CAMH Monitor FAQs

The survey asks about a range of health behaviours and issues, such as smoking, drinking, drug use, mental health, physical health, driving-related behaviours, and opinions and attitudes related to some of these matters. Every year, the survey contains a set of questions that are the same as those asked in previous years. This repetition allows us to detect emerging trends. We also introduce new questions each year to capture information about timely public health issues that are of general concern.

Typically, about 3,000 Ontario adults complete the survey every calendar year. The survey is part of a large ongoing research program at CAMH.

The average time to complete the survey is about 20 minutes, and some respondents complete the survey in as little as 10 minutes.

Yes, all studies that we conduct have been reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Board at CAMH and the Research Ethics Committee at York University.

We are just trying to get a sense of people’s experiences and opinions. There are no right or wrong answers. You do not have to answer any questions you do not want to, but your opinions and experiences are very important to us. We think that you will find that the questions are straightforward, and most questions have multiple-choice answers.

Only respondents who are age 18 and over and live in Ontario should complete this survey from each household. Each respondent should complete the survey only once.

All of the information you provide, including your answers and any other information, will remain completely confidential. Only researchers closely involved with the project will see the anonymous data and examine the findings. They do not look at individual responses but rather group responses -- for example, what percentage of people agreed or disagreed with a particular statement. Participants' names are never collected and therefore never included when the results of the study are released so there is no way that you would be identified as a participant in the study.

The results from our surveys are available about a year after the survey cycle is completed.

The results are available to the public in a report describing trends in the use of alcohol and other drugs and in mental health and well-being. See our latest trend report and an infographic that illustrates key findings from the report.

Health professionals use the results to identify areas of concern and emerging trends and to create programs and policies in Ontario. The media frequently use the results when covering health issues affecting Ontarians.

Participating in surveys like this gives you the opportunity to express your opinions about important issues, and your participation adds to our knowledge about topics of interest to Ontarians. Government leaders and other decision-makers use the findings from these kinds of studies to help them to develop policies that are informed by the opinions and experiences of average Ontarians.