Urban Aboriginal Peoples Study (2008-2011) The Environics Institute conducted the Urban Aboriginal Peoples Study (UAPS) as a landmark national study focusing on Aboriginal Peoples living in Canada's major urban centres. The purpose of the study was to: a) better understand and effectively document the experiences, identities, values, and aspirations of urban Aboriginal people (including their hopes, dreams and goals for their own lives and those of their children); b) give voice to urban Aboriginal aspirations; and c) invigorate the Canadian conversation on the current challenges and future possibilities of Aboriginal people in this country. The study was guided by an Advisory Circle composed of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal leaders and thinkers, and was sponsored by a wide range of governments, foundations, and other organizations. Following public release in April 2010 (with the CBC as a major media partner), the Institute undertook public engagement to bring the research insights back to the communities in which the study took place. In 2012, the research will be permanently housed at the University of Winnipeg to ensure it is available to researchers, policy makers and the Aboriginal community on an ongoing basis. More information on this study can be found at www.uaps.ca Canada's World Survey (2008) The Institute co-sponsored a national survey of Canadians' engagement and involvement with the world outside our borders, as part of the Canada's World initiative. This groundbreaking survey of 2,000 Canadians (including over-samples of youth and immigrants) focused not on Canadians' opinions about the federal government's activities on the world stage, but on Canadian citizens' own personal engagement with the world as individuals, members of families, students, citizen activists, members of NGOs, and entrepreneurs. The major sponsor for this research was the Simons Foundation, and included as media partners the CBC/Radio-Canada, The Globe and Mail and Le Devoir. Survey of Afghans (2007) The Institute sponsored the first-ever Canadian-initiated public opinion survey of the people of Afghanistan on issues related to quality of life, reconstruction, and Canadian military presence in the country. This project was undertaken in partnership with the CBC, The Globe and Mail, La Presse and the Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies and the Munk Centre for International Studies, (both at the University of Toronto). The survey was conducted by Environics Research, in collaboration with the Afghan Centre for Survey and Opinion Research (ACSOR) which has a well-established survey research operation for in-person interviewing to a high standard in every province across the country. Survey of Muslims in Canada (2006) The Institute's first project was a national survey to examine the relationship between Canadian Muslims and Canadian society-at-large. This research was conducted in part to replicate and build upon a Pew Research Center poll conducted in 13 countries in 2006, including Muslim over-samples in Britain, France, Germany and Spain. The Environics Institute-sponsored survey was conducted by Environics Research Group, and is the first study of its kind to put the attitudes of Canadian Muslims in comparative perspective. The Institute partnered with CBC, which made the research part of a major national media release in February 2007. Academic Research on Public Opinion in Canada (2007) The Institute sponsored a secondary research study on the effects of public opinion polls on voting behaviour. This analysis was conducted by a team of social scientists led by Dr. Fred Cutler of the University of British Columbia, using the 2007 Ontario provincial election as a case study. The Institute also provided a small grant to Dr. Stuart Soroka at McGill University to fund two sessions at the Canadian Political Science Association's annual conference. One session focused on long-term trends in Canadian public opinion to demonstrate the links between survey data and electoral outcomes. The second session familiarized scholars with the resources available in the Canadian Opinion Research Archive (CORA). Enter Secure Archives