CSPS retained Nanos Research to conduct research among public servants in Canada, in the form of a Government of Canada-wide survey of public servants at all levels, in all regions, and in all types of occupational roles, to inquire about their self-perceived needs with respect to training, learning and development. Specifically, the research was used to inquire about public servants’ needs at all levels, in all regions, and in all types of occupational roles, with respect to training, learning and development. The School will use this information to tailor their learning products and opportunities to better align with learners needs and preferred method of learning.
The primary objective of this research was to provide baseline data for the learning needs of the public service and could be conducted again in the future to capture the evolution of the needs of learners.
Quantitative phase
The online survey is comprised of 8,709 public servants from a randomly selected list provided by CSPS, between March 8th and April 6th, 2023. The survey was provided in English and French and was distributed to 99,920 randomly selected public servants.
The margin of error for a random survey of 8,709 public servants is plus or minus 1.0 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty (a confidence interval of 95 per cent). The response rate for the survey was 9%.
Nanos provided instructions to the CSPS team on randomly selecting 100,000 records from their database through the use of a randomization formula. Once CSPS made the random selection, the database selection was reviewed by CSPS and then a password protected file was provided to Nanos. The randomization method ensured the database was representative of all departments across the public service. The decision was made to randomly select 100,000 records based on an estimated response rate of 12%.
The survey was also available via an open link on the CSPS website, to collect respondents’ self-perceived training, learning and development needs.
All respondents self-administered the survey online.
Qualitative phase
Nanos conducted 12 online focus groups among 87 public servants, recruited from survey respondents who expressed interest in participating. The groups were conducted between March 27th and April 14th, 2023. Ten (10) focus groups were conducted in English and two (2) in French.
Readers should note that focus group research is qualitative and directional in nature and must not be used to estimate the numeric proportion or number of individuals in the population who hold a particular opinion. The focus group research allowed CSPS to gauge the views and gather in-depth insights from public servants, including specific profiles of interest.
The research was commissioned by CSPS and was conducted by Nanos Research.
This publication reports the findings of this research.
To view the full report in English, click here
To view the full report in French, click here