MTM 18+ Methodology

MTM 18+ measures Canadians’ media technology adoption and use at two points in time - once in the Fall and once in the Spring - to monitor changes in media penetration and use over the year. The survey is based on over 12,000 telephone interviews annually with Canadians 18 years and older (including a cell-phone only sample and a follow up online survey) from across all of the provinces and Territories. In order to ensure measurable sample sizes in the North and among Indigenous Peoples, an online booster sample has also been included. The MTM’s blended sampling approach ensures that this survey has a representative sample that can reach 99% of the population. 1

Canadians Surveyed
Over 300,000
Years of Data
~ 25 years

Landline Selection

Telephone interviews are conducted with a regionally representative sample of Canadians who have a landline telephone service as well as those who rely solely on cell phone service. The Fall telephone survey includes 8,000 Canadian adults and the Spring survey includes 4,000 Canadian adults. In addition to large sample sizes, the MTM 18+ landline sample achieves response rates close to 21%, which exceeds industry standards. Moreover, households are randomly selected using Random Digit Dialing, and within those selected households, respondents are randomly selected using the “Most Recent Birthday” method where no substitutions are permitted.

~21%
Response
Rate
Random
Digit Dialing

Cell Phone Only (CPO) Selection

To reach the growing portion of the Canadian population who rely solely on cell phone service (i.e. no landline service in the household) a CPO sample was added in 2012. Cell phone numbers are randomly generated by using known cell phone area codes and exchange combinations, and randomizing the last 4 digits. The IVR (interactive voice response) methodology is used to identify cell phone only Canadians and gain their agreement to participate in a media technology survey on their cell phone. Qualified and cooperative contacts were then called back and administered the MTM 18+ questionnaire and counted as cell-only sample. Any respondent dialed in the main landline survey who indicated that they do not have a landline phone, only a cell phone, are also counted as a CPO respondent.

~41%
of
Respondents
Added in
2012

Follow-Up Online Questionnaire

In 2014, MTM 18+ added a follow-up online questionnaire which allowed for the addition of over 1000 additional variables for our clients. After the phone portion of the survey, respondents who have used the Internet in the past month are asked to complete a follow-up survey online. The transition rate from phone to online is ~35%.

Online Survey Means
More Data
Representative
Online Sample

Spring
Databases

Anglophone Spring Database

2,705
Total
Respondents
841
Online
Completes

The English MTM 18+ covers all regions of Canada, including the Territories. Ad Hoc Research conducted 2,705 English-language surveys by telephone, including 884 with CPO respondents, between March 14 to May 14, 2023. Respondents from the Northern Territories are reached through a mixed methodology approach of telephone and panel in order to maximize our sample size in this hard to reach region.

Francophone Spring Database

2,092
Total
Respondents
645
Online
Completes

The French MTM 18+ covers the province of Quebec and the francophone regions of New Brunswick and Ontario. The French-language interviews were conducted by Ad Hoc Research, and 2,092 phone surveys, including 844 with CPO respondents, were completed between March 16 to May 164 2023.

National Spring Database

4,797
Total
Respondents
1,486
Online
Completes

Interviews from the English MTM 18+ are merged with interviews from the French MTM 18+ to create a national database. The national data was weighted to ensure it is regionally and demographically (age and gender) representative of the Canadian population. It also adjusts the data to reflect a larger proportion of Anglophones than Francophones across the country.

Quebec Spring Database

2,049
Total
Respondents
738
Online
Completes

The Quebec database was created by filtering the national database by all Quebec respondents. The Quebec database differs from the National one in that it includes an additional layer of weighting to correct for language to represent a greater number of Francophones than Anglophones within the province. More specifically, the data is weighted according to age, gender, region (i.e., Montreal RMR, Quebec RMR and Rest of Quebec) and language (French or English).

Combined
Databases

Anglophone Combined Database

7,007
Total
Respondents
2,247
Online
Completes

The English MTM 18+ covers all regions of Canada, including the Territories. Ad Hoc Research conducted the English-language surveys by telephone, and 7,007 surveys, including 2,598 with CPO respondents, were completed between September 20 to December 16, 2022 and March 14 to May 14, 2023. Respondents from the Northern Territories are reached through a mixed methodology approach of telephone and panel in order to maximize our sample size in this hard to reach region.

Francophone Combined Database

6,107
Total
Respondents
1,907
Online
Completes

The French MTM 18+ covers the province of Quebec and the francophone regions of New Brunswick and Ontario. The French-language interviews were conducted by Ad Hoc Research, and 6,107 surveys, including 2,478 with CPO respondents, were completed between September 22 to December 16, 2022 and March 16 to May 14, 2023.

National Combined Database

13,114
Total
Respondents
4,514
Online
Completes

Interviews from the English MTM 18+ are merged with interviews from the French MTM 18+ to create a national database. The national data was weighted to ensure it is regionally and demographically (age and gender) representative of the Canadian population. It also adjusts the data to reflect a larger proportion of Anglophones than Francophones across the country.

Quebec Combined Database

6,050
Total
Respondents
2,089
Online
Completes

The Quebec database was created by filtering the national database by all Quebec respondents. The Quebec database differs from the National one in that it includes an additional layer of weighting to correct for language to represent a greater number of Francophones than Anglophones within the province. More specifically, the data is weighted according to age, gender, region (i.e., Montreal RMR, Quebec RMR and Rest of Quebec) and language (French or English).

Weighting

The telephone survey sample is weighted to reflect the Canadian population according to gender, age, region, and first official language spoken based on 2021 Census projection data. Questions in the online survey are given an additional weight to reflect the Canadian online population. This data is weighted to gender, age, region, language and light, medium, and heavy Internet usage.

The landline and cell phone only samples are weighted separately and then combined. 2016 Census projection data is used to weight the landline sample and the Statistics Canada 2017 Dwelling Characteristics and Household Equipment data (Table 11-10-0228-01) is used to weight the CPO sample.

Age
Gender
Region
Language

Margin of Error

Results based on the total Fall sample of 8,000 Canadians are accurate within plus or minus 1.1 percentage points 19 times out of 20. This means that if the survey were repeated 20 times, 19 of the surveys would generate the same result plus or minus 1.1 percentage points from the original finding. A sample of 4,000 respondents results in a margin of error within plus or minus 1.6 percentage points.

Results based on the total Combined sample of 12,000 Canadians are accurate within plus or minus 0.9 percentage points 19 times out of 20. This means that if the survey were repeated 20 times, 19 of the surveys would generate the same result plus or minus 0.9 percentage points from the original finding. A sample of 6,000 respondents results in a margin of error within plus or minus 1.3 percentage points.

For a more detailed discussion of margin of error for MTM 18+ please view this document.

12,000
Canadians
0.9pt

Research Provider

The MTM and all of its surveys are a product of CBC/Radio-Canada Research and Analysis. Ad Hoc Research conducts all of the French and English research for the MTM 18+.

Ad Hoc Research

Founded in 1984 in Montreal, Canada, Ad Hoc Research is a full-service marketing, communications and social research firm, with a multidisciplinary team of more than 100 employees and a constantly growing network of national and international clients. Leaders in the Canadian market, Ad Hoc Research builds lasting relationships with their clients, guiding them every step of the way with a creative and passionate approach.

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(1) According to the Statistics Canada 2017 Dwelling characteristics and household equipment, 1% of Canadians do not have any type of telephone service.