The Aeroplan rewards program is apologizing over a recent online survey that asked questions on controversial topics, including whether immigration threatens āthe purity of the country.ā
But the president of the market research firm behind the survey insists that āboldā questions are the best way to capture a personās true beliefs, and that scrapping those questions would forfeit years of important research tracking the rise and fall of intolerance in Canada.
The survey asked Aeroplan members several questions about shopping and travel, before moving onto questions about their social views. One of the questions asked whether immigration threatened āthe purity of the country,ā another asked whether fathers should be considered the head of households, and whether traditional marriage was the only way to form a family.
Several users complained about the tone of the questions on Twitter, prompting Aeroplan to respond that it would be deleting all of the data collected from the poll.
āThis survey in no way reflects our opinions or values,ā the company said. āWe apologize for sending it out and will be deleting all of the data collected from it.ā
Aeroplan's owner, Aimia, said in an email to Ā鶹“«Ć½ that the company should have reviewed the questionnaire more thoroughly before distributing it.
āWe apologize to any members who were offended by the questions in the survey, which we had not properly reviewed internally,ā Aimiaās senior director of communications Christa Poole wrote.
āAfter looking into it, we found there are aspects of the survey that donāt meet the standards we hold ourselves to in terms of the kind of information we gather in order to provide the best program for our members.ā
She reiterated that data collected from Aeroplan members through the survey will be deleted. They have also asked their research partner, Montreal-based market research firm CROP, to do the same.
Gauging intolerance in Canada
But, in an interview with Ā鶹“«Ć½, CROP president Alain Giguère stood behind the polling methods.
Giguère called the situation āsadā and said the intention was not to offend anyone. He said major brands across Canada have used the 12-minute survey for more than 20 years in hopes of better understanding their customers.
The goal of the survey was to accurately capture āthe basic fundamental values of people,ā and the best way to do that, Giguère said, is by asking what he called āboldā questions.
āFor instance, one of the questions that has been shocking ā¦ is when we say āThereās too much immigration. It threatens the purity of the country.ā I agree that the statement is awful. But you know, 43 per cent of Canadians agree with such an item,ā Giguère said.
āSo if you agree to a very bold question like this, I know that youāre intolerant.ā
On the flip side, soft-ball questions could encourage survey-takers to moderate their more radical opinions -- thereby creating inaccuracies.
āLetās say, if youāre too nice in your question, if you ask something like, I donāt know, āImmigrants contribute marvelously well to the wealth of the countryā and so on, sometimes when youāre too nice we get as answers what we call socially acceptable answers,ā Giguère explained.
āPeople try to be nice with the interview. They want to look nice. If you ask a very bold question and you get people who say they agree with a very bold question -- now you got it. You got the real person.ā
Even if some questions seem reprehensible, Giguère suggested it would not be useful to ditch the approach.
āWeāve been tracking this over the last 20 years with the same questions. You change the wording, you canāt go on tracking,ā he said.
The divisive immigration question was actually inspired by a real-life interaction. Giguère said that, many years ago, he was moderating a focus group when someone expressed how they felt about immigrants coming to Canada.
āI had someone who told me this word by word: āThere is too much immigration, it threatens the purity of the country,ā he recalled.
The next day, he added the question to the survey.
Social media backlash
As for the controversy, Giguère blamed social media and the way people approach a situation when theyāre offended. Before Facebook, a disgruntled customer upset about the question would have called Aeroplan, and the companyās public-relations team wouldāve redirected the customer to the survey company, Giguère said.
āI wouldāve called this woman, I would have explained to her why we do that -- thatās it. And this woman, this is not what she did. I mean, she went on Facebook, on Twitter. Thatās it. Itās a sad story.ā
Lacey Willmott, a PhD student at the University of Waterloo, to Aeroplan last week and asked the company why it was supporting āhomophobia, misogyny, populism and anti-immigration.ā
The next day, by thanking Willmott and said it had followed up with its vendor.
In an interview with Ā鶹“«Ć½ Channel, Willmott said the question about immigration and āthe purity of the countryā upset her most. It also got her thinking about why Aeroplan wanted that information in the first place.
āI was definitely very shocked and I was frustrated and, more than anything, I was wondering, why is Aeroplan asking this question, and what are they collecting this data for?ā
In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which information from millions of Facebook users was improperly obtained by a firm connected to U.S. President Donald Trumpās election campaign, Willmott said sheās concerned about what Aeroplan is doing with the data.
After Willmottās tweet, Aeroplanās vice-president of marketing reached out to personally assure her that the data was being deleted.
āHe said the data would be deleted and they wouldnāt ask those questions any further,ā Willmott said.
Aeroplan accused of 'insensitivity'
Since the story broke, Twitter users accused the company of āinsensitivity,ā āa lack of awareness,ā and one described the survey as āsinister.ā
Among those detractors was Toronto city councilor Mike Layton, who called the questions āstupidā and said ālanguage is important.ā
āHow questions are asked can often shape answers but more damaging - shape peopleās perspectives. Did you ask about households with parents sharing responsibility? About how our society is made more prosperous by welcoming people from other countries?ā Layton tweeted.
Aimiaās senior director of communications called the survey āa proprietary longitudinal research surveyā conducted by CROP over the past 30 years to measure social change, with the results cited by multiple Canadian media outlets.
Last year, Giguère noted that the question about āthe father of the family must be master in his own houseā is one of their āfavouriteā questions and one they have asked for years to gauge changes in attitude about the family unit.
The first year CROP measured this statement, in 1983, 42 per cent of Canadians agreed with the statement. That dropped to 19 per cent in 2003, but has since risen again to 29 per cent.
Here are some of the questions that was asking its customers in an online survey. Luckily, a woman complained. But....SINISTER?
ā CJ Frederick (@PoweredbyPoodle)
We apologize for any offense caused by the questions in this survey. It does not reflect our values as a company and we will be deleting all data gathered from it.
ā Aeroplan (@Aeroplan)
This survey in no way reflects our opinions or values. We apologize for sending it out and will be deleting all of the data collected from it.
ā Aeroplan (@Aeroplan)
Suggest you tighten your procedures and vet your contractors. As a multi-decade Aeroplan member I find the insensitivity and lack of awareness demonstrated by the questions in this survey to be surprising from a Canadian company.
ā Doogie Bliss (@DoogieBliss)
Language IS important. How questions are asked can often shape answers but more damaging - shape peopleās perspectives. Did you ask about households with parents sharing responsibility? About how our society is made more prosperous by welcoming people from other countries?
ā Mike Layton (@m_layton)