Discrepancy between Elections Canada, StatsCan reports likely due to social desirability bias

Despite the large gap in self-reported and actual voter turnout, the data in the StatsCan survey is still valuable to researchers.

Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault joins grade five students at Connaught Public School in Ottawa to discuss the Student Vote program and the importance of early engagement in the democratic process on Sept. 18, 2019. Elections Canada reported voter turnout at 66 per cent, compared to the StatsCan survey which showed 77 per cent. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

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BY AIDAN CHAMANDY

March 5, 2020

Despite an 11-percentage-point discrepancy between self-reported and actual voter turnout, a recent Statistics Canada survey still provides valuable information on the electorate and voting trends, experts say. The StatsCan survey, which relies on self-reporting, collected data by adding five elect...

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