key aspects of Canadian opinion and mood in the time of COVID-19.

Among the topics we investigated were Canadians’ personal levels of concern about the coronavirus, their willingness to wear masks or be vaccinated, impacts on their physical and mental health, households, communities and society.

And our audiences were keen to learn about the findings. Some half-million users visited our website this year. It is where you can find our canon of studies, including detailed data and the questionnaires, all accessible to the public without cost.

As we look ahead to the next 12 months, changes south of the border will be front and centre. Starting in early January we will initiate a series of surveys of Americans on economic, social and political issues that will help inform Canadians (and Americans) on common issues and concerns. Much of this will involve comparative studies on issues such as access to health care, assessments of voting systems and fairness in taxation systems.

Most of our polling uses the resources of Angus Reid Forum which are contributed to our operations. We continue to be proud of our record of accuracy, calling three elections in 2020 – in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and the United States – with precision for each party, within a point or two of actual results.


Our work is not just about you, but for you. We are so grateful for the support and interest you give to our mission. On behalf of the entire ARI team, we wish you the very best for a happy – and healthy – 2021.

Regards,

 

 

Angus Reid

Chair

 

 

Shachi Kurl

President


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